Elizabeth L. White

Since 1980, Elizabeth “Betsy” White has established an excellent and widespread reputation as a top lawyer in the fields of criminal defense, civil rights, and appeals. Her experience includes extensive litigation on behalf of criminal defendants as well as litigation to protect the constitutional and civil rights of individuals and groups, including women, minorities and prisoners. She has litigated at all levels of the judicial system, including the United States Supreme Court. She has extensively litigated on behalf of criminal defendants in both the federal and state courts in various jurisdictions, including a substantial body of complex white collar criminal defense litigation and representing clients in numerous state and federal appeals.

Ms. White’s academic stature allowed her to begin college at the age of 16 at Jacksonville University, from which she received her undergraduate degree cum laude, at age 19. Following graduation at the University of Oregon School of Law, at age 22, she became one of the youngest people admitted to practice in both Florida and Oregon. Upon admission to the Bar, Ms. White became the first female private criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville. Her litigation experience has always been as a defender, having had no desire to participate in the needless incarceration of individuals. She has litigated sexual assault cases for 35 years and has represented numerous individuals charged with related internet offenses. She argued Doggett v. United States, 505 U.S. 647 (1992), before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and successfully obtained certiorari review from the United States Supreme Court in that case.  Ms. White devotes a large portion of her practice to pre-indictment investigation and negotiation in federal criminal matters.  In Florida’s same sex-marriage case, she successfully prevented the State from obtaining a stay in the United States Supreme Court.  Armstrong v. Brenner, 135 S.Ct. 890 (2014), resulting in implementation of the court’s order on January 6, 2015.

Because of such accomplishments, Ms. White has gained considerable peer recognition, such as her AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell and her listing in Best Lawyers in America in the fields of appellate law, and non-white-collar criminal defense law. Ms. White has also been selected to be a member of the National Trial Lawyers.  Membership in this organization is limited to the top one hundred lawyers from each state that practice civil plaintiff or criminal defense law.  She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was a member of the Florida First District Judicial Nominating Commission from 1998 to 2002. For nine years, she lectured and prepared course materials for the Criminal Law Certification Review Course presented annually by the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.   She is admitted to practice law in both Florida and Georgia and in the United States Supreme Court, the United States Eleventh and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeal, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and Southern District of Florida. She also has been admitted to practice in numerous state and federal courts pro hac vice during her extensive representation of individuals charged with offenses outside the State of Florida.  Partners in life and law, she and Mr. Sheppard have been married for 29 years; they often co-counsel cases of constitutional significance.

In recent years, Ms. White has devoted a large part of her practice with individuals charged with white collar and internet offenses in state and federal court.