Fentrice Driskell
Of Counsel – Carlton Fields
Description of field of expertise
Fentrice Driskell is an AV-rated attorney with significant experience representing banks and other financial institutions in commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters. She also defends clients throughout all stages of consumer finance litigation involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, and the Truth in Lending Act. Fentrice partners with clients to develop policies, procedures, and compliance best practices with respect to state and federal consumer protection laws, including the TCPA. In addition, she handles commercial and contested foreclosures and works with clients to enforce creditors’ remedies in bankruptcy proceedings.
As a business litigator, Fentrice has handled cases involving breach of contract, civil theft, the Uniform Commercial Code, covenants not to compete, nonsolicitation clause disputes, theft of trade secrets, and unfair and deceptive trade practices. She also has experience litigating civil lawsuits to recover criminal restitution.
In 2018, Fentrice was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, where she currently represents Florida House District 63 in north Tampa.
What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?
Success in the practice of law, as in any field, depends on relationships. It is not enough to tuck yourself away in an office and bill the most hours or write the most briefs. In the end, you need to be able to generate business, whether that is externally by bringing in new clients or internally by becoming the sort of colleague others feel they can rely on such that they refer matters for you to handle on your own. Building relationships requires a consistent investment in others over time. So try to attend firm social events, bar association activities, and law conferences when you can so that you can both meet new people and have an opportunity to maintain the relationships you already have. You never know when that relationship could lead to a new opportunity for you or your firm.