Johnna A. Phillips, CP, FRP, spoke at the July 2008 leadership workshop of the Board of Directors and Officers of the Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc., lecturing on the fiduciary duties and responsibilities of corporate officers and directors of a Florida non-profit corporation, the IRS requirements for a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation, and the Florida Registered Paralegal Program -- Rule 20 of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. She is the Immediate Past President of the Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc., its current Editorial Board Chair, and was a member of The Florida Bar's Special Committee to Study Paralegal Regulation.

Louis L. Long, Jr., Leslie D. Sheekley, and Colleen Coffield Sachs
Mike Chesser and Harry Barr are pleased to announce that Louis L. Long, Jr., Leslie D. Sheekley, and Colleen Coffield Sachs have joined them as shareholders of the firm as of January 1, 2008.

Areas of practice include Civil Litigation and Appeals, Commercial and Creditor Bankruptcy, Real Estate Matters, Estate and Trust Matters, Business Organization and All Business Matters, Personal Injury and Wrongful Death, Divorce and Family Matters, Criminal Defense, Mediation, Labor and Employment.

Shareholders Mike Chesser, Harry Barr and Lou Long
Received an "AV" rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Directory.

Mike Chesser and Harry Barr
Both are listed in "Who's Who in American Law."

Mick Chesser
Mike Chesser Writes a column which appears in the "For Sale" insert of the Northwest Florida Daily News, the first Saturday of each month.

• Click here to view articles.

Reported Cases (PDF)

Colleen Sachs was reappointed to the Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee for a three year term.

The Florida Bar has appointed Allison Sebastian, the firm's estate planning and probate attorney, to the Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee for a three year term beginning July 1, 2008.

Chesser & Barr, P.A., began a fund-raising campaign in August 2007, to benefit the Guardian Ad Litem program. The GAL program is a network of professional staff and community advocates, partnering to provide a strong voice in court on behalf of Florida's abused and neglected children. There are 21 local Guardian ad Litem programs in 20 judicial circuits in Florida, including our First Judicial Circuit. On the first and third Friday of each month, Chesser & Barr attorneys and staff who wear jeans to work make a $5.00 contribution. Our firm is pleased to support the vital work being done by the Guardian Ad Litem program.

Effective January 2008, attorney Casey Jernigan moved to our Destin office location.

In April 2007, Chesser & Barr, P.A. was pleased to add the following attorneys and areas of practice: Jennifer Hanson Copus - Civil Litigation, Allison R. Sebastian - Corporate & Business Law

Kathryn E. Sheffield
Chesser & Barr is pleased to welcome back Kathryn E. Sheffield. Kathy received her paralegal training at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana in its degreed paralegal studies program. She later received a degree as a political science major, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Sigma Alpha, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a member of NALA, an association of professional paralegals. She has spent her entire career in the legal field working both in government and for private practice. Kathy became affiliated with Chesser & Barr, P.A. in 2001 and joins our Destin Office as the office administrator and paralegal.

Leslie D. Sheekley
New location and phone number for Leslie D. Sheekley as of January 2007.
Leslie is now located at our Destin office.

Law Week, May 2006
Fran Novak, PP, PLS, CL§ and Lesia Hawks were recognized by the Okaloosa-Walton Bar Association for their contributions to Law Week, May 2006.

2006 Affiliate Award by the National Association of Legal Assistants
On July 26, 2006, Johnna Phillips, CP, was presented with the 2006 Affiliate Award by the National Association of Legal Assistants honoring her outstanding contribution and dedication to the advancement of the legal assistant profession through volunteer service to NALA affiliated associations.

Steven Copus
April 2006, Steven Copus was admitted and qualified to practice as an attorney in the Federal Court, Northern District of Florida.

Coffield & Associates Merged with Chesser & Barr, P.A.
Chesser & Barr is pleased to announce the merger of Chesser & Barr, P.A. with Coffield and Associates in Santa Rosa Beach, and we welcome Colleen Coffield Sachs as a new partner to our firm, practicing real estate law.

Chesser & Barr, P.A. was pleased to add the following attorneys and areas of practice
Jill Vandagriff - Employment and Commercial law

Chesser & Barr, P.A. was pleased to add the following attorneys and areas of practice:

• Steven Copus - Criminal Law
• Casey Jernigan - Real Estate