Areas Of Practice

• Appeals
• General Civil Litigation & Insurance Defense
• Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith

Kansas R. Gooden, a Board Certified Appellate Specialist and AV Rated attorney, serves as the firm’s General Counsel and Appellate Practice Group Leader.  Ms. Gooden currently works remotely for the firm in Miami. Through her remote work, she efficiently and cost-effectively serves her client’s needs.

Ms. Gooden has extensive experience handling all types of civil appellate proceedings in the Florida Supreme Court, all Florida District Courts of Appeal, and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.  She is often retained in cases at or headed to the Florida Supreme Court or is retained to develop statewide litigation strategy to effectuate change in the common law.  She is one of the only attorneys—and likely the only woman—who has argued back-to-back cases on the same day before the Florida Supreme Court.

Many of Ms. Gooden cases are those of first impression, and those involving insurance coverage and bad faith issues.  Clients trust Ms. Gooden to handle their high-profile appellate litigation.

In addition to handling appeals, she also provides litigation and trial support to attorneys throughout the state. She is often called upon to attend trials and hearing to assist in preserving the error for later appeal.

Ms. Gooden is highly involved in the state and local bar associations and has served in many leadership roles.   Ms. Gooden served as the President of Florida Defense Lawyers Association, the statewide civil defense bar, in 2021-2022.  She still chairs the organization’s Amicus Committee and has since 2017.  On behalf of the organization, she authors and co-authors amicus briefs in important cases impacting tort, litigation, and insurance issues.

Ms. Gooden is the Chair-Elect of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section.  She has been active in the Appellate Practice Section for over a decade. She has served on the Executive Council and previously chaired the CLE Committee for several years.  Ms. Gooden will become chair of the Appellate Practice Section in June 2023.

Ms. Gooden also currently serves on the Florida Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization and Education. This committee oversees the certification committees and CLE accreditation for the bar.  She previously served on and chaired the Florida Bar’s Appellate Board Certification Committee, which writes and grades the appellate board certification test. The examination tests an applicant’s knowledge of state and federal appeals in the areas of civil, criminal, administrative, worker’s compensation, probate, and family law. The committee also examines the fitness of the candidates for board certification and those applying for recertification.

In 2022, Ms. Gooden was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as a commissioner on the Judicial Nominating Commission of the Eleventh Circuit, in and for Miami-Dade County.  Her term is three years. In this role, she vets and interviews applicants for county and circuit court vacancies.  Along with her fellow commissioners, she recommends a list of candidates for the Governor to select from.

While in law school, Ms. Gooden interned for the Third District Court of Appeal Chief Judge David Gersten. It was there that she developed her passion for appellate practice.

Lastly, Ms. Gooden played nationally competitive junior, amateur, and collegiate golf. She was the Virginia State Girls Golf Champion in 1997 and 1999 and was awarded the Marion Miley Bracelet by the Western Women’s Golf Association in 1997.

Admissions

• Florida, 2008
  • Board Certified Appellate Practice, 2015-present
• United States District Court
  • Northern District of Florida, 2009
  • Middle District of Florida, 2009
  • Southern District of Florida, 2009
• United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2012

Awards & Recognition

• Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar, 2015-present
• AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, 2018
• Featured in Attorney at Law Magazine, Jacksonville, as a Rising Star, 2016
• Listed in Attorney at Law Magazine, Jacksonville, in Top Ten Under 40, 2016-2017
• Listed in Attorney at Law Magazine, Jacksonville, Women of the Law Edition, 2017
• Featured in Attorney at Law Magazine, Miami, 2019 Super Star, 2019
• Listed in Florida Super Lawyers in Appellate Practice, 2022
• Listed in Florida Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in Appellate Practice, 2011-2021
• Recognized in Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite, Up-and-Comers List, 2021
• Recipient of Amicus Award from the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, 2015. This award is bestowed upon an appellate attorney with significant contributions to the defense bar through Amicus, or “Friend of the Court,” briefs.
• Recipient of the James A. Dixon Young Lawyer of the Year Award from the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, 2017. The award is given annually to a young lawyer who exceeds the standards of excellence, dedication and commitment to the FDLA and its goals.
• Recipient of the Children’s Champion Award from The Florida Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office, 2019. The award is for her dedication to pro bono representation.
• Recipient of the Joseph P. Metzger Outstanding Achievement Award from The Florida Defense Lawyers Association. This award is bestowed on the member who goes above and beyond over the course of his or her tenure as a member of the organization.

