Miami, Fla. – Carlton Fields Miami Shareholder Cristina Alonso was named to The National Law Journal’s Minority 40 Under 40 list.

The publication selected individuals whose thriving careers – whether in law firms, government, academia, or public interest – demonstrate the success and accomplishment of minority lawyers.

Alonso was recognized for her contributions to complex appellate cases for major corporations such as Ford Motor Co. as well as for human interest cases, including her successful work in the Embry v. Ryan case in which the Second District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court ruling and held that Florida must recognize adoptions granted to same-sex couples in other states.

Alonso, who is board certified in appellate practice by The Florida Bar, 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 serves on the Lawyer’s Committee of the National Center for State Courts, as the Chair of the Membership Subcommittee of the ABA, Litigation Section, Appellate Practice Committee, as a Vice Chair of the ABA, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Trial Techniques Committee and is a member of The Florida Bar, Appellate Practice Section’s Pro Bono Committee.

She also previously served on The Florida Bar, Young Lawyers division, Board of Governors, the Board of Directors of The Florida Bar Foundation and as President of Florida Legal Services. She was selected by Florida Super Lawyers as a 2010-2011 “Florida Rising Star” and named as one of the “Most Effective Lawyers” of 2009 in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties by the Daily Business Review.