JACKSONVILLE, Florida – A Jacksonville law firm has opened its doors to the next generation to infuse fresh blood into the company.
Sheppard, White, Kachergus & DeMaggio welcomed its second generation to the practice, starting with inking a deal with Camille Sheppard. The 25-year-old newly hired attorney for the Florida law firm is no stranger to the business. In fact, she can literally say that her new colleagues are her family.
The entry of Sheppard in the law firm has been perceived as her destiny ever since her childhood. The 2016 honors graduate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law had her dream of becoming a criminal defense lawyer ever since she attended her first oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court in kindergarten. Sheppard is the oldest daughter of two of the firm’s founders, Bill Sheppard and Betsy White.
Prior to becoming an associate at Sheppard, White, Kachergus & DeMaggio, she served as an intern for the office of Congresswoman Kathy Castor in Washington from May to August 2014. Her responsibilities in this position involved conducting research on legislative issues and attending congressional hearings and briefings. She also aided in the preparation of Castor’s floor statements as well as her other remarks.
Before this post, she worked as a clerk in her parents’ law firm for three years starting from 2010 to 2013. Throughout her stint with the Florida company, Sheppard had been eagerly learning not only from her mother and father but also from the other attorneys she worked with. In the period she stayed with the law firm, she was tasked to help in the preparation of trial memorandums. She also contributed in the creation of proposed jury instructions and sentencing memorandums. In addition, Sheppard worked with other associates in writing appellate briefs.
As she returns to the law firm after getting sworn to the Florida Bar, the young attorney anticipates to grow more with her parents as mentors. Her expertise covers the areas of appellate practice, civil rights, criminal law and domestic violence injunctions. She is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Young Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar. Sheppard graduated cum laude from the University of Florida. She was also a recipient of the Book Awards in Adversary Systems and Florida Criminal Procedures.
Driven by her desire to become a criminal defense lawyer, Sheppard took on a double major at Emory University. She graduated with her bachelor degrees in history and sociology in 2013. As a college student, she was elected as the president of the Inter Sorority Council in 2012. Apart from this, she was chosen for Collegiate Leadership Jacksonville in 2010.
During her years as a law student in the University of Florida, Sheppard also garnered a number of commendations. She served as a legal writing assistant and was selected Treasurer of the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society. In addition, Sheppard was a research assistant for the late professor Michael Seigel in the updating of his treatise "White Collar Crime: Procedure, Theory and Practice."