LAURIE J. BRIGGS was raised in Afton, New York and received her B.S. in Business Education from the State University of New York at Albany in 1982, where she was a member of the intercollegiate soccer, basketball and softball teams. From 1982 until 1990, she was a high school business teacher and coach in Beekmantown, NY.  Following that, she taught special education for one year in Unadilla, NY.  She earned her M.S. degree in Education from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 1987.  She graduated from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center with her Juris Doctor and was admitted to the Florida Bar in October 1993.

Ms. Briggs began working for Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA in 1994, and works primarily with James W. Gustafson and T. Hardee Bass on the firm’s tobacco litigation.  Previously, she has worked on products liability, catastrophic automobile accident, personal injury and commercial litigation cases.

Ms. Briggs serves on the board of directors of the Florida Justice Association and is the chair-elect of the Women’s Caucus.  She is a member of The Florida Bar, American Association for Justice, American Bar Association, Palm Beach County Bar Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union.  She recently was named to the board of directors for the Florida Association of Counsel for Children. 

Ms. Briggs is the president of the law firm's employee charity, SDSBS Giving B.A.C.K. (Basic Acts of Community Kindness), which sponsors weekly dress down days in support of charities in West Palm Beach and Tallahassee, an annual holiday toy, food and gift drive and assists local families in crisis.  She also serves as president of the board of directors for Friends of Abused Children, Inc., a local charity dedicated to assisting children in foster/protective care, and as president of her community H.O.A.