JUDICIAL PROFILE CORNER
Judicial Profile : Judge Sarah Shullman
MEGAN WEGERIF
The qualities that have ( and will continue to ) make her a great judge – commitment to hard work , enjoyment of learning , and independence of thought – are the same qualities Judge Shullman has carried since childhood . Ironically , these same traits nearly stole her away from the legal field altogether . As a child , the important adults in Judge Shullman ’ s life were convinced , and constantly attempting to convince her , that she would make a great lawyer one day . Given her fierce desire to forge her own path , Judge Shullman set out to prove them all wrong , and to prove to herself that a life in business was where she was meant to be .
Judge Shullman was highly successful in her earlier pursuits , obtaining her business degree with honors from the University of Florida . Immediately upon graduating , she joined one of the prestigious “ Big Four ” professional firms ( PricewaterhouseCoopers ). It was at this time , and in the midst of starting out in her new and successful career , that Judge Shullman finally accepted her true calling was in the law . So , while working full-time , she studied for the LSAT . She was accepted to Georgetown Law , where she graduated magna cum laude .
Judge Shullman met her husband , Alan , while at UF . They stayed together while Judge Shullman attended Georgetown Law in Washington D . C . Afterwards , they decided that Palm Beach County , and Wellington specifically , is the place they wanted to call home . Since that time , they have added two girls , now both teens , to their family . In speaking to Judge Shullman , it is obvious that her daughters and family are the grounding beacons of love , light , joy and respite in her otherwise very demanding life and career .
Upon moving to Florida after law school , Judge Shullman practiced at Steel Hector & Davis ( later merged into Squire Sanders & Dempsey ) where she focused on complex business litigation matters . After seven years in private practice , finding herself once again at a crossroads , Judge Shullman made the jump into public service , joining the Florida Office of the Attorney General . For the next several years she investigated and prosecuted the rampant deceptive trade and telemarketing practices plaguing Floridians . Unsurprisingly , Judge Shullman quickly rose through the ranks , first becoming Assistant Bureau Chief and , within a couple years of that , becoming the South Florida Bureau Chief , where she managed approximately 35 staff including attorneys and investigators .
Likewise , since relocating to Palm Beach in the early 2000s , Judge Shullman has been a pillar of the community and spent countless hours working and volunteering for legal and non-legal causes she holds dear . The positions she has held and accolades she has received are far too numerous to expound upon here in deserving detail . They range from being a long-term board member with the Boys and Girls Club of Wellington , to her time on the Consumer Protection and Grievance Committees of the Florida Bar , as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers , Palm Beach County Chapter . She served as a Volunteer Advocate on the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics before being appointed as a Commissioner , and eventually , the Chair of that Commission . Not one to shy-away from a heavy schedule or learning something new , prior to starting her career with the Florida Office of the Attorney General , Judge Shullman served as Co-Chair of the 2014 Bench Bar Conference and as Co-Chair of the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and the Membership Committee of the Palm Beach County Bar Association . She currently serves on the Judicial Relations and Professionalism Committees .
In closing , it is abundantly clear that Judge Shullman is exactly the type of jurist the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit needs at this time . To the community members that will appear before her , Judge Shullman will be compassionate , respectful and willing to listen . Judge Shullman ’ s advice to the legal community – be courteous to one another , as unprofessional behavior can drown out a strong legal argument . One final recommendation to the lawyers – take pride in your work and submissions to the court . It is Judge Shullman ’ s intention
to review everything that is submitted to her , and there is no doubt that she will meet that goal !
Written by Megan Wegerif who is a member of the Judicial Relations Committee . She is a civil litigation attorney with Reid Burman Lebedeker Xenick and Pepin .
The Palm Beach County Bar Association ' s Appellate Practice Committee Presents
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ADDITIONAL DATES : March 4th , 2021 May 7th , 2021
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PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 11