Bonnie S. Stark

BONNIE SUE STARK is the paralegal/legal investigator for the Tallahassee office of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, but grew up in Miami and has lived in Florida for the majority of her life. In 1981 she moved to Tallahassee.

Ms. Stark received her A.A. degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1974. In 1978 she earned two B.A. degrees from the University of South Florida, majoring in American literature and American history (post World War II). In 1985, she completed her master’s degree in American history at USF. Her master’s thesis covered the influence of the McCarthy era in Florida politics. It was the subject of an episode of the PBS documentary series “Florida Crossroads” and has been quoted and cited in many historical publications and research papers since.

For 21 years, Ms. Stark worked for a Tallahassee-based defense law firm as a paralegal and legal investigator. She has been a licensed investigator with the state of Florida for over two decades. She is a member of the Florida Legal Investigators Association, the National Association of Legal Investigators, the Palm Beach County Justice Association, the Big Bend Paralegals Association, and the National Association of Legal Assistants. In 2008 she became a Florida Registered Paralegal.

Ms. Stark began working for the firm in 2005 and works primarily with attorney James Gustafson, assisting with medical malpractice, wrongful death, crashworthiness product liability cases arising from defective manufacturing design that result in catastrophic personal injuries, tobacco litigation and other types of personal injury and death cases. She brings a strong background in legal investigation and paralegal skills to her work. Her personal and professional compassion and commitment to helping others, along with her hard work and dedication, have helped many SDSBS clients receive the justice they deserved.

In addition, Ms. Stark is a frequent lecturer at paralegal seminars, providing her expertise and knowledge on trial preparation and civil litigation.