Biography

Christine D. Edwards studied pre-law at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, and graduated with honors in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies with a concentration in Criminal Law and Individual Liberties. Christine balanced commitment to education maintaining grades on President’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List and selection as a National Collegiate Scholar; member of Sigma Alpha Pi, National Honor Society of Leadership and Success and Golden Key National Honor Society and dedication to service receiving the Fundraising Award as a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, volunteering for Court Watch and mentoring young teens as an Orange County Teen Court Mentor and member of the National Coalition of Domestic Violence.

After graduation, Christine went on to law school at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida where she was selected and admitted into U.S. News & World Report’s #1 Trial Advocacy program in the nation. Her studies focused mainly on trial preparation and litigation. Her pro bono service was solely dedicated to the Innocence Project Stetson Law Chapter, a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals. Christine was a recipient of the McBride Family Scholarship in 2011.

Christine worked closely with Professor Susan Rozelle as a research assistant. Her research and writing contributions were published in Criminal Law Stories, West Publishing, 2012. The chapter highlighted the California Supreme Court case, People v. Berry, a murder case that gained notoriety for the Court’s novel approach to the provocation jury instruction. Berry is widely taught today in American law schools.

While in law school, Christine worked as a Certified Legal Intern for the State Attorney’s Office, Pinellas County, 6th Judicial Circuit and clerked for a high-profile, high-volume firm. She was assigned to help litigate one of the largest civil cases filed in Polk County history, Fundora v. Division of Forestry, et al., involving a catastrophic accident off I-4.

Christine accepted an associate position to join the firm after graduating in 2012 from Stetson Law with a Juris Doctorate and successfully completing the Trial Advocacy concentration. Christine’ tenure spanned ten years where she worked on a multitude of different disciplines: including personal injury, wrongful death, civil litigation, and criminal law. Christine was admitted to the Supreme Court of Florida in September 2012. She is licensed to practice law in all Florida state courts and the federal Middle District of Florida.

In 2018, she accepted an opportunity to help develop the litigation department of a powerhouse traffic firm before announcing her own firm on the seventh-year anniversary of admission to the Florida Bar. Edwards Law handles cases in the disciplines of criminal law, personal injury, and family law.

The launch of Edwards Law was followed by a pandemic and the real-life problems the world was facing. Christine provided legal commentary to Fox13 about the struggles families were experiencing under the stay-at-home order. Fox13 featured Christine’s cases in other public interest matters including State of Florida vs. Lenoir Sainfimin, the successful defense of a Hillsborough County school bus driver. Christine had the privilege to share her greatest success with Stetson’s trial advocacy class as a guest speaker, a four-year fight that led to the release of her client and uncle from a thirty-year incarceration following a successful postconviction 3.850 motion.

In addition to Edwards Law, Christine is employed by the Office of Regional Counsel and assigned exclusively as counsel in Marchman Act Court in the Thirteenth Circuit, a problem-solving court that focuses on rehabilitation for individuals suffering with substance abuse disorders. Christine was a keynote speaker for Understanding the Marchman Act: Clinical Meets Court, educating community partners in this area.

Christine is on the Advisory Board for The Tampa Club and Board of Trustees for the Human Development Center and Paul Moore Foundation, organizations dedicated to providing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities opportunities to live independently. She supports charitable endeavors of the Peter J. Mulry Foundation, community outreach programs and events for Tampa’s youth and the Stronger than Stigma initiative organized by Gracepoint that provides services in mental health, suicide prevention, and drug and alcohol addiction. She is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA); Brandon Chamber of Commerce; Tampa Kiwanis; and Tampa Tiger Bay Club.