About Laurie J.
Laurie J. Briggs built her legal foundation at Nova Southeastern University, where she earned her J.D. in 1993. She entered the Florida legal community soon after and has maintained an active bar membership. Her early years in practice came at a time when courtroom experience shaped many young attorneys, and that practical training appears to have influenced her career trajectory.
She joined Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA and became a shareholder in 1994. That move came just a year after earning her law degree and signaled an early rise into firm leadership. Over the decades she has remained connected to the firm, contributing to its work and to its presence in Florida courts.
Briggs has stayed engaged beyond her firm role. She holds an active membership in The Florida Bar. She also serves on the Executive Committee and as a board member of the Florida Justice Association. Those positions place her among peers who work on trial practice issues and policy affecting litigators in the state. She is a member of the American Association for Justice as well, an indication of ongoing ties to national trial-lawyer networks.
Her colleagues describe a lawyer who blends courtroom experience with organizational service. She has spent much of her career involved in litigation matters, serving in roles that require both case management and courtroom preparation. Her long tenure at a single firm has given her a sustained platform from which to handle a range of disputes and to mentor newer lawyers in litigation practice.
Outside individual cases, Briggs’s participation in professional groups has given her a voice in defense and plaintiff-side conversations about practice standards and advocacy. Serving on an executive committee and a board requires attention to governance, policy decisions, and the concerns of a broader membership. Those responsibilities have added an administrative dimension to the work she does at the firm.
Her résumé reflects steady continuity: a 1993 J.D., a shareholder role beginning in 1994, and ongoing membership in state and national bar organizations. She continues to practice law through Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA. Her current practice focuses on representing clients in Florida litigation.
