MIAMI – Carlton Fields shareholder Cristina Alonso was elected President of the Board of Directors of Florida Legal Services, Inc. (FLS) for the 2009-2010 term. Her term began July 1.

FLS is a nonprofit organization founded in 1973 to provide civil legal assistance to indigent persons who would not otherwise have the means to obtain a lawyer. A statewide support center, dedicated to ensuring poor people have equal access to justice, FLS fulfills its mission primarily by working with local legal aid and legal service programs to improve their ability to provide legal assistance to those in need in their communities. Providing service delivery coordination, training, case consultation and technical assistance to all legal service providers in Florida, FLS also is the coordinating organization for the first in the nation comprehensive Florida Supreme Court Voluntary Pro Bono Attorney Plan.

Alonso handles all aspects of appellate litigation in state and federal court, including brief writing and oral argument. She also provides litigation support, including drafting and arguing complex pre-trial motions, case dispositive motions, jury instructions and post-trial motions. She received her bachelor’s degree, with distinction, in 1997 from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and a law degree, with honors, in 2000 from the University of Florida College of Law. She is a member of The Florida Bar, Young Lawyers Division, Board of Governors and serves as vice-chair of its Pro Bono and Community Involvement Committee. She is also a member of The Florida Bar, Appellate Section's Pro Bono Committee. She was named an “Up-and-Comer” in Florida Trend magazine's 2007 and 2008 Florida Legal Elite, as well as in 2008 by the South Florida Business Journal.