Litigation Paralegal to Carrie Roane
Fasig | Brooks Law Offices
Tallahassee Office
Q. How long have you been at Fasig Brooks?
Brittney: “8.5 years”
Q. Describe your role at Fasig Brooks.
Brittney: “I’m a litigation paralegal, but when I started, I was Carrie’s only paralegal (we started together), so I handled our cases from start to finish. While my focus is now primarily on litigation, I still provide support on her pre-suit cases when she needs to identify and retain experts, participate in pre-suit mediation, requires legal research, or needs something else that generally falls in litigation’s wheelhouse.”
Q. What inspired you to join the team here?
Brittney: “I started out in the legal field over 17 years ago and have spent most of that time working in this area of law (on the Plaintiff side). Prior to joining Fasig Brooks, I dipped my toe into the defense world for a little more than a year. While I appreciate and value the perspective that my time on the defense side gave me, I was ready to be back on this side of the fight.”
Q. What’s the most meaningful part of working at Fasig Brooks?
Brittney: “Having the ability to help change people’s lives when they experience a life-altering injury or the loss of a loved one. As much as I wish I had the ability to wave a magic wand and prevent the incident from happening, I don’t. But I do have the ability to listen to their concerns, hold their hand, cry with them, and help navigate them through this often complex process.”
Q. If each day had 25 hours, what would you do with the extra time?
Brittney: “I would spend it with my family and friends. I have an almost six-year-old, and he’s growing up SO quickly. I would love an extra hour to read, color, and play with him every day.”
Q. What book or movie has had a significant impact on you and why?
Brittney: “I’d probably have to say “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho. I am raising a beautiful and strong Black boy, so I need to be as educated, informed, and well-equipped as possible in order to be the best advocate and ally for him. He will always be my top priority, so I’m more than willing to have as many “uncomfortable” conversations as necessary to ensure that he’s always surrounded by people who recognize, understand, and respect him, and who also have his back no matter what. People who see the rich color of his beautiful skin and don’t treat him differently for it, but are aware of the reality that there are some who will. As a reminder, Emmanuel Acho explained it best when he said “‘I don’t see color’ is not an okay thing to say, because to say we’re all exactly the
same is to gloss over a whole history and presence of inequality.”
Q. What keeps you going when you are under pressure?
Brittney: “Knowing that what we’re doing here matters. As a mother, there are cases that are always on my mind and honestly keep me up some nights. No amount of stress or pressure that I’m feeling can come close to what some of our clients have gone through. So, I try to remain thankful for what I have, pressure and all.”
Q. What is something about Fasig Brooks you wish more people knew about?
Brittney: “That we really are like a family here. Kimmy is one of my very best friends; Dana’s daughter is an artist and painted the most magnificent bear for my son’s room; Jimmy got ordained just to marry me and my husband, and his twins were our flower girls. Jimmy also wrote one of our reference letters for the home study required when we adopted our son; and Carrie, well, that’s just a relationship that’s unlike anything I’ve ever had before. She’s the “boy mom” who I ask just about all of my random questions to, a therapist when I’m feeling overwhelmed with everything that comes with being a working mom, and an incredible mentor. She’s an amazing friend, a kick-ass attorney, and one of the strongest women I know.”
Q: What’s your dream car?
Brittney: “The Volvo XC90 Recharge. I’m a bit of a safety nut when it comes to vehicles because my parents owned a Volvo repair shop when I was growing up. My Dad has since moved to Melbourne to work with his first passion: pottery, but Mom still runs the shop in town. I grew up seeing horrible wrecks (t-bone collisions at 70+ mph, someone’s car being run over by a semi), and everyone in the Volvo always survived.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
Brittney: “Probably Greece. It’s always been my mom’s “dream vacation” and my sister and I ALMOST took her for her 60th a couple years ago. She opted for upstate New York instead (which was breathtaking), but that means that Greece is still on my bucket list.”
Q. What’s your favorite activity outside of work?
Brittney: “I think it really depends on the day. I’m always down to attend any FSU sporting event with my family and friends (even though football was especially difficult to watch this year), but some days I just need to disconnect. Pure Barre or visiting with my horse at the barn are my sanctuaries when that’s what I need. If it’s been an especially difficult or emotionally taxing day because of a case, I usually need to surround myself with family and reach out to friends…remind myself that they’re all here and safe.”
Q: What’s your favorite place to visit?
Brittney: “I absolutely love Colorado, New York, Boston, Yellowstone, and Washington DC, but I grew up going to the Keys in the summer with my mom, sister, and one of our close friends. I’ve been several times as an adult, and I think it will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Q: What’s the most frequently asked question you get from clients and how do you answer?
Brittney: “’How long will this take?’ and, as much as I hate this response, the answer is always ‘it depends.’ Every case is unique. Every client, every injury, every situation…it’s never the same. If your case is straight forward with clear liability, injuries, ample coverage, and an insurance adjuster on the other side who wants to make it right, it probably won’t ever land on my desk because it won’t ‘need’ to be litigated. If I get a case to file suit on, it’s because the case wasn’t ‘straight forward.’ So, while I’ll do everything I can to keep your case moving, how long it ends up taking isn’t something we have complete and total control of.”
