WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 25, 2021) – Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, today announced the addition of Sha`Ron James, a government affairs consultant and of counsel attorney in its government affairs and lobbying practice. She will be based in the firm’s Tallahassee office and brings more than 20 years of experience in the statewide public and private sectors.
James focuses her practice on state and local governmental affairs, healthcare, and insurance regulatory law. Prior to returning to private practice, James served as the Insurance Consumer Advocate for the state of Florida, where she represented the general public and insurance consumers before the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Division of Administrative Hearings in insurance and healthcare regulatory matters. She was appointed to this role after her tenure as Division Director of the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Rehabilitation and Liquidation, where she directed the operation of over 48 highly complex insurance receivership estates with entrusted assets totaling over $1.4 billion dollars.
“Sha`Ron’s unique regulatory and public service experience in the insurance industry is an outstanding addition and greatly expands our government affairs practice, with already unmatched experience and reputation,” said Bill Perry, Gunster’s managing shareholder. “We are excited about the additional expertise she brings to our firm expanding our ability to advise clients on insurance regulatory matters that impact their business.”
Sha`Ron is recognized as a national thought leader and diversity & inclusion advocate. She currently serves as the Charter President of the National African American Insurance Association of Florida and co-founder of the HBCU IMPACT Initiative, a national program whose mission is to diversify the insurance industry through empowerment, exposure, and mentorship of students at Historically Black Colleges & Universities. Sha`Ron’s work to improve racial and gender equality in the insurance industry has been highlighted nationally in industry publications, conferences and several national insurance and D&I podcasts.
Currently, James serves as the Chair of Leadership Tallahassee, Chair of the Community & Prosperity Committee for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, President of the Florida Chapter of the National African American Insurance Association and is also on the Board of Trustees for the Capital Regional Medical Center. Previously, she served as a member of the Florida Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology Commission, the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Board of Directors, the Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurance Guaranty Association Board of Directors, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) Appeals Board and the Citizens Property Insurance Company Consumer Services Committee. James was also recently profiled in the “Leading the Change” issue of Insurance Business America Magazine for the significant contributions she has made to advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives within the insurance sector.
She received her J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. James also earned an Advance Project Management Certificate from Stanford University and her B.S. in Economics from Florida A&M University.
# # #
