Stacie J. Schmerling

In the courtroom, Stacie has achieved multi-million dollar damage awards and settlements and ushered in systemic change in how governmental and private agencies care for the state’s most vulnerable citizens. The impact of her work has been covered by some of the top news media outlets, including USA Today, CBS News, Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel, Sun-Sentinel and Daytona Beach News-Journal.

In 2023, Stacie was recognized twice on Top Verdict’s list of the top 50 plaintiff’s jury verdicts obtained in Florida. These include a $15 million verdict on behalf of a brain-damaged 8-year-old child in a damages case against DCF for negligent investigation as well as $4.5 million in damages in a wrongful death case involving the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to joining Justice for Kids®, Stacie and nationally recognized children’s rights advocate Howard Talenfeld founded Florida’s first law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of abused, disabled, and injured children.  Stacie was a Partner in the firm and focused on representing children harmed in various child welfare settings.  She was also previously an Associate with a prominent Fort Lauderdale law firm in the foster care / disabled persons damages practice area.

Before she became an attorney, Stacie dedicated the first ten years of her career to the protection of at-risk children in the child welfare field. A former child protective investigator and child protective investigator supervisor for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Stacie supervised a six-person team that investigated allegations of child abuse and neglect, provided intervention services to families at risk, and brought serious cases of child abuse and neglect to the dependency court system. In addition, she was a case manager for the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services where she facilitated safety and permanency for abused and neglected children in the state child welfare system.

She has been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell® as having their highest AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating. Additionally, she has been recognized for her legal accomplishments in The Best Lawyers in America®, Florida Super Lawyers magazine, the Daily Business Review’s Rising Stars list, the South Florida Legal Guide, and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite Up and Comers list.

Stacie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice, magna cum laude, from Rowan University and her juris doctor, summa cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, where she was a Goodwin Scholarship recipient. Additionally, she earned a Certification in Child Advocacy from Montclair State University. This post-Bachelor of Arts Certificate Program emphasized a multidisciplinary understanding of the child advocate’s role as seen through the disciplines of law, sociology and psychology.

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