Area of Practice: Education/Municipal

CHRISTIAN D. SEARCY is president and CEO of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. and writes and lectures extensively about civil trial practice, personal injury and wrongful death. For 46 years he has litigated cases primarily involving catastrophic injury and death in venues throughout Florida as well as in other states. At age 29, he had the distinction of being the youngest lawyer in the United States to achieve a verdict of $1 million for a single personal injury lawsuit. In 2006, Mr. Searcy was one of only two lawyers in the country to receive the War Horse Award from the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, honoring his outstanding skill as a trial advocate and his extraordinary contributions to the cause of justice. In 2005, the Florida Justice Association, formerly known as the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, honored Mr. Searcy with its Perry Nichols Award, the highest honor it bestows, in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding service to the cause of justice. Mr. Searcy is vice president of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Foundation and past president of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a worldwide organization limited by invitation to just 500 attorneys. He is named in The Best Lawyers in America, an independent study by Harvard trained attorneys; is included as one of the Florida Legal Elite in Florida Trend magazine; and is named as a top lawyer in South Florida Legal Guide. He is a Lawdragon Legend, listed in Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America more than ten times and a member of the Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame

Mr. Searle is widely acknowledged for his talent as a creative problem solver and his passion for engaging proactively with all the facts and circumstances of each issue. He has the intellect to identify and assess the legal and interpersonal intricacies quickly and to help focus the parties on resolving the issue at hand.

Alex is an experienced trial attorney and has spent her legal career representing individuals who are victims of medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury and their families. She has tried cases to verdict and represented her clients in negotiations and mediations resulting in millions of dollars in compensation for clients. In addition to her medical malpractice and personal injury work, Alex has also represented taxing authorities across the nation against national online travel companies in order to recover unpaid sales and occupancy taxes. She has argued these cases in front of appellate and trial courts and participated in taking these cases to the highest courts in multiple states. Alex is an active member of the Georgia Trial Lawyer’s Association, and a graduate of the GTLA LEAD (“Leadership Education & Advanced Direction”) program. Alex serves on the New Lawyer’s Division Board and is also a member of the Editorial Board for the association’s publication, The Verdict. Last year, Alex was selected as a Barrister of the Joseph Henry Lumpkin American Inn of Court. She has been involved with the Inn since she was a law student, having traveled to London to participate in a Moot Court competition, as a Pupil of the Inn, hosted as part of an exchange program with the Gray’s Inn of Court. Alex graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law. During law school, Alex was a member of the Moot Court and Mock Trial teams, competing during her second and third years across the nation. Her team earned a spot at nationals in the ABA Moot Court Competition and received the best brief award at nationals. Alex was inducted in to the National Order of Barristers for her achievements in courtroom advocacy. She was also a Dean’s Ambassador and an elected member of the Student Bar Association, serving as the President of the Class of 2014. Alex is a “Double Dawg” having graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 2011.

Area of Practice: Elections and Local Government Law Ross D. Secler focuses his practice on representing municipalities, townships, and other local governments as their general counsel. Ross additionally has a wide array of experience in election and political law, counseling clients through the strategic, legal, and regulatory frameworks governing political campaigns, organizations, and candidates, which includes litigation before the Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Courts. Ross then works to guide elected officials so they can best serve in their official roles. Ross grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University before earning his Juris Doctor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Prior to joining Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath, Ltd., Ross was the founding partner of an election law firm in Chicago where he represented municipal, statewide, judicial, county-wide, Congressional, US Senate, and US Presidential candidates. Ross has also served as a member of the Standing Rules Committee for a National Nominating Convention. Prior to practicing law, Ross worked with a non-profit advocacy group in Washington D.C. Ross has also worked directly on a number of political campaigns for candidates running for Congress, the Illinois General Assembly, and the City of Chicago. Ross recently co-authored the article, Is the Party Over? You Don’t Have to Go Home, But you Can’t Stay Here: Political Party Affiliation, Trends, and Requirements After Patton v. Illinois State Board of Election (John Marshall Law Review, Vol. 51, Issue 4). He served as the Chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association’s Election Law Committee and serves as a member of the CBA’s Legislative Committee, in addition to being a member of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. Ross has been named as one of the “Rising Stars” of Illinois by Super Lawyers every year from 2018 through 2023 and was selected as an “Emerging Lawyer” by the Leading Lawyers division of Law Bulletin Media.