Elections
Candidate Statements - Secretary
Ingrid Benson-Villegas was elected as an Officer at the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (“MDFAWL”) in 2021. In this capacity, she has served as Newsletter Editor and Treasurer. She served on the Board of Directors beginning in 2017 and has been Chair or Co-Chair of the Membership Committee, Public Relations Committee, Website Committee, and Awards Committee. She has been involved in MDFAWL since 2014.
Ingrid is a Partner at Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson LLP. In addition to her professional
role, she is also actively involved in the American Bar Association (“ABA”). She serves as Associate Editor of The Young Lawyer, a publication that reaches approximately 150,000 readers nationwide. In addition, Ingrid has served as a Florida delegate at the ABA with The Florida Bar’s Young Lawyer’s Division (“YLD”). In 2017, Ingrid initiated the development of an ABA Resolution regarding Florida’s Parental Leave Rule that was passed by the ABA YLD in 2018 and passed by the ABA House of Delegates. The Florida Supreme Court adopted the Parental Leave Continuance Rule in 2019.
In 2021, MDFAWL awarded Ingrid the Honorable Amy Karan President’s Award. Ingrid has also been recognized as a “Rising Star” and Top Rated Insurance Coverage Attorney by Thomson Reuters since 2020. FAWL awarded Ingrid the Leader in the Law Award in 2019 and Ingrid was recognized as part of the 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida class of 2018 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Thanks in advance for your vote!
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Ingrid P. Benson-Villegas
Mallory Cooney
As a new lawyer who didn’t attend law school in Florida, I joined MDFAWL to network in the Miami legal community. As I got more involved, MDFAWL became much more to me: a way to connect with and advocate for women. I am grateful to have served on the Board for two terms, helping to oversee the organization, as well as assisting with the planning and execution of signature events, spearheading the new Level Up series, and leading our Get Out the Vote efforts to encourage our membership to have their voice heard in national and local elections.
While serving on the Board, I have maintained my role as Public Relations Committee Chair, with the responsibility of maintaining and improving the chapter’s brand throughout the state, in a time where most everything is virtual. I promote MDFAWL’s message through our social media, increasing the organization’s visibility. I utilize our online presence to ensure the chapter is heard on critical issues, to secure appropriate recognition for our members’ accomplishments, and to spread important information consistent with MDFAWL’s mission.
I was thrilled to be recognized as a Leader in the Law and touched to receive the Rising Star Award, which is now named for my mother, Lynn Futch, a star lawyer whose legacy is my daily inspiration, and then the Judge Amy Karan President’s Award, named for another amazing mother, jurist, and human. I would be honored to be elected as Secretary to continue serving the organization, its members, and its mission.
