Alison Smith, partner at Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, has received a number of accolades in her career, but recently, she was honored in a new, surprising but very poignant way. She was the inspiration for one of the contestants in the annual Miss Jamaica Florida pageant. During the creative expressions portion of the program, contestant Deyon Callendar emulated Smith, performing a monologue that captured the spirit and essence of Smith’s personality. Callendar excelled in this, and all other aspects and was crowned Miss Jamaica Florida 2018.

“It was an honor and a thrill to know that I was someone’s inspiration,” said Smith, who is a powerful advocate for the Caribbean-American community. “Deyon really learned the nuances of how I present myself and clearly, she made an outstanding impression on the judges. I’m touched and honored by this action.”

The theme of the pageant was “Hands Up for your Colors: A Tribute to the Next Generation of Jamaican icons.” Smith was chosen as an icon for her personal success at an early age as the selection only included those under 40 years old. Among her many leadership positions and honors, Smith was President of the Caribbean Bar Association and an honoree at the 2016 Caribbean American Heritage &Culture awards. She was named a Top 20 Distinguished Jamaican Youth Under 40 by Caribbean National Weekly.

She was recently named to the Keiser University Advisory Board and is the immediate past chair of board of directors for the Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Cost-to-Coast Legal Aid. Smith is currently on the board of directors for the Broward County Bar Association and focuses her practice in the areas of labor and employment, commercial litigation and administrative and regulatory law, with direct experience handling cases involving civil rights and constitutional law claims. She is admitted to the Florida Bar, the U.S. District Courts of Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit. Smith is also a member of the 17th judicial circuit’s professionalism panel.

She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University School of Law and was valedictorian of her class.

About Weiss Serota Helfman Cole &Bierman, P.L.:

Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L. is a prominent South Florida law firm serving corporate, governmental and individual clients with an integrated array of professional services including commercial litigation, land-use and real estate law, construction law, communications and cable law, labor and employment law, government law and governmental relations. The firm has offices in Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton. For more information, visit www.wsh-law.com.

Media Contact: Caren Berg or Sandra Reichman, Boardroom Communications (954) 370-8999, cberg@boardroompr.com orsreichman@boardroompr.com.