Georgetown for a year and completed her Master’s of Law in Taxation. During that year and then the next 2 years afterwards, she endeavored to show rehabilitation, as required by the Bar’s appeals process, in the hopes of reconsideration for admittance. “As I went through the process of showing requisite character to practice, I reflected on my journey and held onto the belief that there was a grander plan. It was very difficult at times, and again I had feelings of embarrassment and shame. But I had had those feelings before and I knew that all things would work together and would work out the way they were designed to be. I had a reference point, and things eventually fell into place.”
whether she was fit to practice law, due to her poor credit, the bad checks she had written, the resulting criminal charges, and her failure to disclose it on her bar application, not realizing that she needed to disclose it even after completing the diversion program. In 2009, after the hearing, the Bar recommended that she not be admitted. “It caused me anxiety and depression, but deep down I had a reference point. I knew in my heart that God wouldn’t take me through all that I had experienced and that I didn’t get this far— get into law school, graduate from FSU Law School, get accepted into Georgetown—to not become a Florida attorney.” While her parents helped to take care of her children, Jami attended
After what amounted to her character being put on trial (it involved a hearing in which years of research and sworn testimony were presented), on April 15, 2011, Jami was finally sworn in to the Florida Bar. “When you are in the middle of all of it, you don’t see how your steps were ordered. At the timethey all look like obstacles and roadblocks, but they were all designed to get me to where I am.” During the 3-year period of appealing the Florida Board of Bar Examiner’s decision, she interned for Special Trial Judge John F. Dean at the United States Tax Court. She was also able to devote a large portion of her time to the Legal Services of North Florida where she assisted hundreds of low-income residents with taxation representation. As her experience grows, so do the leadership positions and accolades. Jami is a past-president of the Legal Aid Foundation and is currently serving on numerous nonprofit boards. She was selected as a 2017 Rising Star, and has
been recognized by the National Bar Association as a recipient of the 2016– 2017 Top 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates and received the distinguished award and recognition as the 2016 Nation’s Best Advocate. The Tallahassee Bar Association recently selected Jami as this year’s recipient of the Thomas M. Ervin Jr. Distinguished Young Lawyer Award, which honors a young lawyer who exemplifies the contributions that attorney Tom Ervin made to the legal profession, the Tallahassee Bar Association, the Legal Aid Foundation, the TBA’s Young Lawyer Section and, quite poetically, the Florida Bar. Despite the recognitions, Jami says, “To God be the glory. I am a work in progress. As I experience new and even old challenges that I thought I would never see again I am reminded that I am still here and able to realize whatever I desire and can be successful.” When it comes to the word “success,” everyone has their own interpretation. Perhaps meaningful success is when a story’s design has adversity in it, but its purpose is welcomed into the tapestry and used as important threads to make life more resiliently beautiful and thereby bring others hope. Success to Jami wasn’t just in the obtaining of her dream, but was realized when she chose to learn from mistakes and tough times and allow it to fuel her forward. As Jami’s story conveys, not only can you design a meaningful life, but you can redefine past events on your own terms. “As I encounter women who may face similar challenges, I am reminded to share my story in the hopes that they can see themselves in it. If I was able to do it, then surely they can too. I have an obligation to touch someone in such a way that they can be moved to touch someone else. Our purpose and life’s design is not just our own. We are intricately connected to one another.”
tallahassee woman • august/september 2017 35