Florida Association for Women Lawyers

Lora Howell
President

Lora L. Howell has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and has focused her practice in the areas of Real Estate Law, Foreclosure Litigation, Family Law and Civil Litigation. Lora also advises clients in transactional matters, which gives her an advantage understanding both the litigation and transactional perspectives.

Lora was born and raised in Mooresville, Indiana. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Indiana University in 1994 graduating on the Dean’s List and where she was a member of the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha. She was the recipient of a Rotary Foundation Scholarship where she studied abroad at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador en la facultad de Jurisprudencia. She earned her Juris Doctor Degree from Florida State University College of Law where she was a member of the Jessup Moot Court Team and the Women’s Law Symposium President. Lora is currently active in several professional organizations as well as community groups.

Email: LHowell@HowellLaw.com
Website:  HowellLaw.com
Phone: 941.304.5672

Regina Kardash
Vice-President/President-Elect

Regina A. Kardash, a Florida Bar Board Certified attorney in City, County and Local Government Law, has represented municipal clients in Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. She serves as the Town Attorney for Indian Shores and Belleair Shore, Special Magistrate of the City of Palmetto, Board Attorney for the Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board, and Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Longboat Key. Regina was appointed to the Pinellas County Local Planning Agency and serving as Chairwoman in 2016 and 2017. She has litigated cases for clients in County Court, Circuit Court and Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. Regina has also served as a hearing officer for the St. Petersburg Housing Authority and was appointed to the Florida Bar’s Constitutional Judiciary Committee. Regina is active in the Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women, serving as President for the 2016-2017 term and received FAWL’s “Leadership in the Law Award” in 2012. She is also a member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association and the Clearwater Bar Association.

Regina was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. She completed a 200-hour teacher training in 2010 with a certificate to teach Prana Flow yoga. In addition to yoga, she enjoys traveling, nature, local music and spending time with her son.

Email: RKardash@FLGovLaw.com
Website: FLGovLaw.com
Phone: 941.306.4730

Kelly Roberts
Treasurer

Kelly Roberts is a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rated business and bankruptcy attorney with Roberts Law, PLLC. Kelly represents Florida businesses providing them with fractional general counsel services and representation in business transactions such as new business formation (and related operating documents) and stock/asset purchases and sales . In her bankruptcy practice, Kelly represents consumer bankruptcy debtors, creditors, and interested parties throughout the State of Florida.  Kelly is an active member of local, state, and national bar and related organizations. She is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Sarasota County Bar Association, Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, a Barrister Member of the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court, and is currently serving as the Second Vice Chair of the Inclusion, Mentoring & Fellowship Committee of the Florida Business Law Section.

Kelly is originally from Arizona. After graduating with honors from the University of Arizona, she began her legal career as a paralegal for a large firm in in Washington, D.C.  Kelly moved to Florida to attend the University of Miami School of Law. After graduating, she practiced in Miami for nearly a decade before moving to Sarasota and founding Roberts Law, PLLC. In her free time, Kelly enjoys traveling, skiing, snorkeling, and spending time with her husband and young daughter.

Email: Kelly@KellyRobertsLaw.com
Website: KellyRobertsLaw.com
Phone: 941.444.9783

Julie Liang Herd

Secretary

Julie Liang Herd is the Senior Assistant General Counsel for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.  Prior to joining the sheriff’s office, Julie was an Assistant State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit practicing in Pinellas County.  As a former prosecutor, Julie specialized in juvenile delinquency and gang prosecution.  Julie is a member of the Florida Association of Police Attorneys, the Florida Bar Association, the Florida Gang Investigators Association, the Florida Sheriff’s Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court, and the Sarasota County Bar Association.

Julie is a native Floridian, who received her B.A. cum laude, in Political Science and magna cum laude, in East Asian Language and Literature (Chinese), from the University of Florida.  She also received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law with a certificate of concentration in International Law.  Julie enjoys traveling, watching Gator football, finding new restaurants, and taking her miniature poodle, Theodore, and boxer-mix, Brandy, for golf cart rides.

Email: Julie.Herd@sarasotasheriff.org
Website: SarasotaSheriff.org
Phone: 941.861.5800

Julie S. Luhrsen
Immediate Past President

Julie is a partner with Luhrsen Goldberg, P.A. Julie focuses her practice primarily on representing the injured. She handles Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance disputes on behalf of doctors, providers and individuals unfairly denied payment by insurance carriers as well. Prior to moving to Florida in 1998, Julie served for nearly eight years as an active-duty Army JAG attorney. She gained invaluable trial experience during her five years at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she tried cases as a criminal prosecutor and then criminal defense counsel. During those years, she also routinely jumped out of “perfectly good airplanes.”

Julie is licensed in Florida, Virginia and North Carolina and received her J.D., cum laude, from University of Richmond in Virginia and a B.A., cum laude, from Miami University in Ohio. She is a member of the Sarsasota County Bar Association, serves on the board of Operation Warrior Resolution and previously served as a Trustee on the boards of Forty Carrots Family Center and The Out-of-Door Academy. Outside of the office, Julie enjoys reading, working out, gardening and spending time with her son and daughter and their two four-legged brothers.

Email: JSL@LawPoweredByWomen.com
Website: LawPoweredByWomen.com
Phone: 941.212.2600