Class of 2012

View your classmates' news and accomplishments by selecting your graduation year! The most recent class notes entries appear first on each page. If you have anything that you would like to include as a class note, you may submit a class note online or contact Becky Shepherd.

G.C. Murray II has been awarded the MLK 2024 Excellence in Community Service Award during the Bicentennial Leon County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration by The MLK Foundation of Florida, Inc. For the past decade, Murray has spearheaded the Innovative Community Engagement (ICE) Foundation's efforts in low-resource communities in Jakarta, Indonesia, organizing backpack bashes with thousands of school supplies, turkey drives feeding over 5,000 Floridians, and cold-weather clothing giveaways. His relentless pursuit of community improvement has touched countless lives. Reflecting on his connection to Dr. King's legacy, Murray stated, "Being honored for this award while working to expand the ICE Foundation’s reach in Jakarta is a poignant reminder of our shared global responsibility towards Dr. King’s vision of service, equality, and justice.” Posted 1.26.24

Ashley Gault has been elected to Tucker Ellis LLP's partnership effective January 1, 2024. Gault concentrates on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition and disposition of real property assets, debt and equity financing, land use planning, joint ventures, and the formation and operation of ownership entities. She has extensive experience negotiating purchase and sale agreements, ground leases, development agreements, leases, and financing documents for commercial and government projects. Posted 12.6.23

 

Ashley Gault has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America® for 2024 in the area of Real Estate Law. Gault practices at Tucker Ellis in Cleveland, Ohio. Posted 9.12.23

 

John Kessenich headshotJohn N. Kessenich has been made partner at Taylor, Day, Grimm & Boyd LLP in Jacksonville. Kessenich represents insureds and insurers in personal injury matters including auto accidents, slips and falls, trucking accidents, and wrongful death cases. Posted 1.18.23

 

Ashley Gault has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America® for 2023 in the area of Real Estate Law. Gault practices at Tucker Ellis in Cleveland, Ohio. Posted 9.9.22

 

Brad Mitchell has been promoted to partner at Groelle and Salmon in Miami. He focuses his practice on first party property defense and represents multiple insurance carriers throughout the state. Posted 8.29.22

 

G.C. Murray II has been selected by the ABA’s Center for Professional Responsibility and the ABA Young Lawyer Division as the 2022 Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyer Professionalism Award recipient. The annual award honors a young lawyer’s commitment to legal and judicial ethics, lawyer professionalism, client protection, and professional regulation. Posted 6.2.22

 

Alexandra H. Palermo received the 2022 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Posted 1.20.22

Tara R. Price is now a partner in the Tallahassee office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, and is also a member of the firm's Appellate Practice Group. Price focuses her practice on administrative, commercial, constitutional, and appellate litigation. She represents both public and private clients in complex disputes before Florida's Division of Administrative Hearings, the district courts of appeal, the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, assisting her clients as they navigate regulatory and political challenges. Posted 1.13.22

 

G.C. Murray II has been selected as the 2021 Lynn B. Futch Most Productive Young Lawyer by The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division. The award recognizes young lawyers who have worked diligently in Bar and law related activities, as well as maintained an excellent reputation for legal abilities and integrity. Posted 9.29.21

 

Natasha Dorsey is the new president of the board of Florida Lawyers Assistance (FLA). As president, she will help FLA in its mission to support the mental health of Florida’s lawyers, judges, law students, and paralegals. Dorsey, who resides in the Chicago area, is also immediate past president and a current at-large member of The Florida Bar’s Out-of-State Division. Posted 9.23.21

Samuel Arlen Farkas is serving as Kim Kardashian West's tutor as she prepares to take the California bar exam. Posted 7.1.21

Alexander Fumagali is now a partner in the Miami office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP. His practice focuses on the areas of general civil litigation, premises liability, products liability and negligent security. Prior to joining Lewis Brisbois, Fumagali practiced insurance defense litigation for a national litigation firm and represented mortgagees in foreclosure cases throughout Florida. Posted 2.25.21

