The State Attorney’s Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit has added 16 prosecutors to its staff. From left: Patrick McGee, Doug Baer, Brooke Gasson, Jaclyn Blair, Nicole Saunders, Vironica Brown, Matthew Silverstein, Catherine Ann Lockhart, Karri Becker, Sam Friedman, Beth Shelley, Ashleigh Brooks, Annie Kager, Rachel England and LaVater Massie-Banks. Not pictured: Connor Larkin.
Fourth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Melissa Nelson has added 16 new assistant state attorneys to her staff. The incoming prosecutors have been assigned to Clay, Duval and Nassau County Courts, where they will handle criminal misdemeanor prosecutions.
They will report to County Court Director John Kalinowski, Senior Division Chief Erin Perry and Division Chief Katelyn Johnston.
They are the first “incoming class” for Nelson’s administration and join the 105 prosecutors already on staff.
“We have worked hard to recruit a class of impressive assistant state attorneys. These men and women have demonstrated success in their educational pursuits and share a common desire to serve the people in this community,” said Nelson in a news release. “I believe each will be a great fit in the office and I look forward to watching their contributions to our circuit and the justice system.”
• Doug Baer was born and raised in Jacksonville and joins the State Attorney’s Office after graduating from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He graduated from Florida State University with a double major in economics and political science.
• Karri Becker graduated from the University of Florida with bachelor’s degrees in history and psychology. She then attended The George Washington University Law School, where she graduated with honors. Becker joined the office in May.
• Jaclyn Blair graduated from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and worked aboard cruise ships before deciding to pursue law. She graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law, where she served as executive director of the school’s Law Review and president of the Environmental Law Society.
• Ashleigh Brooks studied criminology and anthropology during her undergraduate career at the University of Florida before graduating from Stetson University College of Law. While at Stetson, Brooks served as vice president of the Black Law Students Association and was a member of the school’s No. 1-ranked trial team.
• Vironica Brown was born and raised in Tallahassee, where she graduated from Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in management and also earned her MBA before earning her J.D. at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
• Rachel England was raised in Jacksonville and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law, where she served as executive editor of the Florida Coastal Law Review.
• Sam Friedman graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in criminology/criminal justice. He then graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School and was the production editor of the American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal.
• Brooke Gasson attended Northeastern University in Boston after growing up in Jacksonville. She later graduated from Harvard Law School, where she served as the executive technical editor for the Harvard Law and Policy Review. She also spent time in criminal justice clinics working on capital cases with the Capital Defender’s Office in Asheville, North Carolina, and as a student prosecutor in Boston Municipal Court with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
• Annie Kager grew up in Tampa before graduating from the University of Florida with degrees in history and communications. She completed her first year of law school at the University of Illinois before transferring to Florida State University to complete her final two years. Before coming to Jacksonville, Kager was employed as a staff attorney in the 2nd Judicial Circuit in Tallahassee.
• Connor Larkin, a Jacksonville native, graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in political science before receiving his law degree from the Levin College of Law. He is a member of The Jacksonville Bar Association and is active in its Young Lawyers Section and Criminal Litigation Section. Larkin joined the office in March.
• Catherine Ann Lockhart grew up in Fernandina Beach and graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and religious studies. She remained at FSU for law school, where she was a certified legal intern in the State Attorney’s Office for the 2nd Judicial Circuit in Tallahassee. Lockhart is a member of the Chester Bedell Inn of Court.
• LaVater Massie-Banks is a first-generation college graduate from Pensacola. She attended Alabama State University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Massie-Banks graduated from Florida A&M University’s College of Law, where she was a junior and senior editor for the school’s Law Review and participated in the NAAC Moot Court Competition.
• Patrick McGee is from New Hampshire and earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Arizona. During his 22-year military career, he served as a helicopter pilot, air officer and Marine Attaché, completing overseas tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan and Georgia. After retiring from active duty in the Marine Corps, McGee graduated from the University of Miami School of Law.
• Nicole Saunders joins the State Attorney's Office from the private sector, where she worked as a corporate associate for a financial technology services corporation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Jacksonville University and her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. While at UF, Saunders served as a member of the school’s trial team and completed a certified legal internship at the State Attorney’s Office for the 8th Judicial Circuit.
• Beth Shelley joins the office after serving as an assistant state attorney in the 6th Judicial Circuit in Clearwater. She grew up in Port Charlotte and graduated from Stetson University with a degree in political science and her J.D.
• Matthew Silverstein was born and raised in Jacksonville. He earned his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. While in law school, he was an intern for the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, where he assisted the Domestic Violence Team and acted as a student practitioner for Wake Forest’s Veterans Legal Clinic.