Kelly O’Keefe Receives Tallahassee Bar Association’s 2022 Martha Barnett Women Lawyers of Achievement Award

Stearns Weaver Miller announced that Tallahassee Shareholder Kelly O’Keefe has received Tallahassee Bar Association’s (“TBA”) 2022 Martha Barnett Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. The award was established to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers from Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit. Each year the award honors an outstanding woman lawyer who has achieved professional excellence, served as a mentor, and advocated for the advancement of women in the legal profession.

Kelly has diligently worked to strengthen and expand Tallahassee’s local business and professional communities through her service with numerous noteworthy organizations. For the past 20 years, Kelly has held leadership roles in the Tallahassee Bar Association, serving as President in 2010 and currently as Senior Director. She is also actively involved with the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce, Capital City Bank Community Foundation, Tallahassee Regional Estate Planning Council, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Foundation Donor Advisory
Council, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Tallahassee Women Lawyers, Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, Florida State College of Law Alumni Association Board and William H. Stafford American Inn of Court. Most recently, Kelly was appointed to the Community Foundation of North Florida Board of Directors for a three-year term.
Mentorship is one of the hallmarks of Kelly’s life. She has continuously mentored young lawyers and students through organizations that she is involved with, school programs, and the firm. As past President of the Tallahassee Women Lawyers, she founded a mentorship and scholarship
program that focuses on mentoring women law students to serve at the highest ethical and professional levels. Two former beneficiaries of this scholarship are Tallahassee Shareholders Gigi Rollini and Bridget Smitha. When Kelly served as President of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, she created a grant program for FSU law students to intern with the organization. When she served as the President of the Tallahassee Bar Association, she founded the Thomas M. Ervin, Jr. Distinguished Young Lawyer Award to recognize young lawyers providing exceptional service to that organization. Additionally, as a high school mock trial coach for the past 20 years, Kelly has had a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of students, many of whom have gone on to become successful professionals. Kelly also leads the FSU law clerk program for the firm’s Tallahassee office and frequently mentors FSU law students.

In addition to mentorship, Kelly routinely volunteers her time to projects and organizations that advocate for the advancement of women in male-dominated industries. Kelly participates annually in the Tallahassee Chamber’s Professional Women’s Forum, an event aimed at helping
build a resource network for women professionals and business owners. She has similarly coordinated forums with FSU’s Real Estate Society Women in Real Estate (“WIRE”) group to help women students hone the networking skills that the pandemic halted them from developing. Kelly has also served on the Women United Steering Committee and as a member of the board of Club 25 as a 25 Women You Need to Know Class Liaison, both of which are organizations dedicated to bringing women together to support charitable and community causes. As a trust and probate litigation attorney, Kelly also routinely speaks on the subject of Women and Wealth, including assembling expert panels, to give women the information they need to become financially independent and develop generational wealth.
Kelly’s commitment to improving her local professional and civic communities is evidenced by the numerous awards she has received over the past two decades. She has been named one of Tallahassee Democrat’s “25 Women You Need to Know,” a Florida Association for Women
Lawyers Leader in the Law, and a Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle’s Women of Distinction – Gemstone Honoree. Kelly is also routinely recognized in legal peer-review publications such as Florida Trend’s Legal Elite Hall of Fame, Florida Super Lawyers, The Best
Lawyers in America and is AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

A seasoned litigator, Kelly focuses her practice on representing professional and family member fiduciaries and individuals in estate, probate and trust litigation, and businesses in real estate, land use and complex commercial litigation. She also represents businesses before government agencies and advises candidates regarding campaign laws. Kelly’s experience spans state, federal and local government forums.
Contact Kelly O’Keefe | (850) 329-4893 | kokeefe@stearnsweaver.com