Officers
President
Peggy Miller, Esq.
Peggy Miller is the career law clerk to the Honorable Marcia Morales Howard. In addition to clerking for Judge Howard, Peggy has completed short-term clerkships for the Honorable Monte C. Richardson, the Honorable Joel B. Toomey, and the Honorable Timothy J. Corrigan.
President-Elect
Joni A. Poitier, Esq.
Joni A. Poitier is a partner at the law firm of Moseley, Prichard, Parrish, Knight & Jones. Joni initially joined the firm as an associate and was named a partner in January of 2018. Her current practice focuses on personal injury, product liability, maritime and railroad defense and labor and employment matters. Before her association with the firm, Joni was an Assistant State Attorney at the Office of the State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Vice President – Membership
Lauren Purdy, Esq.
Lauren Purdy is a shareholder with Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. where she practices in the areas of complex commercial litigation, professional liability defense and appeals in both state and federal courts. Before entering private practice, Lauren clerked for the Honorable Joel F. Dubina of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Honorable Robert L. Hinkle of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
Vice President – Programs
Mary Margaret Giannini, Esq.
Mary Margaret Giannini is an Assistant General Counsel with the Office of General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville where she works in the Tort, Employment & Regulatory Department. Mary Margaret previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Stephanie K. Seymour of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and Marcia Morales Howard of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She was also a tenured Professor of Law at Florida Coastal School of Law and a Visiting Professor of Law at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Secretary
Derek Mountford, Esq.
Derek Mountford is a litigator at Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. He focuses his practice on complex, bet-the-company cases for businesses in a variety of industries. Before joining Gunster, Derek had the pleasure of serving as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Brian J. Davis and the Honorable Marcia Morales Howard.
Treasurer
Kelly Karase, Esq.
Kelly Karase recently joined the investment firm, Edward Jones, as Associate General Counsel in the litigation department. She had previously served as the Deputy Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Jacksonville Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Kelly was a federal prosecutor for 15 years, and has led the investigation and prosecution of complex federal matters involving violent crimes against children, human trafficking, fraud, public corruption, drug trafficking, and foreign corrupt practices. Prior to her public service, she was a commercial litigation associate in New York, at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison, and in St. Louis, at Husch Blackwell.
Immediate Past President
Laura Renstrom, Esq.
Laura Renstrom is an attorney at Holland & Knight LLP, focusing her practice on complex commercial litigation. Laura previously clerked for the Honorable Richard C. Tallman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
