Mary Elizabeth Cruickshank was born on April 12, 1965 in Plant City, Florida. She received a B.A. in Liberal Studies from the University of South Florida in 1987 and a J.D. from Florida State University in 1991. Mary was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991. During the course of her practice, Mary has expanded her areas of expertise to include workers’ compensation defense, personal injury defense and appellate practice. She has argued on behalf of employers and carriers before the Florida Supreme Court and the First District Court of Appeal. She has extensive experience at both the trial and appellate levels, and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mary was appointed by the Florida Bar to the Appellate Rules Committee in 1997 and served on that committee for two years. She chaired the Northwest Florida Chapter of the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, Inc. for five years and continues her work with that organization. She also served on the Board of the Tallahassee Claims Association for several years, and volunteers to assist law students prepare for Moot Court Competitions. She speaks regularly at educational seminars conducted for both private and public entities.