Ashley is a partner in the Product Liability Group whose practice focuses primarily on defending companies in product liability actions and complex litigation throughout Florida’s state and federal courts, with an emphasis on smoking-and-health cases. An experienced litigator and member of Shook’s Engle-progeny team, Ashley’s work also encompasses all other tobacco matters. She drafts and argues motions, develops meaningful and solutions-oriented case strategy, takes and defends depositions of key witnesses, prepares witnesses for trial, and serves on trial teams.
Ashley’s years of litigation experience extend beyond product liability into commercial litigation. She represents corporate clients in both defense and prosecution of complex business litigation matters, including breach-of-contract matters, business tort defense, financial recovery actions and counterclaim defense. Ashley also has experience defending clients in consumer protection litigation. This includes the defense of claims made under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and its Florida counterpart, the Florida Consumer Collections Practices Act (FCCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and its Florida counterpart, the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA). She manages all aspects of litigation, including development of strategy, pre-litigation investigation, fact and expert discovery, strategy, motion practice, and settlement negotiations, in a manner designed to produce winning results for her clients. Ashley prides herself on developing long-term strategy with a critical eye on how each aspect of a case will impact the overall case strategy, as well as how evidence will be presented at trial.
Ashley is also actively involved in pro bono work as an attorney ad litem for Crossroads for Florida Kids. She is the Treasurer for Shook’s Junior Women’s Management Council and is the former Diversity and Inclusion Advocate for Shook’s Tampa office. She is also an active participant in the Tampa office’s sponsorship of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Association for Corporate Counsel. Before joining Shook, Ashley’s practice focused on real property litigation, insurance defense litigation, and creditors’ rights in bankruptcy.
Presentations
Presenter, Florida's Tort Reforms - What's All the Buzz About?, Association of Corporate Counsel Tampa Bay CLE, May 18, 2023.
Publications
Chapter 8 - Discovery of Experts, Business Litigation in Florida (11th ed.), The Florida Bar, 2022.
Florida Changes its Summary Judgment Rule, and an Old Tool in the Litigator’s Kit Just Got Sharpened, Association of Corporate Counsel Tampa Bay, June 4, 2021.
Withholding Documents on the Basis of an Objection: What to Know About Rule 34(B)(2)(C), Practice Points, Pretrial Practice & Discovery Committee, Section of Litigation, American Bar Association, March 30, 2020.
Requests for Production Instructions and Definitions: How to Make Them Work for You, Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence Committee, Business Law Section of the Florida Bar, March 21, 2016 (with Bart R. Valdes).