Ashley E. Gault has been promoted to counsel at Tucker Ellis LLP. She concentrates on commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition and disposition of real property assets, debt and equity financing, land use planning, joint ventures, and the formation and operation of ownership entities. She negotiates purchase and sale agreements, ground leases, development agreements, leases, and financing documents for commercial, residential and government projects.Posted 1.15.21

 

G.C. Murray II was named the Brian Dassler Young Floridian of the Year and will be honored during the Bob Graham Center Awards for Excellence in Public Service on Friday, October 16. Posted 10.12.20

 

Jacquelyn A. Mereness passed away on October 3, 2020 after a valiant battle with cancer. Posted 10.9.20

Amanda McKibben was celebrated as a graduating "Class 6" member in the Legal Aid Foundation's Thunderdome Tallahassee Awards ceremony, which was held virtually on September 22. The class clocked 300+ pro bono hours over the past year. Posted 10.2.20

Maxwell J. Dauerman is serving on the FSU College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 academic year. Posted 7.1.20

Alexander J. Fumagali is serving on the FSU College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 academic year. Posted 7.1.20

Tara R. Price is serving on the FSU College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 academic year. Posted 7.1.20

Andrew W. Smith is serving on the FSU College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 academic year. Posted 7.1.20

Brian Dunmire recently started his own law firm, Dunmire Law, in Winter Park, Florida. After working in insurance defense for a number of years, Dunmire switched to personal injury law several years ago and recently made the jump to start his own practice. He also recently eloped and is now happily married to his wife, Annick. Dunmire is practicing in the field of personal injury, representing only clients who have been injured in an accident with a focus on complex and traumatic cases. Posted 6.8.20

 

Charles J. Abrams has been elevated to shareholder in the West Palm Beach office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Abrams is a member of the firm's real estate practice. He advises developers, owners and investors in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including the preparation and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, leases, easements, covenants, closing documentation, and acquisition and construction financings. Posted 3.23.20

 

Jessica M. Icerman has joined Stearns Weaver Miller’s Tampa office as an associate in the land development, zoning, environmental and government affairs group. Posted 12.12.19

 

G.C. Murray, II received the 2019 Community Service award from the Tallahassee Barristers Association at the annual President’s Ball in August. Murray is special counsel and director of membership at the Florida Justice Association. In addition to his work at the Florida Justice Association, Murray operates Association GC, which focuses on nonprofit management and consulting. Posted 11.19.19

Alexandra H. Palermo received The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division’s 2019 Kathy Bishop Most Distinguished Board Member Award for her dedication and involvement in community and law-related activities. Palermo is corporate counsel at Syniverse in Tampa. Posted 7.26.19

Natasha B. Dorsey received The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division 2019 Most Productive Board Member Award for going above and beyond in service to the YLD and for her work on the YLD Health and Wellness Committee. Posted 7.8.19

MacDonald_Ian_web.jpgIan S. MacDonald was promoted to shareholder at Clark Partington Hart Larry Bond & Stackhouse, P.A. in Tallahassee. His practice focuses primarily on business and real property disputes. Posted 3.18.19

 

Andrew W. Smith is now the vice president of investment management at Goldman Sachs in Tampa. Posted 3.14.19

Roger N. Beaubien will serve as director of cabinet affairs under Florida Governor-elect Ron DeSantis. He served in DeSantis' transition as the intergovernmental affairs liaison, a role he also held during the DeSantis-Nuñez campaign. Prior to his campaign role, Beaubien served as special counsel for Cabinet and Legislative Affairs to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Posted 12.19.18

Gutierrez_Andrew_web.jpgAndrew Gutierrez has joined NBCUniversal Media, LLC as counsel for Business and Legal Affairs. He will be overseeing the company's marketing, corporate affairs and communications, public relations, and sourcing departments as counsel. Gutierrez joined NBCUniversal after five years at Stone, Glass & Connolly, LLP in Miami. Posted 12.12.18

