PARALEGAL
Shawna Jerkins joins Seidlich Law as a Paralegal whose career has been built at the intersection of the courthouse, the courtroom, and the field. With more than two decades of combined experience across paralegal practice, criminal court administration, process serving, private investigation, and legal document preparation, she brings a uniquely well-rounded perspective to the firm’s criminal defense and family law clients.
Ms. Jerkins began her legal career as a Paralegal at Reid & Agee PLLC, where she drafted wills, trusts, and probate documents, prepared court pleadings and e-filings, and organized evidence for trial and hearings. She also managed client meetings, accounting and billing, and real estate transactions, and conducted legal research and case law preparation. The role grounded her in the discipline of a busy law practice and in the research skills she continues to rely on today.
She later served as a Criminal Court Clerk with the Sarasota Clerk of Courts, where she prepared court dockets, issued warrants, processed bond releases, and scheduled court events. She coordinated directly with judges, state attorneys, public defenders, and private counsel on case administration, and managed e-filings, evidence review, record keeping, and the redaction of sensitive information. The position gives her a rare, inside understanding of how Florida criminal cases move through the system from the court’s perspective.
During the same period, Ms. Jerkins served as a Process Server, Private Investigator, and Security Officer with Sarasota Security Patrol, preparing and serving court documents in compliance with Florida statutes, managing e-filing workflows, conducting surveillance operations, processing evidence, and producing investigative reports. She is also the founder and owner of Jerkins Secretarial Services LLC, an active legal document preparation and notary services company, where she handles client intake, secure recordkeeping, and compliance with Florida’s evolving notary and document-preparer guidelines.
Ms. Jerkins holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Safety and Emergency Management and an Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal and Legal Assisting from the State College of Florida, where she graduated with honors, ranked in the top 10% of her class, and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (Nu Zeta Chapter).
Her professional credentials include active appointments as a Florida Notary Public and E-Notary and as a Loan Signing Agent, together with a Statewide Firearm License (Class G), a Security Officer License (Class D), a Florida Concealed Weapon License, and membership in the Florida Association of Legal Document Preparers. She also holds a Private Investigator Intern License and has completed the 40-Hour Class D Security course, 40-Hour Private Investigation training, 28-Hour Firearm and Self-Defense training, 16-Hour Court Administration course, and Guardian ad Litem coursework. She maintains current CPR and AED certifications.
At Seidlich Law, Ms. Jerkins applies the full breadth of that background to support the firm’s attorneys and clients with precision, professionalism, and the kind of practical knowledge that only comes from working every side of the legal process — from the clerk’s desk to the front door with a subpoena in hand.
