JUDICIAL HISTORY

• Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis on September 16, 2021.
• Judicial Assignments:
  • Acting Circuit Court Judge - Juvenile Dependency, Division S
    January 2023-Present.
   
  • County Court Judge – County Civil, Division I
    October 2021-December 2022.


BACKGROUND

            Judge Leslie Schultz-Kin was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to the Hillsborough County Court on September 16, 2021.  Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Schultz-Kin was appointed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to serve as Chief Assistant Attorney General and Bureau Chief for Civil Litigation in the Office of the Attorney General.  She managed a team of attorneys, paralegals and administrative professionals providing defense legal services to state agencies, state officials and judges in corrections, employment, tort and state programs litigation. Having also worked in Tallahassee and Tampa as a Legislative Aide in the Florida Legislature before law school, Judge Schultz-Kin has proudly and uniquely served in all three branches of Florida State Government.

            Prior to government service, Judge Schultz-Kin spent twenty years developing a diverse federal and state commercial litigation practice at Carlton Fields, P.A. (Shareholder) and Akerman LLP (Of Counsel).  She handled lawsuits involving business disputes, real property, consumer financial services, medical malpractice defense and employment law defense.  She also served as a client’s acting in-house counsel, managing cases nationwide for one of the largest financial institutions in the United States.

            Judge Schultz-Kin is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell, a peer review ranking signifying the highest level of professional excellence for legal ability and ethical standards.  She has also been named to Florida Trend’s exclusive Legal Elite for both Commercial Litigation and Government. 




EDUCATION

            Judge Schultz-Kin graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in 1999.  She was a member of Stetson’s Moot Court Board.  She was also Director of the Student Legal Writing Clinic and a Judicial Intern for Judge Chris W. Altenbernd at Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal.  At graduation, she received the Judge Stanley Millege Award for Academic Achievement, given to one graduate by the Stetson University College of Law Faculty.

            Judge Schultz-Kin also earned a Master of Public Administration with honors from the University of South Florida in 1997.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ohio University in 1992.




PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND HONORS

• Florida Association for Women Lawyers, “Leader in the Law” Award (2021)

 

• Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers
• Judicial Director (2022-Present)
• Co-Chair, Mental Health and Wellness Committee (2022-Present)
• Vice President of Membership (2021-22)
• Director of Governance (2020-21)
• Co-Chair, Judicial Relations Committee (2018-20)

 

• Bay Area Legal Services, Inc.
• Two-time Chair, Board of Directors (2020-21; 2011-12)
• Board of Directors (2017-21; 2008-13)
• Chair-Elect (2010, 2019); Treasurer (2009, 2018)
• Named to “Legends of Bay Area Legal Services” (2017)
• Development Council Member (2013-16)
• Pearl Society
• Legacy for Justice Society
• The Collective

 

• Board of Trustees, Keystone Prep High School (2020-Present)

 

• Board of Directors, Florida Guardian ad Litem Foundation (2017-21)

 

• “Community Advocate of the Year” for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Statewide Guardian ad Litem Program (2019)

 

• Chair, Florida Bar Grievance Committee, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit “D” (2019-20) Member (2017-18)

 

• J. Clifford Cheatwood Inn of Court
  • Master (2019-Present)
  • Barrister (2016-18)

 

• Member, Federalist Society

 

• Bar of Preeminent Women Lawyers (2013, 2012)

 

• Tampa’s Top Rated Lawyers, Real Estate Litigation (2012)

 

• Super Lawyers Rising Star (2010)

 

• Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Pro Bono Award, given to one associate firmwide at Carlton Fields, P.A.’s biennial retreat (2004)

 

• William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award (1999)

 

• Stetson University College of Law First Year Appellate Advocacy Competition, First Runner-Up (1998)


BAR ADMISSIONS
• The Florida Bar (all Florida state courts)

 

• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

 

• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

 

• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

 

• United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida