Area attorney named to state appeals court

TAMPA — Suzanne Labrit, a partner in Shutts & Bowen’s Tampa office, has been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. 

Labrit, according to a press release, joined Shutts & Bowen in 2003 and co-chairs the firm’s appellate practice group. She has more than 30 years of legal experience and is one of fewer than 200 Florida attorneys board certified in appellate law by the Florida Bar. 

“Suzanne’s appointment to this esteemed judicial position speaks to her legal aptitude and the impact of her already distinguished career,” Shutts & Bowen Managing Partner Micky Grindstaff states in the release. “Her commitment to the legal profession and her experience will now benefit the entire judicial system. We will miss her and wish her the very best.”

As a Second District Court of Appeal judge, Labrit will be part of multi-judge panels that will review the decisions of lower courts. 

“I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this honor,” states Alan Higbee, managing partner of the firm’s Tampa office, in the release. “Suzanne is a brilliant appellate lawyer with immense and wide-ranging experience. She has been an incredible partner at Shutts and a wonderful friend to us all — we will miss her greatly, but could not be more proud of her as she takes her seat on the bench."