Rachel E. Fugate, Attorney

Rachel E. Fugate handles a wide variety of litigation and appellate matters, including commercial litigation matters and contract disputes. She has litigated many cases resulting in published appellate opinions and appeared before a number of Florida's District Courts of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Rachel's practice also includes all aspects of media law, including providing pre-broadcast and pre-publication review and advice, protecting journalists from subpoenas, defending against defamation, privacy and other content-related claims, and prosecuting actions for access to judicial and governmental records and proceedings. She has argued several media matters in federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout Florida.

Rachel is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before all Florida federal courts and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2006, she was selected as one of "Florida's Legal Elite" by Florida Trend Magazine.

Rachel is very active in the First Amendment and media law community. She is a member of the American Bar Association's Forum on Communications Law and is a Vice Chair of the Forum's Training & Development Committee. She also serves as a Vice Chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities First Amendment Committee. Rachel is the Past-Chair of the Media Law Committee of The Florida Bar and has co-chaired the Committee's media law conference and reporter's workshop. Each year, she co-authors the Access to Juvenile Records & Proceedings chapter of The Florida Bar's Reporter's Handbook. Rachel serves on the Media Law Resource Center's newsletter committee. Rachel has authored numerous articles for media law publications and regularly presents seminars on First Amendment and media law issues to lawyers and journalists.

Rachel received her bachelor's degree in public relations in 1995 from the University of Florida and earned her J.D. magna cum laude in 1998 from Florida State University Law School. While in law school, Rachel was a member of the FSU Law Review, where she served as an associate editor and the Legislative Editor and was also a member of the FSU Moot Court Team, where she served as editorial chair and vice president. Rachel authored two articles that were published in the FSU Law Review: The Florida Constitution: Still Protector of Citizens' Rights? and Choppy Waters are Forecast for Academic Free Speech. Upon graduation Rachel was elected to the Order of the Coif and Order of Barristers.

Rachel is married to Jack Behring, the service manager for the Tampa branch of a national pump company. Rachel and Jack have two boxers, Bo and Ali, and a cat named Crash.