The Record is the Journal of the Appellate Practice Section. Articles are published regularly online and address substantive appellate topics and other issues of interest to appellate practitioners. Section members will receive an email from the Section each time a new article is published.
We welcome article submissions from appellate writers! Please send any inquiries to the Editor of The Record, Courtney Fernald, at cfernald@eflegal.com.
Courtney Fernald, Editor
Courtney is the Managing Partner at Englander Fischer, practicing in the St. Petersburg office. She focuses her practice on appeals and business litigation. She is board certified by the Florida Bar in Appellate Practice. She serves as the editor of The Record and is an active member of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar. She also serves as the Chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the St. Petersburg Bar. She graduated summa cum laude, second in her class, from Stetson University College of Law in 2007.
Stephanie Varela, Assistant Editor
Stephanie is an attorney at Greenberg Traurig, P.A. in Miami. She focuses her practice on appellate litigation and trial support during all stages of litigation leading up to an appeal, which includes pre-trial motion practice and post-trial motion practice. Stephanie represents clients in both state and federal courts in a variety of areas of the law, including products liability, medical malpractice, employment litigation, and contract disputes. Stephanie has also co-authored publications on various issues, including stays. Stephanie is a former staff attorney to Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga and has been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine.
David Knapp, Assistant Editor
David is a partner at James A. Coleman, P.A., in Orlando, Florida, where his practice focuses primarily on appeals, insurance defense, and pharmacy defense. He is a member of the Florida Bar Appellate Section’s Executive Council and a charter member of the Orange County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee. He received both his B.S.B.A. with High Honors and his J.D. from the University of Florida.
Thomas Ward, Assistant Editor
Tom practices appellate law and commercial litigation at the law firm of Rennert Vogel Mandler & Rodriguez, P.A. in Miami. He currently serves on the executive boards for the Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee and The Third District Court of Appeal’s Historical Society.
Chance Lyman, Assistant Editor
Chance is an Associate at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC in the appellate practice group. Chance concentrates on all aspects of appellate practice in both state and federal appellate courts. While attending Florida State University College of Law, Chance interned in the Appellate Division of the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel. After graduating from law school, Chance began his legal career at Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal as an attorney in the Central Staff division of the Court. He later served as a law clerk to the Honorable Marva L. Crenshaw at the Second District before joining Buchanan Ingersoll.
Gretchen Myers, Assistant Editor
Gretchen is a staff attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal. She also serves on the Executive Council of the Animal Law Section of the Florida Bar and writes regional cases for the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl held by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. She graduated from Stetson University College of Law, where she was a Notes and Comments Editor for the Stetson Law Review.