Memberships

• The Florida Bar, 2008-present
  • Appellate Practice Board Certification Committee, 2017-2020
    • Chair, 2019-2020
  • Appellate Practice Section
    • Chair, 2023-2024
    • Chair-Elect, 2022-2023
    • Treasurer, 2021-2022
    • Secretary, 2020-2021
    • Executive Council, 2015-2018, 2019-2020
    • Appellate Practice Section, CLE Committee, 2013-2020
      • Chair, 2018-2020
      • Co-Chair of Monthly Telephonic/Webinar CLE series, 2015-2018
      • Chair, Hidden Essentials of Appellate Practice Seminar, 2017
      • Chair, Hot Topics in Appellate Law Seminar, 2013
    • Appellate Practice Section, Finance Committee, 2019-2022
      • Chair, 2021-2022
    • Appellate Practice Section, Outreach Committee, 2014-2017
      • APS Liaison to the Jacksonville Bar Association, 2014-2017
    • Appellate Practice Section, Publications Committee Member, 2014-2016
      • Florida Bar Journal, APS Assistant Editor, 2014-2016
    • Appellate Practice Section, Legislative Committee, 2013-2015
  • Board of Legal Specialization & Education, 2020-present
    • National Accreditation Subcommittee, 2020-2022
    • Chair, Communications & Promotions Subcommittee, 2021-2022
• Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
  • Commissioner, 2022-2025
• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, 2021-present
  • Member, Appellate Section
  • Member, Trial Tactics, Practices, and Procedures Section
• Florida Defense Lawyers Association, 2010-present
  • Immediate Past-President, 2022-2023
  • President, 2021-2022
  • President-Elect, 2020-2021
  • Secretary/Treasurer, 2019-2020
  • Board Member, Third District Representative, 2018-2019
  • Board Member, First District Representative, 2016-2018
  • Amicus Committee, 2010-present
    • Chair, 2017-present
• Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society, 2017-present
  • Board of Directors, 2020-present
    • Co-Chair of the Biennial Luncheon, 2022
• Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, 2018-present
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, 2015-present
  • Miami Lawyers Chapter, 2017-present
  • Jacksonville Lawyers Chapter, 2015-2017
• Dade County Bar Association, 2018-present
  • Appellate Court Committee, 2018-present
• Florida Association of Women Lawyers, 2018-2021
  • Miami-Dade Chapter, 2018-2021
• DRI, Inc. (formerly Defense Research Institute), 2010-2011, 2019-2022
  • Amicus Committee, 2020-2021
• First District Appellate American Inn of Court, 2011-2022
  • Emeritus Member, 2017-2022
  • Barrister Member, 2011-2017
• Jacksonville Association of Defense Counsel, 2009-2017
  • President, 2015
  • Vice President, 2014
  • Secretary, 2013
• Jacksonville Bar Association, 2008-2017
  • Appellate Section, Chair, 2013-2014
  • Appellate Section, Vice Chair, 2012-2013
• Fourth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Large Firm Subcommittee, 2011-2012
  • Chair, Specialization and Skill Set Committee, 2011-2012
• Jacksonville Claims Association, 2009-2010
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, 2011-present

Charitable Affiliations

• Ronald McDonald House’s Inaugural Golf Tournament Committee, Member, 2014