Today we’re celebrating Lorri Rowell’s 12-year anniversary with the firm!

Lorri has been a valued member of our team since 2013, known for her experience, reliability, and steady attention to detail. Her work makes a strong impact and helps keep our cases running smoothly every day.

We’re so grateful for her dedication and contributions over the years. Congratulations, Lorri, on 12 amazing years!

May is a big month for Sessums Black attorney Angelica Roselló. May 4 officially marked 10 years for Angie as a licensed Florida attorney, and today is her one-year work anniversary with the firm. Please join us in congratulating Angie on these milestones!

Angie works exclusively in marital and family law and has served the Tampa Bay Area as a family law practitioner since 2015. She has training and certification in mediation and collaborative practice and is admitted to practice law in Florida and Pennsylvania. She is also active in the Bay Area legal community, currently serving as Secretary of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Marital & Family Law Section’s Executive Council. She will become Chair-Elect of the Section in June and has been a member of the Section’s Executive Council since 2018. Learn more about Angie here.

Congratulations to Sessums Black attorney Angelica Roselló on her recent election as Secretary of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Marital & Family Law Section’s Executive Council. She will become Chair-Elect of the Section in June. Angie has been a member of the Section’s Executive Council since 2018.

Angie works exclusively in marital and family law. She is admitted to practice law in Florida and Pennsylvania and has received training and certification in both mediation and collaborative practice. Angie moved to Tampa with her family in the summer of 2014 and has served the Tampa Bay Area as a family law practitioner since 2015. She joined Sessums Black, P.A., in 2024.

Learn more about Angie here.

We are pleased to announce that Sessums Black attorney Samantha Koko recently completed the Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainers’ Introductory Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice Training—a 15-hour virtual course—and now will be accepting collaborative family law cases.

Collaborative divorce is a method of alternative dispute resolution in family law. Instead of a traditional court-based divorce, collaborative cases may come to a settlement quickly and quietly. Collaborative divorce typically takes less time, costs less money, and limits the children’s exposure to the stress of divorce. Learn more at sessumsblack.com/collaborative-divorce.

Congratulations to Steve Sessums, Caroline Black Sikorske, Alex Caballero, and Jennifer Ficarrotta, who have been named to the 2024 list of Lawdragon.com 500 “Leading Family Lawyers.” According to the Lawdragon website, attorneys are selected through a “time-honed process” that includes submissions; journalistic research; and vetting by peers, clients, and others knowledgeable in this area.

Please join us in welcoming paralegal Sarah E. Black to the Sessums Black team. Sarah has worked in the legal field for more than 20 years in a variety of areas and has nine years of experience working exclusively in marital and family law matters.  Her background includes legal research and drafting pleadings, motions and notices, affidavits, propose orders and final judgments. She also manages correspondence to judiciary, opposing counsel and clients as well as the discovery process and preparations for trial, mediation and hearings. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2004 from The University of Tampa and her Juris Doctorate in 2014 from New England Law | Boston. She devotes 100 percent of her practice to marital and family law.

We are exceptionally proud that Sessums Black Shareholder Jennifer Ficarrotta is among the nominees for the 2022 Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Board Certification. The Florida Supreme Court created the certification program as a means to assist consumers in identifying qualified legal specialists and to encourage lawyers to aspire to excellence and professionalism. Nominees for the award have been recognized by their colleagues for “excellence and creativity in advancing the public’s knowledge of and appreciation for legal board certification.”

In Jennifer’s congratulatory letter, Board of Legal Specialization & Education Chair Philip R. Augustine said, “We value the hard work, professionalism and dedication to excellence that are necessary to attain board certification. It is an honor to be further singled out as a leader among those Florida Bar members who are known as experts and specialists. Congratulations, and thank you for your service to the Board Certification program.”

Jennifer is among only 275 lawyers statewide who have earned Florida Bar board certification in Marital & Family Law. Caroline Black Sikorske, Alex Caballero, and Andrew D. Reder also are board-certified by The Florida Bar in Marital & Family Law, and founding partner Stephen Sessums was among the first attorneys in Florida to earn Marital & Family Law board certification in 1983.

We are pleased to announce that Jacqueline Urra has joined Sessums Black as an Administrative Assistant and Scheduler. Jacqueline started working with us in 2006 and recently rejoined the firm. She is a Tampa native who holds an associate degree from Hillsborough Community College and is bilingual in Spanish. She has been a Legal and Administrative Assistant for more than 20 years and has experience in criminal and Family Law. You can contact her at Jacqueline@sessumsblack.com or 813-251-9200, extension 131. Please join us in welcoming Jacqueline back to the Sessums Black team!

