President

SARAH MABERY

Eighth Judicial Circuit, Alachua County

Sarah Mabery is a senior trial court staff attorney with the Eighth Judicial Circuit, where she mainly deals with probate and family law matters.  She has been a staff attorney for 21 years and has worked for the Twentieth, Eighteenth and Eighth Circuits.  As a result, she has handled a wide variety of matters on both civil and criminal dockets.  Ms. Mabery has previously served two terms as President of FTCSAA (2019 and 2021).  She has also served as President-Elect, Immediate Past President, and At-Large Representative.  Ms. Mabery has served on the Education and Planning Committees for the last eight years.  She received her undergraduate degree from Flagler College, her masters in American history from the University of North Florida, and her J.D. from Mercer University School of Law.  While at Mercer, she was law review and moot court, and received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Legal Writing.

President-Elect

DANIELLE SCOLA

Eighth Judicial Circuit, Alachua County

    

Danielle Scola joined the Eighth Judicial Circuit as a Staff Attorney in 2022. Despite self-identifying as a Floridian, Danielle was born in New Jersey and raised in southwest Florida where she spent the remainder of her youth attempting to illuminate the locals with the truth of good pizza. When that ultimately failed, Danielle studied at the University of Florida where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2018. Danielle attended law school at the University of Tennessee where she obtained a Juris Doctor with a Concentration in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution in 2022. While in law school, Danielle served as a research assistant and research editor, and received a CALI award in recognition of her work in the Advocacy Clinic. Again, disappointed in the quality of local pizza, Danielle quickly relocated back to Gainesville where she joined the Eighth Judicial Circuit as a Staff Attorney focusing primarily on postconviction relief and criminal law research. Danielle currently lives in Gainesville, Florida with her fiancée and fur-baby, Benjamin (see above). Outside of her work for the court, Danielle enjoys reading, traveling, and gardening.

Treasurer

EMILY KIGER

Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Bay County

Emily Kiger has served as a Senior Staff Attorney with the First Judicial Circuit and Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.  This October will mark her fourteenth year as a Staff Attorney.  She spent 13 years as the only Staff Attorney assigned to the county and handled a variety of cases, including pretrial criminal matters, postconviction criminal matters, capital cases, code enforcement appeals, certiorari petitions seeking review of zoning and county commissioner actions, family law, and prisoner civil litigation. Emily has been involved in FTCSAA in many roles, including as one of the editors for the FTCSAA Newsletter, “The Circuit Courterly,” and a member of multiple FTCSAA committees. She served as FTCSAA President in 2015, Immediate Past President in 2016, and Treasurer in 2017-2019. Emily returned to the Treasurer position in early 2023 following the early departure of the previous Treasurer. Emily graduated magna cum laude from the University of West Florida in 2008 with a dual major in Legal Studies/ Pre-Law and Criminal Justice. She earned her Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2011. Emily lives in Okaloosa County, Florida with her husband and their (very lazy) Labrador Retriever mix, Lily.

 

Secretary

AMBER PERKINS

Ninth Judicial Circuit, Orange County       

Amber Perkins joined the Ninth Judicial Circuit as a Staff Attorney in January 2023. She quickly joined the Florida Trial Court Staff Attorney Association as a member in her first year as a Staff Attorney. Prior to her employment as a Staff Attorney, Amber practiced in the Ninth Judicial Circuit as an Assistant Public Defender.

First DCA Representative

CHOUNG MI AKEHURST

Third Judicial Circuit, Columbia County

Choung Mi Akehurst is a Senior Trial Court Staff Attorney with the Third Judicial Circuit handling all seven counties. Ms. Akehurst has approximately 24 years of legal experience with 13 years as a Senior Trial Court Staff Attorney. Ms. Akehurst primarily works in criminal post-conviction cases. Prior to working as a staff attorney Ms. Akehurst worked as an Assistant State Attorney, Assistant Public Defender, and as a Senior Attorney at the Florida Department of Children and Families. Ms. Akehurst graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from New York University, Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law, and an LLM in International Crime and Justice from University of Turin.

