Anitra has a civil litigation practice that includes litigating business, commercial, intellectual property and product liability disputes. She has worked on all stages of state and federal litigation, including strategy development, fact investigation, depositions, dispositive motion practice, advocating for clients at hearings and serving on trial teams. Her cases involve matters such as contract, promissory estoppel and unjust enrichment disputes between companies; trade secrets and employment disputes between companies and former workers; misrepresentation disputes between companies and consumers; false advertisement disputes between competitor companies; and also personal injury and wrongful death disputes stemming from cigarette usage, pharmaceutical drug usage and trucking accidents.
Before joining Shook, Anitra served three years as a judicial law clerk to two federal district judges, The Hon. Stephan P. Mickle in the Northern District of Florida and The Hon. Sheri Polster Chappell in the Middle District of Florida. In her tenure as a judicial law clerk, Anitra managed a high-volume of civil and criminal cases from filing to judgment, drafted hundreds of dispositive orders and assisted with numerous trials and hearings. Her clerkship experiences have provided her with a valuable perspective on litigating matters, especially in federal court. Since her clerkships and while at Shook, Anitra has litigated contract, copyright, product liability, tort and unfair trade practice disputes in federal court.
Anitra is dedicated to improving her community and her profession. For example, she devotes a portion of her practice to working for the interests of children and families by representing juveniles in dependency cases and parents in guardianship cases. Her pro bono service earned her Shook’s 2017 William G. Zimmerman Pro Bono Award. She is also active in organizations like the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, where she serves as a board member, and Meals on Wheels Tampa Bay, where she serves as a volunteer.