ShuffieldLowman Partners Stephanie L. Cook and Alexander S. Douglas, II Named to the Florida Probate Rules Committee

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- ShuffieldLowman partners Stephanie L. Cook and Alexander S. Douglas, II have been selected by The Florida Bar President-Elect, F. Scott Westheimer, to serve on the Florida Probate Rules Committee, a standing committee of The Florida Bar. The scope and function of the Probate Rules Committee is to carry out the mandate of Rule 2.140, Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, concerning the proposal of new rules of procedure and changes to existing rules.  Cook and Douglas both practice in the areas of fiduciary litigation, with extensive experience in trust and probate litigation and contested guardianship cases.

Cook is a member of the Executive Council of The Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section and serves as a Vice-Chair of the Guardianship, Power of Attorney, and Advance Directives Committee. She also serves on the Probate and Trust Litigation Committee and the Probate Law and Procedure Committee. She is an active member of the Orange County Bar Association and serves on the Steering Committee for the Estates, Trust, and Guardianship Committee.  She is frequently named to Florida Trend magazine’s list of Legal Elite and recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer by Thompson Reuters.  She earned her J.D. degree from Barry University School of Law, graduating summa cum laude as the valedictorian of her law class. She holds a B.A. degree from Mississippi College.

Douglas is a member of the Executive Council of The Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section and Chair of the Florida Bar’s Statutory Discharge Joint Sub-Committee of the Probate Trust Litigation Committee and the Trust Law Committee.  He also serves on the Probate Law and Procedure Committee and is a Co-Vice Chair of Action Line, a publication of the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section.  He is an active member of the Orange County Bar’s Estate, Trust, and Guardianship Committee, where he served as Chair.  He frequently speaks to bar associations and organizations around the state on various probate and trust litigation topics. He has been named by Martindale Hubbell as an AV-rated Preeminent Lawyer, their highest rating.  He is also named to Florida Trend magazine’s list of Legal Elite and recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer by Thompson Reuters.  He earned his J.D. degree, with honors, from the Florida State University College of Law.  He holds a B.A. degree, with honors, from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

ShuffieldLowman’s five offices are located in Orlando, Tavares, DeLand, Port Orange, and Lake Nona. The firm is a 50-attorney, full-service law firm practicing in the areas of litigation, corporate law, estate planning, and real estate. Specific areas include fiduciary, probate, and guardianship litigation; commercial and civil litigation; labor and employment; construction law; tax law, securities, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, estate planning, and probate; planning for families with closely held businesses; guardianship and elder law, tax controversy – Federal and State, non-profit organization law, banking and finance, land use and government law, association law, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, and mediation.