About Laurel Marois
Laurel Marois Ackerman built a legal path that begins in the classroom and moves quickly into criminal courts. She earned a B.A. in history at the University of Florida and stayed in Gainesville to complete her J.D. at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Those years shaped an interest in public service and federal practice that shows up in the roles she took early in her career.
Her practical training began while still in law school. In 2017 she served as a certified legal intern with the Public Defender for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, handling client interviews, case preparation and courtroom work under supervision. The next year she spent time at the U.S. Department of Justice as a law clerk in the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, gaining exposure to federal investigations and prosecutorial practice. In 2018 she also served as an assistant public defender at the Law Office of Julianne Holt.
Those positions gave her front-line courtroom experience and a close view of both defense and federal prosecutorial approaches to criminal matters. She handled client intake, drafted motions and participated in hearings at state and federal levels. The variety of assignments — from indigent defense work to time in a specialized DOJ section — added different perspectives on case strategy and evidentiary issues.
Ackerman is licensed to practice in Florida and in the District of Columbia. She applies the procedural knowledge she developed during her clerkship and defender work to case development and client counseling. Colleagues describe her as methodical in trial preparation and attentive to the factual and legal details that matter when evidence is contested or when pleadings must withstand close scrutiny.
She now practices at Anderson & Ackerman Law Group. Her day-to-day work involves representing clients in criminal matters and addressing related federal issues that arise from narcotics investigations and prosecutions. She maintains the courtroom and appellate skills she developed early in her career and continues to handle matters that bridge state defense practice and federal litigation.
