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MANAGING PARTNER

Laurel Marois Ackerman

Laurel Marois Ackerman

Laurel Marois Ackerman, the granddaughter of Don Anderson, was born and raised in St. Pete, where she attended LCC Day School and graduated from Shorecrest Preparatory School, and is happy to still call it home today! Laurel graduated from the University of Florida with her Bachelor’s degree cum laude in 2015, and from UF’s Levin College of Law with her Juris Doctor cum laude in 2018, making her a PROUD Double Gator. 

 In law school, she clerked at the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Tampa, served as a CLI at the 8th Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Gainesville, and worked at the United States Department of Justice Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section in Washington, D.C. After law school she worked as an Assistant Public Defender at the 13th Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Tampa for three years in the intake, juvenile, misdemeanor, and felony divisions. She gained experience in social security disability law while clerking at the Administrative Conference of the United States in Washington, D.C. and working at her parents’ business, Anderson Marois & Associates, who are Accredited Disability Representatives and EDPNAs.

Laurel focuses her practice exclusively on Social Security Federal Court Appeals and Criminal Defense. She has had success in federal courts across the country in her social security disability practice, and even takes cases at the admin level. She has tried numerous criminal cases to verdict in misdemeanor, felony, adult, and juvenile cases. 

Laurel enjoys volunteering for the Pinellas County History Day competition, volunteering as a Poll Watcher and Legal Observer for early voting and election day in every election cycle, serving as an advisor for the USF and UF chapters of Sigma Kappa sorority, and serving in various positions in the Junior League of St. Petersburg. 

Laurel and her husband Chris have a son and two dogs! They are avid sports fans and love cheering for their Tampa Bay teams, the Florida Gators, and Ole Miss (her husband’s alma mater)! She is a member of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Pinellas County Gator Club, and Lutheran Church of the Cross. 

Education

  • University of Florida, B.A., Cum Laude
  • University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D., Cum Laude

Bar Admissions

  • Florida Bar
  • Washington, D.C Bar
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

Professional Memberships

  • St. Petersburg Bar Association
  • Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • National Association of Disability Representatives
  • National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives

Awards/Distinctions

  • Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiation Book Award, UF Law
  • Trial Team Book Award, UF Law
  • Appellate Advocacy Book Award, UF Law
  •  Historic Preservation Law Book Award, UF Law
  • Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award, UF Law

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