Second DCA Representative

JESSICA HATHAWAY

Sixth Judicial Circuit, Pinellas County

Jessica Hathaway is a staff attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, serving in the Civil and Appellate Divisions. A native of the Florida Panhandle, she earned a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University, majoring in political science and interdisciplinary social sciences, with a minor in psychology and a concentration in economics. She received her Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law, where she was recognized as a Dean’s Scholar and earned book awards in both Common Interest Communities and Residential Real Estate Transactions.

After graduating from law school, Jessica spent nearly a decade at a well-established real estate law firm in St. Petersburg before founding her own mediation firm. As a mediator, she handled hundreds of cases in the Sixth and Twelfth Judicial Circuits. She has been a member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association and the Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, and has volunteered her time with Lawyers for Literacy, the Community Law Program, and the Twelfth Judicial Circuit’s Citizen Dispute Settlement Program

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Third DCA Representative

CATHERINE MCMANUS

Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County

Catherine McManus is an Assistant General Counsel with twelve years’ experience in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.  Catherine is assigned to the Appellate Division, and previously worked in the Complex Business Litigation Division. She was honored to receive the G.E.M. (Going the Extra Mile) in 2018 at work, as well as recognition for her volunteer work on the Circuit’s law library fundraiser.  She graduated from FIU on a full tennis scholarship, received her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, and recently completed her LLM in taxation (online) at Boston University.  Catherine uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage her colleagues to succeed and work hard.  She is inspired by her parents, four siblings, and nine nieces and nephews.  In her free time, Catherine helps to advance voting rights through her membership on the League of Women Voters, enhances members in their public speaking skills in her Board position for Toastmasters, and works on her backhand in her tennis tournaments.

Fourth DCA Representative

ERIC WEISBERG

Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Broward County

Eric Weisberg is a Senior Staff Attorney working in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit since August 2016. Eric works in the General Civil Division while also serving as the current Staff Attorney Appeals and Writs Coordinator. Prior, Eric spent 4 years working in the Probate Division of the Staff Attorney’s Office. Eric is the immediate past 4th DCA Representative.

Eric was born and raised in Broward County, Florida. He attended Florida State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree, having double majored in Political Science and Criminology & Criminal Justice with a minor in Religion. Thereafter, Eric received his Juris Doctor, graduating Cum Laude from St. Thomas University School of Law, where he also received a Certificate in Elder Law. Before working for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Staff Attorney’s office, Eric worked in private practice for a small law firm in Pembroke Pines, focusing on Probate, Guardianship, Foreclosure and Landlord/ Tenant law. He currently lives in Weston, Florida with his Wife, 11-year-old daughter, 3-year-old son, and Goldendoodles, Ollivander and Milo.

Fifth DCA Representative

KATIE BOWMAN

Fifth Judicial Circuit, Marion County

Katie Curham is currently the supervising trial court staff attorney in the Fifth Circuit.  She is headquartered in Marion County.  She started as a staff attorney in April 2012.  Currently, she works on all dockets in Marion County, including the felony docket, the civil docket, and the appellate panel, as well as supervises the other staff attorneys throughout the circuit.  She received her B.A. in criminology and sociology in 2008 from the University of South Florida and her J.D. in 2011 from Florida Coastal School of Law.  She joined the Florida Trial Court Staff Attorney Association in 2012 and has previously served as the at-large representative from 2021-2022.  She loves to travel and make delicious baked goods and is a soon-to-be mom!

Sixth DCA Representative

ANTOINETTE ROMANO

Ninth Judicial Circuit, Orange County

Antoinette Romano has been a Staff Attorney since 2019 and is currently an Assistant Supervising Staff Attorney with the Ninth Circuit. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminology in December 2015. She then obtained her Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law in 2019. While in law school, Antoinette was a research assistant and served as Secretary and President of the Women Lawyers Association.

Antoinette joined FTCSAA in 2019 and has been a member of the Board since 2022. She currently serves as FTCSAA’s 6th DCA Representative and is a member of the Nominating Committee. Antoinette is also an active member of the Orange County Bar Association, serving on the Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors and co-chairing the Investitures Committee and Mentoring Committee.