by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Ann Shorstein loves what she does. And that’s a good thing because the Florida Coast School of Law professor doesn’t have a high tolerance for activities she doesn’t like.
“I love what I’m doing,” she said. “And I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise. When I stop enjoying something, I stop doing it.”
A look at the career path that led her to her current position is evidence of Shorstein’s desire to constantly challenge herself and to try new things.
She has worked in real estate, owned an art gallery and taught fifth and sixth grade. She served as the deputy chief administrator for former mayor Tommy Hazouri, but when his time in office was over, it was time for her to find something else.
Shorstein was 52 when she decided to go to law school, and it
wasn’t necessarily to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming an attorney.
“My dad was a lawyer, my husband [State Attorney Harry Shorstein] is a lawyer,” she said. “I didn’t think we needed another lawyer in the family.”
She attended the University of Florida at the same time her youngest son was getting his bachelor’s degree there.
“I’d promised him that I would give him his space,” she said. “But of course I heard from him when he needed money.”
After graduation, Shorstein practiced law at the firm of Holland
& Knight, specializing in public law. She retired after five years, and
wasn’t really looking for a new career.
“But someone approached me to try teaching,” she said.
Depending on the semester, Shorstein teaches property, civil procedure and real estate transaction. She’s committed to FCSL’s values of being a student-centered school and enjoys the constant search for new and better ways of teaching.
She’s good at her job, too. Her students have voted her Outstanding Professor of the Year for the second year in a row.
“Every class presents a new challenge,” Shorstein said. “The school continues to be cutting edge, and I don’t think I could get bored because I’m doing what I can just to keep up with the students.”