Here are some nice photos from today’s Hillsborough County Bar Association Past Presidents’ Luncheon, a longstanding association tradition. Pictured are former HCBA presidents Stephen Sessums (1977) and Caroline Black Sikorske (2014) and Steve and Caroline with Sessums Black Managing Partner Alexander Caballero, a member of the HCBA Board of Directors. Thank you to the HCBA for hosting this very special event.

Congratulations to SBCF paralegal Michele Carpenter Tawzer, CP, FRP, who this month is celebrating 17 years with the firm. Michele is a Certified Paralegal through the National Association of Legal Assistants and a Florida Registered Paralegal through The Florida Bar. She is an active member of the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, Inc., an organization that works to set the standard of excellence for the paralegal profession through its work on regulations, ethics and education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1999 from the University of South Florida and has more than 20 years of family law litigation experience. Michele devotes 100 percent of her practice to marital and family law. Happy work anniversary, Michele!

Congratulations to SBCF Shareholder Jennifer Ficarrotta, who this month is celebrating her 10-year work anniversary with the firm. Jennifer has been Florida Bar board certified in Marital and Family Law since 2015, a designation held by only 271 lawyers statewide. She is a former chair of the Marital & Family Law Board Certification Committee and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell. Jennifer has been named to the list of Florida Super Lawyers for nine consecutive years. She is an experienced litigator who is trained in Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law and is an active member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Tampa Bay Collaborative Divorce Group. Jennifer devotes 100 percent of her practice to marital and family law.

Congratulations to SBCF Managing Partner Alex Caballero, who has been elected to the Hillsborough County Bar Association Executive Council. Alex previously served on the Executive Council and is a current Hillsborough County Bar Association board member. The HCBA is one of the largest voluntary bar associations in Florida with a membership of close to 4,000 attorneys, judges and legal professionals. Its mission is to inspire and promote respect for the law and the justice system through service to the legal profession and the community.

Please join us in thanking the J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court members who participated in the holiday toy drive to benefit Voices for Children of Tampa Bay, a non-profit organization that works with Guardian ad Litem volunteers to provide support and advocacy for local children. The highly successful toy drive allowed Guardian ad Litem volunteers to select thousands of gifts for kids in foster care so that children in Hillsborough County had gifts to open during the holiday season. The Cheatwood Inn of Court is a local association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals from all experience levels and backgrounds who share a passion for professional excellence. We are proud that SBCF partner Andrew D. Reder is a member of this Inn of Court and continues to make a difference in our community.

We are very pleased to announce that Andrew D. Reder is now a partner in the firm!

Andrew is an experienced litigator who devotes 100% of his practice to Marital & Family Law. He regularly represents business owners, executives, lawyers, doctors, nurses, stay-at-home parents, and other individuals in a wide range of family law proceedings such as divorces, paternity actions, and post-judgment proceedings. His practice combines alternative dispute processes, such as mediation and collaborative divorce, with traditional litigation. Andrew is a former prosecutor for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and successfully litigated numerous jury trials, non-jury trials and motions, including prosecuting domestic violence offenses. Previously, Andrew served as a staff attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit where he was responsible for advising four circuit court judges on various issues of Florida Law, conducting legal research, and drafting proposed Court orders, experience that provides valuable insight into the judicial decision-making process.

Please join us in congratulating Paralegal Tami Bradley, who today is celebrating one year with the firm. Tami has been a family law and business litigation paralegal and legal assistant for more than six years. She is a Florida Notary Public and licensed realtor who has worked in residential sales since 2002 and worked in commercial sales in from 2018 until joining SBCF. She also is a volunteer Guardian Ad Litem in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and was named 2018 Guardian Ad Litem of the Year.

SBCF shareholder Caroline Black Sikorske and her husband, Jeff, recently attended the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers – AAML – Florida Chapter retreat and CLE in Savannah, Ga. Founded in 1962 to “promote the highest degree of professionalism and excellence” in family law, AAML members must be highly technically proficient in law, experienced, ethical and must commit to continued education to maintain excellence in family law. Fewer than 100 family law attorneys in Florida currently meet the stringent requirements needed to become an AAML member. We are proud that Caroline has been an AAML Florida member since 2002 and served as Florida Chapter president in 2012-13.

SBCF attorney Sterling Lovelady made a virtual presentation on September 17 to the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, Inc. titled “COVID-19: A Sword and Shield in Family Law Proceedings,” Sterling discussed the impact that COVID has had on our family law proceedings, what has changed and what we can learn from this experience. Sterling devotes 100 percent of his practice to marital and family law. (Screenshot credit: Frank Steinbeck, Jr.)