Sia Baker-Barnes Elected To Palm Beach County Bar Association Board Of Directors

May 9, 2011, WEST PALM BEACH — Sia Baker-Barnes, an attorney with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley in West Palm Beach, FL, has been elected by her peers to serve on the Board of Directors of the Palm Beach County Bar Association.

Baker-Barnes has been active in the Palm Beach County Bar Association for several years, most recently co-chairing the subcommittee responsible for launching a website about the diversity of the legal community and a brochure highlighting the benefits of practicing law in Palm Beach County. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Justice Association, the statewide organization of trial lawyers, and is a member of the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association.

“I am so honored to have this opportunity to serve my fellow attorneys,” said Baker-Barnes. “The Palm Beach County Bar Association has connected me with mentors and role models who shaped my life and career, and now I can do the same for other young lawyers.”

At Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, Baker-Barnes focuses primarily on pursuing justice for victims in personal injury, medical negligence, and wrongful death cases. This year, she chaired the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s continuing legal education committee on personal injury and wrongful death. She has been recognized as a “Rising Star” byFlorida Super Lawyers magazine in the area of medical malpractice litigation.

A Florida native, Baker-Barnes was born in Tampa and raised in West Palm Beach. She earned her undergraduate degree in communication at Florida State University, serving as an intern in former Governor Lawton Chiles’ Executive Office of Communications. She received her law degree from the Florida State University College of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court team and was awarded the Virgil Hawkins Fellowship for academic achievement. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the FSU College of Law Alumni Association.

Throughout her professional career, Baker-Barnes has taken the lead on numerous community service projects, especially those related to children and education. She chairs the Board of Directors of the Inlet Grove Community High School in Riviera Beach and is a member of the West Palm Beach Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.  She is a Past President of The Links, Incorporated, an organization of African American women leaders committed to volunteer service.  She currently leads a Links program at a local elementary school designed to combat childhood obesity.

The Palm Beach County Bar Association was founded in 1922 and serves about 2,600 lawyers in the county, as well as judges at the local, state and federal level. The Board of Directors is the Association’s policymaking body, committed to advancing professionalism and enhancing public understanding of the legal system.  There are 11 voting members on the Board of Directors, plus four ex-officio members.

About Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, PA:

A nationally recognized trial law firm, Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley is committed to protecting and vindicating the rights of people injured through negligence, deceit, and abuse of power.  Over the past 45 years, the firm has represented clients in courtrooms throughout Florida and across the nation.  For more information, visit www.searcylaw.com, or contact Robin Kriberney at 1-800-780-8607 orrkx@searcylaw.com.