Maggie McCall Moody, Attorney

Maggie McCall Moody has practiced law in the Tallahassee Community since 1988. Her experience in private practice includes transaction, civil, family, administrative and appellate law. Today she concentrates her practice in Estate Planning & Marital Law. In addition to her experience in trial and appellate courts, Ms. Moody has substantial governmental expertise, having held positions with the Supreme Court of Florida, the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives through nine regular legislative sessions and seven special sessions. As a Chief Attorney and Counsel Director with the Florida House of Representatives, Ms. Moody assisted the leadership, members and constituents with legal matters in the areas of constitutional law, real property and probate law, family law, the judiciary, state administrative law, juvenile justice and local government and military affairs. During her years with the Florida House of Representatives, Ms. Moody built upon the legal and policy expertise she developed while Staff Director of the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee. In both of these positions she provided staff oversight and expertise in the areas in which she practices today.

Ms. Moody used her knowledge of marital and estate law from her years in private practice extensively in her legislative work. While with the Senate, 59 bills reported out of the committee she staffed including major proposals on child support, residential responsibility for children, professional guardians and adoption. During her tenure in the House more than 600 bills passed through the committees in the council with which she worked including almost every major legislative proposal in the areas of estate and marital law. Ms. Moody published official Legislative Interim Reports on the law and system she utilizes today: Implementation of Article V Cost Shifting, Senate Interim Report 98-32; Utilization of Judicial Resources, Senate Interim Report 98-36 and Adoption, Senate Interim Report 97-P-24 ( Fla. 1991)(Family Courts I). In this decision the court determined that there would be a division in each circuit court dedicated to family cases and set out the first parameters for creating what is now the Unified Family Court (UFC). Unified Family Court is a fully integrated, comprehensive approach to handling all cases involving children and families, while at the same time resolving family disputes in a fair, timely, efficient and cost effective manner. Since 1991, a series of Florida Supreme Court opinions have been instrumental in establishing UFC throughout the state. Ms. Moody had the privilege of working with the court on two subsequent opinions, In re: Report of the Commission on Family Courts, 633 So. 2d 14, 16 ( Fla. 1994)(Family Courts II); In re: Report of the Commission on Family Courts, 646 So. 2d 178, 179 ( Fla. 1994)(Family Courts III) that further defined the family courts she practices in today. Ms. Moody also had the honor of working with the court on the decisions that created the rules that now govern the family court system in Florida: In re Family Rules of Procedure, 663 So.2d 1047 (Fla. 1995)(created the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure) and In re Family Rules of Procedure, 663 So.2d 1049 (Fla. 1995)(created the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Forms). Ms. Moody was also selected by the court to serve as its liaison to both the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence and The Florida Bar Adoption Task Force.

Before working for the Florida Supreme Court, Ms. Moody practiced in the trial and appellate courts handling matters in administrative, civil and criminal law. Her early appellate work includes seven published opinions, three from the Supreme Court of Florida: Jackson v. Bouton Co., Inc., 630 So.2d 1173 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994) ; Hamlet v. Hamlet, 583 So.2d 654 (Fla. 1991); Bassett v. Bassett, 571 So.2d 532 (Fla.1st DCA 1990); Brown v. SGI, Ltd., 562 So.2d 684 (Fla. 1990); Brown v. SGI, Ltd., 561 So.2d 253 (Fla. 1990); Willner v. DPR, BOM, 563 So.2d 805 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990); SGI, Ltd. v. Rudd, 553 So.2d 772 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989) . During this time Ms. Moody served as chair of the Family Law Section of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (and was subsequently elected to the Academy's Board of Directors earning The Eagle Talon Award). She received awards from the Academy and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar for her successful lobbying efforts on family law issues before the Florida Legislature and gave presentations on timely family law topics at several continuing legal education seminars. Ms. Moody was also a member of the Tallahassee Bar Association, The American Bar Association and the National Order of Barristers.

During her years of legislative experience, Ms. Moody drafted and analyzed legislation as well as provided legal counsel to the legislators as issues and legislation developed. In addition, from 1998-2000 Ms. Moody served as supervisory staff over the general masters handling the forty claims bills filed with the Florida House of Representatives. She had previously served as a general master in the Senate. Ms. Moody represented the Florida House of Representatives as assistant counsel for Amicus Curiae, Kainen, et al. v. Harris, 769 So. 2d 1029 (2000). The prior year, Ms. Moody assisted with the drafting of and litigation relating to the Death Penalty Reform Act 2000 resulting from the United States Supreme Court's decision to hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of The State of Florida 's use of the electric chair in carrying out the death penalty. In addition to serving as staff to numerous standing committees and two successive councils of the Legislature, Ms. Moody served as staff to several specially created committees during her legislative employment including The Joint Committee on Article V (Constitutional Revision 7), The Supreme Court Workload Commission and the Senate President's Select Committee on Tort Reform.

Ms. Moody is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in all Florida state and appellate courts. A former high school teacher, she currently serves on the Continuing Legal Education Committee for the Florida Bar and as a volunteer with The Justice Teaching Institute an initiative by The Florida Supreme Court to provide attorneys as classroom resources in the Florida public schools ( Teen Court , a court diversion program for juveniles in the Second Judicial Circuit. Ms. Moody has served as chair of the First District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission.

Ms. Moody is active in her community, currently serving on the Board of Directors for Big Bend Pop Warner Youth Football and Cheer. She also provides pro bono legal services for that organization. Her previous community service includes serving on the Board of Directors for several community organizations including Children's Home Society, Easter Seals and the Family Enrichment Center . She has also served as a mentor and sponsor through the College Reach Out Program (CROP), as co-chair of the Education Committee for The Red Hills Horse Trials and as a parent volunteer in local schools and various youth athletic programs.