Giselle Carson immigrated to the United States from Cuba by way of Canada when she was 15 and is has been an attorney with Marks Gray, P.A, for three years in immigration work, civil litigation, and medical practice litigation. She’s the secretary for the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the second time in a row. A former physical therapist, she strongly believes in exercising activities to improve mental wellbeing. She might be seen riding her bike or running during lunch. The Daily Record’s Carrie Resch interviewed her last week.
What did you do prior to working at this law firm?
“My prior career was physical therapy. I have a Bachelors in physical therapy from McGill University in Montreal. In my later years I was doing more administrative work; I was Rehabilitation Director and that exposed me to the legal field. I decided that I wanted to do more with my physical therapy background, and one of the options was a law degree, which I pursued. I got my JD in 2001 from The Florida Coastal School of Law. I interned as a clerk when I was going through law school at Liberty Mutual, and I worked for Judge Corrigan at the Federal Courthouse.”
What do you like best about your job?
“The learning — no day is the same. Every day there is an opportunity to say I’ve learned something today and I’ve made a difference for somebody. I like the interaction with people and the challenge.”
What is most challenging?
“The challenge is winning and doing a good job. There is so much work sometimes that the challenge is doing the best you can with a limited amount of time, getting the best results that you can. Time, I think, is a big thing in the legal profession. There is so much out there that you can work forever, so it’s the balancing act of doing the best you can and knowing that you’ve done everything you can with the amount of time you have. At the end, hopefully you have a happy client who is happy with the results. If you did not win, at least you can say that you feel good with what you’ve done. I hate the feeling that I could have done more.”
Do you like being an attorney?
“Many people have asked me if I regret leaving physical therapy, and I don’t. I think the legal profession is an amazing career, you have so many opportunities and you learn so much. I think it makes you so much more of a rounded person. If you want to be a good attorney, you have to be involved in the community and know what’s going on in the city and the country. You meet so many interesting people that it’s really a fulfilling career.”
What do you like least about your job?
“Sometimes we sit down too much and do a lot of desk work and a lot of computer work. As a physical therapist, I used to move around all the time, so finding that balance between exercising and staying physical in this career is a little challenging.”
How did you get involved in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce?
“After law school, I was looking for opportunities to get involved with the Hispanic community because of my background. In 2002 I went to some meetings at the Hispanic American Business Association. I liked what I heard and liked the people that I met. Their goal was to help Hispanic businesses integrate into the Jacksonville community. In early 2003, HABA reorganized into the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce because the group wanted to help not only the business people but the whole community. They wanted to become a more inclusive group. The Hispanic Chamber is a very dynamic board and very involved in the community.”
Other organizations?
Leadership Jacksonville class of 2005, Jacksonville Bar Association, the Law Week Committee and Afternoon in the Courthouse which is sponsored by the
Jacksonville Young Lawyers.
What are your goals for the future?
“To contribute to the growth and development of the Hispanic and Jacksonville communities while continuing to grow personally and professionally.”
What activities do you enjoy?
“I bicycle and run. I do a lot of group bike rides, and you completely forget about your job. You have to pay attention to the road and the other cyclists. It’s kind of a mental health type of thing. We’ve had horrible weather lately, it’s been cold and rainy. My bike is in the car most of the time or I have running shoes, so a few days at lunch when I get a chance I just go out. Maybe three or four times in the last month, at lunch, I’ve just taken my bike and gone out for rides because I’m afraid that if I wait until 7 o’clock that it’s dark, cold and rainy and who wants to go out then? My husband Jeff is a physical therapist and he is also an athlete, so when I’m not feeling motivated, he motivates me. We also have a Dalmatian, Zeus.”