TAMPA – Carlton Fields Tampa shareholder, Joanna Garcia, was recently appointed Co-Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA) Diversity Committee for the 2009-2010 term. In addition, Garcia was also recently appointed to Chair-Elect of the Education Committee for the Equal Opportunity Law Section of The Florida Bar. She will become the Chair in 2010.

Garcia practices primarily in the areas of class action defense, commercial contract litigation, real property litigation, and other general business disputes. She has particular experience defending insurance companies in state class actions involving issues relating to payments for magnetic resonance imaging under Florida's personal injury protection statute, as well as defending developers and builders against claims brought under the Interstate Land Sales Act (ILSA) and the Florida Condominium Act. Garcia currently serves as President of the Tampa Bay Hispanic Bar Association. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law in 2000; her M.B.A. from Stetson University in 2000; and her B.A., with highest honors, from the American International College in 1996.