Tallahassee’s Premier Political Forum

Andrew S. Bolin is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and Partner at the Bolin Law Group who is licensed in Florida and Texas. Since graduating from Stetson Law School cum laude in 2002, Mr. Bolin has dedicated his practice to representing defendants in civil lawsuits. In addition to handling civil trials, he has appeared on behalf of clients in all State Appellate Courts, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is frequently

called upon to draft model bill language and offer testimony on professional malpractice and tort reform issues in front of our State Legislature. Mr. Bolin has served as amicus curiae counsel in several of the highest profile matters effecting Florida’s doctors and hospitals. He has advocated for his clients in battles over: the scope of Florida’s “Amendment 7”; caps on pain and suffering damages; the right to utilize arbitration agreements; limiting Plaintiff experts’

ability to criticize physicians outside of their specialty and; for physicians’ right to counsel in civil matters.

Mr. Bolin is a past President and current Board Member of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association and has served as the State Representative for Florida to the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Bolin has also been inducted into The Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, an invitation only professional association composed of recognized leaders in the legal community who have achieved professional distinction.

In 2016, he received the Fred Sievert award for his accomplishments in furthering the interests of the defense bar. The Sievert award is given annually to one defense attorney in the United States. Mr. Bolin was the first and only recipient from the State of Florida.

Before Dana Brooks became an attorney, she was a paralegal, law firm administrator, mental health counselor and Florida Supreme Court certified family law mediator. Dana attended Pensacola Junior College and Tallahassee Community College before graduating Florida State University, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work. She later earned her Masters of Social Work from Florida State in 2003. Dana earned her law degree from Florida

State, magna cum laude, in December 2007 and is a member of the Order of the Coif, signifying the top 10% of law school graduates. Her experience and reputation as a medical malpractice defense paralegal combined with her law school performance provided the basis for the exceptional opportunity Dana was offered while still in law school. Dana was sworn in as an

attorney in the morning and made a named partner of a thirty-year-old revered plaintiff’s law firm that same afternoon.

Dana is a member of The Florida Bar, Tallahassee Women Lawyers, and the Tallahassee Bar Association. She is past-president of the Capital City Justice Association. She is a member of the Florida Justice Association and serves on its Medical Malpractice Committee. Dana is a Charter Member of the Democratic Women’s Club of Leon County, a former Trustee of the Florida Democratic Party and is active in vetting and supporting candidates for political office. Her awards and recognition are many. She was honored to be given the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from the FSU College of Social Work in 2013. In 2014, she was awarded the Alumni Service Award from FSU College of Law. 2015 found Dana being recognized by her peers for her excellence. She was named in the Top 100 Trial Lawyers from The National Trial

Lawyers, a Florida Legal Elite by Florida Trend, and a Million Dollar Advocate from the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. She enjoys a 10.0 rating on Avvo, the highest attainable.

Dana is committed to giving back to the community. She currently serves on the board of 2-1-1 Big Bend and is a former board member of America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend. She is a frequent – and winning – coach of the FSU Law School’s Mock Trial Team. Under her leadership, Fasig Brooks supports Jazz for Justice, the Tallahassee Memorial Foundation,

The Heart Association, Springtime Tallahassee, the Ronald McDonald House, Tree House, The Wakulla County Senior Citizen’s Center, and many other local and national charities. With her support and encouragement, attorneys and staff at Fasig Brooks contribute thousands of volunteer hours to the community every year.

Helping people thrive in spite of their challenges has given Dana a unique perspective when advocating for her injured clients. Her experience in social work strengthened her desire to help at-risk persons and those most in need of an effective legal advocate. She continues to be

inspired and excited to work for justice for her clients. Fasig Brooks has won the Tallahassee People’s Choice “Tally Award” for “Best Law Firm” for the last seven years in a row.

About our Moderator

Terry Lewis was a Florida trial judge for 30 years, presiding over a variety of civil and criminal cases, including such high-profile and controversial disputes as the Bush/Gore election contest, abortion bans, and congressional re-districting. He is now in private practice with the firm of Messer Caparello, focusing on arbitrations and mediations, while also teaching at The FSU College of Law and helping to update and edit Ehrhardt’s Florida Evidence.

While on the bench, Terry was heavily involved in judicial education, serving as faculty for numerous courses offered at the Florida Judicial College and as Dean of the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies for several years. His professional awards include Judge of the Year, Florida Law Related Education Association (twice), Judge Harvey Ford Leadership Award, and Trial Judge of the Year, American Board of Trial Advocates.

Terry is also an award-winning author of four legal thrillers and one historical novel, a sequel to which is due out in December of 2026. His recently completed non-fiction work, Perceptions of Justice, Law, Literature and Film, is in search of a publisher.