Marilyn J. Holifield - Lawyer in Miami, FL

Marilyn J. Holifield practices in the general litigationarea, with a specific emphasis on representing corporate clients. Her practiceincludes employment, business litigation, corporate governance, trade secrets,covenants-not-to-compete, class action and intellectual property litigation. Ms.Holifield has represented corporate clients as lead counsel in jury and nonjurytrials, arbitrations and administrative proceedings.

Ms. Holifield practices employment law and was named by Black EnterpriseMagazine as one of Americas top employment lawyers. Ms. Holifield was alsonamed one of South Floridas 25 most successful and prominent black businesswomen by Network Miami magazine.

For five years, Ms. Holifield was an assistant counsel at the NAACP LegalDefense and Educational Fund in New York City, where she was responsible forlitigating class action employment and prison reform lawsuits before federaltrial and appellate courts in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Illinois and NewYork. She was the General Counsel for the New York State Division for Youth anda law clerk for Judge Paul H. Roney of the United States (former) Fifth CircuitCourt of Appeals.

When Ms. Holifield was named the 2000 Chesterfield Smith Lawyer, she receivedthe outstanding lawyer of the year award, the highest honor the firm awards to alawyer.

Ms. Holifield has served on the Directors Committee of Holland Knightand the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College. She has also served as a memberof the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association, and Executive Councilof Florida Bar Labor and Employment Section.

She has given continuing legal education lectures on alternative disputeresolution, employment law, trial practice, defamation law and corporategovernance for the American Bar Association Litigation Section, The Florida Bar,National Bar Association, Caribbean Commercial Law Workshop and the American LawInstitute.

The federal district judges of the Southern District of Florida selected Ms.Holifield to serve on the magistrate selection panel that pre-screenedcandidates for magistrate positions. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubioappointed Ms. Holifield to the federal Judicial Nominating Commission for theSouthern District of Florida. She has also served on the Ad Hoc Rules andProcedure Committee for the United States District Court of the SouthernDistrict of Florida.

Ms. Holifield served two terms as chairperson of the ABA Conference ofMinority Partners in Majority/Corporate Law Firms and as a member of the ABACommission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession. The Governor ofFlorida appointed Ms. Holifield as a co-chair of the 1994 Summit of theAmericas, which included historic meetings of the Heads of State of 34 countriesin this hemisphere.