Keshara Davis
Bar Counsel, The Florida Bar
Keshara Davis is Bar Counsel with the Florida Bar, practicing in the area of lawyer regulation. As bar counsel, Ms. Davis is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of attorneys accused of violating the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. She handles all phases of the disciplinary trial including filing appellate briefs with the Florida Supreme Court.
The genesis of Ms. Davis' legal career began with community involvement and outreach. In 2007, Ms. Davis received her Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law. During her first semester of law school Ms. Davis was elected by her classmates to serve on the executive board for the Delores Poindexter Auzenne chapter of the Black Law Students Association (FSU BLSA). Ms. Davis was subsequently elected to serve as the Vice-President of FSU BLSA prior to entering her second year of law school. During her tenure as Vice-President, FSU BLSA was named Regional BLSA Chapter of the Year and National BLSA Chapter of the Year. During her time on the executive board, Ms. Davis implemented a community service program for FSU BLSA members to serve as Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) tutors at John G. Riley Elementary School in Tallahassee, Florida. Ms. Davis recently received the honor of being inducted into the Inaugural Hall of Fame Class for FSU BLSA.
Upon graduation, Ms. Davis became licensed to practice law in the State of Florida and worked as an Assistant Public Defender concentrating in the area of juvenile delinquency prior to joining the Florida Bar's Orlando office as bar counsel. She credits her experience with the Public Defender's juvenile division as the impetus for strengthening her passion to keep minority youth out of the criminal justice system.
Ms. Davis' greatest accomplishments are infused with altruism. In 2009, she received a bronze pin from the Florida Supreme Court for her pro bono service. Ms. Davis currently serves as a Justice Teaching volunteer at Carver Middle School in Orlando, Florida. She dedicates one day a month to going into the classroom and implementing her Justice Teaching lesson plan. As a Justice Teaching volunteer, her goals are to further the law related education of students in Florida, to promote an understanding of Florida's justice system and laws, and to aid the students in developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. She enjoys teaching the students about the Bill of Rights and the corresponding case law. Ms. Davis has also spoken to middle school students in Orlando on the consequences of cyber bullying. She serves as a judge for the annual high school state Mock Trial and We the People Competitions. Ms. Davis also volunteers one night a month as a jury advisor with Teen Court for the 9th Judicial Circuit. As a jury advisor, she is responsible for assisting the teen juries during their deliberations as they discuss sanction. Teen Court is a diversion program for first time juvenile offenders, which allows the juvenile's case to be heard by a jury of their peers, the program requires that the juveniles admit their guilt and complete sanctions such as community service and writing essays about the offense.
Ms. Davis continues to recognize the importance of integrating legal counsel with community service. She spends a significant portion of her time
mentoring African American high school students as a volunteer with the Central Florida YMCA Teen Achievers program. As a volunteer, Ms. Davis
spends every other Saturday exposing the students to diverse career options and encouraging them to raise their academic expectations. Ms. Davis'
dedicated efforts as a volunteer were recognized by the executive director of the Teen Achievers and her efforts led to an invitation to serve on its
board of directors. She continues to serve as both a volunteer and a board member.
For Ms. Davis, being an attorney is truly an act of public service. Involvement in various voluntary bar organizations is of critical importance. She was recently elected to serve on the 2011-2012 Board of Directors for the Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers. Ms. Davis is also a member of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association. She was recently appointed to serve as the Chair of the 2011-2012 Backpack Project for the Young Lawyers Section of the Orange County Bar Association. She also is a frequent speaker on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. She lectures at the Practicing with Professionalism continuing legal education seminar which is a mandatory course for all first year attorneys in the state of Florida. She has been invited to speak to several voluntary bar organizations throughout Central Florida as well as the State Attorney's Office for the 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida. She has spoken on topics such as " Top 10 Bar Grievances" and "Ethics and Social Networking." She has also been invited to give a guest lecture to law students at the Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law on the topic of Professional Responsibility.
Ms. Davis has dedicated three years of service as the chair of May Week for the Orange County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. May Week is a nationally recognized program of the sorority that provides a weeklong program of community activities that are free to the public. Ms. Davis is responsible for organizing community service events designed to uplift the African American community within Orange County. Each year during May Week she has organized an annual economic empowerment event which encourages members of the community to support a local black business. For the past two years, Ms. Davis and her committee have been recognized for doubling the revenue of the selected business during May Week.
Ms. Davis' dedication to her profession and love of her community are the driving force behind all that she does. She is a firm believer that, to whom much is given, much is required.
