TAMPA, FL – The law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is pleased to announce that Vanessa Goodwin, associate in the Tampa office, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Are You Safe, Inc.  Are You Safe, Inc. is a non-profit organization composed of Tampa-area attorneys dedicated to providing domestic violence victims with the legal services they need to finally escape from their abusive and controlling relationships.

Prior to joining Shumaker, Vanessa worked as an Assistant State Attorney/Criminal Prosecutor for the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida.  While at the State Attorney's Office, Vanessa handled a variety of criminal cases, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies punishable up to life in prison.

While in law school, Vanessa was a member of the University of Florida Trial Team and she was a Public Service Fellow for The Florida Bar Foundation.  Additionally, Vanessa earned Book Awards in Issues in Public Policy and Trial Practice.

Vanessa received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Florida.

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Founded in 1925, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is a full service business law firm with more than 225 attorneys practicing in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina.