from staff
Fourth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Matt Shirk appointed four attorneys as assistant public defenders.
The office added an assistant public defender in the County Court unit and the Felony Court units. Two assistant public defenders will join the Juvenile Unit.
Susan Faris was assigned June 13 to the Felony Court Unit. Previously, she served as an assistant state attorney in the First Judicial Circuit, where she was recognized for her work in domestic violence prosecution.
A native of Shalimar, Faris earned her Juris Doctor in 2006 from The Florida State University College of Law and her bachelor’s degree in 2002 from the University of Florida.
Cassidy Keshavarzi was assigned May 27 to the Duval County Court Unit. Leading up to her start date, Keshavarzi worked part-time at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid where she spent three months assisting a refugee immigration project.
She graduated in 2010 from her hometown Florida Coastal School of Law and was admitted to The Florida Bar later that year.
In 2005 she earned her bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida. Keshavarzi is a member of the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association.
Markus Sermons was appointed June 20 in the Juvenile Unit. Sermons spent the past year in Duval County Courts as a staff attorney in probate. Before that, he was a case manager in Duval County Adult Drug Court.
Following his 2008 graduation from Florida Coastal School of Law, Sermons spent several months in training at the State Attorney’s Office. From Valdosta, he earned a degree in business administration from Valdosta State University.
Elizabeth Webb, a former part-time staff attorney, joined the Juvenile Unit in June. Webb has private practice experience in Florida civil law, including work as an associate at firms in Fort Myers, Gainesville and Jacksonville.
Her specialty in employment law led her to argue before the First District Court of Appeal. Before earning a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College in 1989, she worked as a sports writer at her Maryland hometown newspaper. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Shippensburg University.