Swope Rodante

Lisha Bowen joined Swope, Rodante P.A. in 2002 with an impressive background and extraordinary trial skills. Ms. Bowen immediately earned a reputation as a fierce advocate for the rights of the injured and a role model for women in the community. We are proud to announce that this year Ms. Bowen was made a shareholder in Swope, Rodante P.A.

Because of the opportunities in the legal field to redress wrongs done to others, Ms. Bowen was attracted to the law early in life. In fact, she never had another professional goal than to be an attorney. Even before beginning law school, she worked as a paralegal focusing on personal injury and governmental law cases.

Ms. Bowen graduated from Pennsylvania State University with her Bachelor of Arts in1996. She graduated from Stetson University College of Law (Juris Doctorate, cum laude, 1998). During law school, Ms. Bowen participated in Moot Court and explored her interest in tort law. She also served as president of the Stetson Chapter of the International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi. Her participation in extracurricular activities and commitment to the profession led her to volunteer to run a trial team at a local Magnet school and instruct classes in legal research and writing at local colleges.

While still in law school, Ms. Bowen served as a legal intern for the Honorable David A. Demers and the Honorable Elizabeth Kovachevich. Those successful internships led her to apply and be selected as one of two students for Stetson’s pilot internship program of the Florida Supreme Court. Once there, she was the legal intern for then Chief Justice Major B. Harding.

After law school, Ms. Bowen had the pleasure of serving as Staff Attorney for the Honorable Peggy A. Quince on the Florida Supreme Court. From there she worked as an Associate at two large, prestigious commercial law firms, Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., 1999-2001 and at Ruden McClosky Smith Schuster & Russell, P.A., 2001-2002.

However, Ms. Bowen soon decided that she wanted to be more directly involved with helping ordinary people who had been injured. She was certainly not interested in ambulance chasing, but instead, she looked hard for a consumer justice firm who would be extremely selective in accepting clients and their cases, to ensure that only just causes were pursued. We are proud that she chose us.

Since she joined Swope, Rodante P.A., Ms. Bowen has consistently impressed us and our clients. Although she quickly excelled in all of our practice areas, Ms. Bowen took a special interest in cases involving traumatic brain injury. She has handled over a dozen brain injury cases and taken them to trial, when the insurance companies have made it necessary. Her victory in a case regarding the mistreatment of a brain injured, fully dependent man that led to his death at the Florida Institute of Neurological Rehabilitation was the largest award ever in Harding County and one of Ms. Bowen’s proudest moments.

In an effort to expand her ability to help the injured outside of the courtroom, Ms. Bowen became a board member in the Florida Justice Association (formerly the Association of Florida Trial Lawyers). The Florida Justice Association is dedicated to strengthening and upholding Florida’s civil justice system and protecting the rights of Florida’s citizens and consumers. During her time on the board of directors, she fought against Amendment 3 (an amendment specifically designed to keep the injured out of the courtroom), lobbied for those with brain injuries, and met with members of house and the senate in her efforts to improve the landscape for injured victims in the courtroom. She serves as Secretary for the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, an association representing the needs of consumers and administration of justice for the public good and is a member of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association.

Over the last few years, Ms. Bowen has embraced a different type of case. It was perhaps inevitable that involvement with brain injury and wrongful death cases would lead to an exploration of larger corporate systems allowing the tragedies to occur. Ms. Bowen is routinely presented with issues involving the failure of corporate power structures to properly maintain records, failure to properly train employees, and the destruction of electronic records and information necessary to confirm proper procedure. Ms. Bowen has worked on several cases involving failures, misplacements, and misrepresentations in the trucking industry and she finds these cases extremely fulfilling. When asked what it is about these large industry cases that inspired her, Ms. Bowen replied, “If the ordinary person is using most of their paycheck on the gas necessary to drive to work, large corporations putting large vehicles and equipment on the roadway could at least do their part to ensure the drive is a safe one.”

In an effort to expand her ability to help the injured outside of the courtroom, Ms. Bowen became a board member in the Florida Justice Association (formerly the Association of Florida Trial Lawyers). The Florida Justice Association is dedicated to strengthening and upholding Florida’s civil justice system and protecting the rights of Florida’s citizens and consumers. During her time on the board of directors, she fought against Amendment 3 (an amendment specifically designed to keep the injured out of the courtroom), lobbied for these with brain injuries, and met with members of house and the senate in her efforts to improve the landscape for injured victims in the courtroom. Though she is no longer on the board, Ms. Bowen remains active in the Association’s activities and holds a bronze EAGLE award for her fundraising efforts.

Having served as Secretary in 2007, and  Treasurer in 2008, Ms. Bowen is the current President-Elect for the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, and association representing the needs of consumers and administration of justice for the public good. She is also a member of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association.

Her effort on behalf of those in need does not stop at the steps of the courthouse. An avid animal lover, Ms. Bowen recently helped fund new cat jungle gyms for aging cats at the Humane Society.

Ms. Bowen is admitted to The Florida Bar and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Her practice areas include personal injury, traumatic brain injury, wrongful death, and insurance bad faith.

Distinctions

• Shareholder in Swope, Rodante P.A., 2009
• Former Board of Directors for the Florida Justice Association (formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers), 2005-07.
• President Elect for the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, served as Treasurer in 2008, Secretary in 2007.
• Recipient of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers’ Bronze EAGLE Award for fundraising, 2005.
• Selected as one of two students for Stetson’s pilot internship program of the Florida Supreme Court where she was the legal intern for then Chief Justice Major B. Harding.
• Staff Attorney for the Honorable Peggy A. Quince on the Florida Supreme Court, 1999.

Professional & Community Involvement

Lisha Bowen currently serves Treasurer for the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, Secretary in 2007. The Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association is an association representing the needs of consumers and administration of the justice for the public good.

Ms. Bowen previously served on the Board of Directors for the Florida Justice Association (formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers), an organization committed to representing the interests of average injured citizens. She received a “Bronze EAGLE Award” from the Association for fundraising. During her time on the board, she fought against Amendment 3 (an amendment specifically designed to keep the injured out of the courtroom), lobbied, met with members of house and the senate in her efforts to improve the landscape for injured victims in the courtroom.

Ms. Bowen participates in several other legal, civic and academic organizations as well including the Florida Bar, Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Soughern Trial Lawyers Association, Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, and Phi Delta Phi National Honor Fraternity.