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Suzanne Bechard has been practicing law in the Tampa Bay area since 1998. Much of her experience as an attorney has been in the areas of criminal appeals and alternative dispute resolution. She has authored over 350 appellate briefs and more than 100 arbitration decisions, and has argued cases before the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida District Courts of Appeal.
As a former Florida Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Bechard learned a great deal about mortgage fraud and other unlawful schemes targeting retirees. Ms. Bechard also volunteered in the Attorney General's CyberSafety Program by giving presentations in schools on how children can stay safe online.
Suzanne Bechard can be followed on Twitter at frankielawdog.
In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Bechard has taught Legal Studies courses at the post-secondary level since 2003. She has assisted in the development of course curriculum and has authored test banks and other ancillary material. She currently teaches specialized and advanced courses in Tort Law, Litigation, Debtor/Creditor Law and Foreclosure.
Publications include:
- "Could a Violation of the Vienna Convention Lead to Suppression of Evidence Against an Accused?" in the Florida Criminal Law Journal, Fall 2007.
- "What Is a Lesser Included Offense, Anyway?" in the Florida Criminal Law Journal, Winter 2007.
- In progress is a textbook tentatively titled Fundamentals of Tort Law.
She blogs about dogs and often discusses the laws that affect dogs and their owners at her website.
Ms. Bechard received her B.A. in English, magna cum laude, from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida in 1993. She received a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in Florida in 1998, where she was named to the Dean's List and the National Dean's List and was a recipient of the William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award.