 

Erin M. Van De Walle has relocated to San Antonio and accepted a position as an assistant United States attorney within the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. She is assigned to the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit, where she focuses on healthcare fraud civil prosecution, opioid drug diversions and penalties, and False Claims Act matters. Posted 12.7.18

mereness_jackie_wedding_web.jpgBrett G. Mereness and Jacquelyn A. Mereness (maiden name Jacquelyn Turmes) were married on April 8, 2017 in St. Augustine. Brett is an associate at Cole, Scott & Kissane, where he practices in the area of civil defense litigation, with an emphasis on employment law, premises liability, condominium and homeowners association matters, and personal injury. Jacquelyn is an associate at Taylor, Day, Grimm & Boyd, where she focuses her practice on commercial, business and tort litigation. They live in Jacksonville Beach with their dog and cat. Posted 9.26.18

 

Ryan D. Chesnut has been promoted to state and local tax manager at GBQ in Columbus, OH. He provides income and franchise tax, sales and use tax and property tax services to clients ranging in size and complexity from single-member LLCs to multinational corporations. Posted 7.20.18

G.C. Murray, II was named Volunteer of the Year and winner in the education category by the Tallahassee Democrat on May 3, 2018. The honor recognizes local volunteers who have "poured selfless service into the capital city's community to make it a better place." He will travel to Washington, D.C. in June 2018 to compete in the Jefferson Awards, which recognizes the nation's top public service leaders and volunteers. Murray is the president and founder of the Innovative Community Engagement Foundation. Posted 5.14.18

Alexandra H. Palermo is now corporate counsel at Syniverse in Tampa. Posted 2.26..18

Erin K. Van De Walle and her husband, Jason, are thrilled to announce the arrival of their first child, Elizabeth Caelee, born on May 31, 2016 in Tampa. Van De Walle is an assistant attorney general at the Florida Office of the Attorney General. Posted 12.14.17

Erin K. Van De Walle graduated from the University of Florida's College of Pharmacy on May 1, 2016. She earned a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, majoring in Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, and specializing in Pharmaceutical Regulation. While completing her degree, Van De Walle was the recipient of the 2014 Simonsmeier Fellowship, a financial award offered by the American Society for Pharmacy Law. She is an assistant attorney general at the Florida Office of the Attorney General. Posted 12.14.17

monroe_hannah_web.jpgHannah D. Monroe and Patrick D. Flemming ('12) were married on November 5, 2016, at Hannah's childhood home in Waukeenah. Hannah is an associate at Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell's Tallahassee office. Her litigation practice focuses on cases involving employment and labor issues, governmental and administrative law, and criminal defense. Patrick is the chief regulatory officer of FBMC Benefits Management, Inc. Posted 12.6.17

 

melnick_ben_web.jpgBenjamin M. Melnick is now the compliance and licensing manager for the Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana. Posted 10.16.17

 

Jodi M. Ruberg has joined Kirk Pinkerton, P.A. in Sarasota as an associate. Her practice is focused on commercial and probate litigation, as well as the Florida Sunshine Laws. Posted 9.27.17

Gordon C. Murray, Jr. received the Tallahassee Bar Association's inaugural Champion for Diversity in the Legal Profession Award. He is deputy general counsel for the Florida Justice Association. Posted 7.24.17

William P. Winter is now assistant athletics director for compliance at the University of South Florida. Posted 6.21.17

Shaun P. Carres passed away on April 25, 2017. He was a beloved member of Cornerstone Learning Community in Tallahassee, where he worked with students in middle school social science classes and the chess club. Posted 5.1.17

gault_ashley_web.jpgAshley E. Gault has joined Tucker Ellis LLP in their Cleveland, OH office. She is a corporate and real estate attorney. Posted 4.12.17

 

Brandon W. Brewer is now a broker at Keller Williams Realty, Inc. in Wilmington, NC. Posted 2.15.17