Attorney Caitlyn R. Shield Waksler focuses her practice on general civil and commercial litigation and appeals in the areas of corporate and business disputes, probate and trust litigation, contract disputes, real property litigation, construction litigation and community association law.

Education: Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in legal studies from the University of Central Florida and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. While studying law at the University of Florida, Caitlyn was selected as a judicial intern to the Honorable Scott D. Makar of Florida’s First District Court of Appeal. Caitlyn also served as a Senior Research Editor for the Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy, as a certified legal intern with UF Law’s Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Clinic and as a teaching assistant for Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy. Caitlyn earned the Book Award for academic excellence in the Appellate Law and Policy course and for her clinical work.

Professional: Caitlyn began her legal career working for the Honorable Scott D. Makar and the Honorable Bradford L. Thomas of Florida’s First District Court of Appeal. Caitlyn has since worked in private practice in Southwest Florida, litigating family law and commercial litigation matters. She is an Associate in the Calusa Inn of Court and a member of the Florida Bar and the Bar’s Young Lawyers Division, Trial Lawyers and Real Property and Probate Law Sections, as well as the Charlotte County Bar Association.

Articles & Publications: The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section published in the Florida Bar Journal Caitlyn’s academic paper on the challenges domestic violence victims face in the appellate court system, in which she proposed multiple public policy solutions. Restraining Justice: How Florida Can Better Aid Pro Se Survivors of Domestic Violence in Injunction for Protection Cases, 93 Florida Bar Journal 46 (July/August 2019).

Recognition: Caitlyn was the inaugural recipient of the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s Law Student Pro Bono Award for outstanding pro bono service in the field of appellate practice. UF Law also recognized Caitlyn’s commitment to public service by awarding to her the Pro Bono Certificate of Excellence.

Community: Caitlyn serves as a Director for the Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies (CARE) and the Charlotte County Bar Association. She is a member of the Leadership Charlotte Class of 2023 and has served as a Guardian ad Litem for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit.