Christine Sensenig

I graduated from the University of South Florida, receiving a dual degree in English/Humanities, and began my career as an educator and proponent of the liberal arts. My first jobs were teaching high-school English and undergraduate humanities at the local community college. In guiding students through timeless stories like Macbeth and King Lear, I always found myself focusing my curriculum on the myriad injustices committed throughout those works. My students and I would ponder how one bad decision inevitably led to another, then another, and eventually snowballed into tragedy. I found myself thinking that if only someone had been there to exercise sensible judgement before things spun out of control, maybe these slippery slopes could have been derailed before misfortune escalated into catastrophe.

After teaching these cautionary tales for several years, I realized that I wanted to be the person that helped to stop the madness, so I enrolled in the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, where I would not only receive my Juris Doctor, but where I would meet my future husband (thanks, Gator Nation!). Later, our son would go on to graduate from UF Law as well (thanks again, Gators!). My husband shares my lifelong love of travel and adventure, and together we take full advantage of the top-tier arts and leisure which are so abundant here in Sarasota. We love our active community and all of the cultural events that take place throughout the year. When we’re not watching live theater, we’re exploring galleries, the Ringling Museum, and the many outstanding dining opportunities in Sarasota.

Employment law requires problem solving and daily interpersonal interactions – a natural fit for me – and affords me the opportunity to intervene before solvable problems become full-blown Shakespearian tragedies. In my years of practicing law, I’ve handled agricultural law issues, wage and hour claims, class action defense, discrimination and harassment cases, EEOC Charges, investigations, training of management and staff about respect in the workplace, employee separations, and coaching employers and employees alike through difficult days. In business, problems arise in real time; you can rest assured that I’ll be here to address whatever issues you might encounter every bit as quickly as they occur.

 Christine Sensenig At-A-Glance

Christine is an active member of the Sarasota community. She served as Treasurer and President of the local University of Florida Alumni Association, the Sarasota County Gator Club.  Out of 100+ international Gator Clubs, she won the Leader of the Year Award.  She has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to aid local students who are attending the prestigious University of Florida.  Christine has served on the Board of the Sarasota Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and received the President’s Service Award for service above and beyond expectations. She was Board Chair of CenterPlace Health and remains active on the Board to ensure the safety net for health care in the community stays intact. She was awarded the Distinguished Community Service Award by the Sarasota County Bar in recognition of her work for CenterPlace Health.  She is a member of the Sarasota County Bar,Florida Bar, and the federal court bars for the State of Florida.  Christine was recognized by her peers as a “Florida Legal Elite” lawyer in Florida Trend Magazine for more eleven consecutive years, from 2009 – 2020, as a SuperLawyer from 2016-2020, and as a Sarasota Top Attorney for 2020.

Education

University of Florida Levin College of Law
Juris Doctor

University of South Florida
BA English Education
BA Humanities
Master of Liberal Arts

Activities & Affiliations

CenterPlace Health, former Board Chair and current Governance Chair
Sarasota Chapter of Florida Association of Women Lawyers, former Board member and current Member at Large
Sarasota County Gator Club, former President and current Member at Large
Labor and Employment Section of the Florida Bar and the American Bar Association, Member

Bar Admissions

Florida

Justin Roberts, Associate Attorney

My academic career began at the humble Northeast Campus of Houston Community College and ended at the prestigious University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. In the interim, I studied liberal arts and social sciences, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of South Florida. My social science curriculum was focused chiefly on social justice issues, and on how groups of people interact with one another, and with societal institutions.

My first job out of law school was with the Public Defender’s Office, where I accumulated 2,000+ courtroom hours – more than most civil attorneys will collect in a lifetime of practice – protecting our constitution by representing indigent defendants from their first appearance before a judge, all the way to trial. I argued in countless adversarial hearings and negotiated just as many favorable plea bargains. I also conducted 100+ depositions, including dozens of law enforcement officers. I was promoted to the felony division after just 7 months litigating misdemeanors. My experience at the Public Defender’s Office taught me how to fight an uphill battle with little to no leverage, and how to spot and seize upon any advantage I can get.

After the crucible of representing 300+ criminal defendants at any given time, I decided to shift my focus to the civil arena, where the skills I had acquired could do more than mitigate damages and frustrate beleaguered State Attorneys. I wanted the chance to help people build and protect something positive. Employment law has given me the chance to simultaneously help employers build their dreams while still protecting the constitution and civil rights – it’s turned out to be a perfect fit for my background in Sociology and criminal defense. Whatever issue you’re dealing with in your workplace, I can promise you this with certainty: I’ve seen worse, and I can help you get through it.

Education

University of Florida Levin College of Law
Juris Doctor

University of South Florida
BA Sociology

Bar Admissions

Florida

Debbie Roginski, Firm Administrator and Florida Registered Paralegal

I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.  As a student, I served as president of the University’s Economics Club and was an active member of the National Honor Society for Economics, Omicron Delta Epsilon.   After working for my hometown daily paper, The Star Courier, for two years, I was awarded a graduate assistant position at Eastern Illinois University, which allowed me to study for my Master’s degree in Economics.

I met my husband right here in Sarasota while working for a prominent property management company.  Together we share an interest in live theater, concerts, tending to our yard and home, and spending time with family and friends.  Our family includes our two beloved rescue dogs, Roscoe and Kirby.  Over the past decade, my passion for animals has led to my serving as a volunteer for numerous rescue organizations, and on the Board of Directors for Vintage Paws Sanctuary, a Sarasota-based non-profit organization that helps rescue and provide loving homes for senior dogs who have been abandoned, surrendered to shelters, or whose humans have gone into senior living facilities or passed away.

Having worked in industries such as financial services, property management, retail sales, non-profits, and the public sector, I have a unique insight into a broad variety of businesses, and the particular problems that can arise therein.  I have seen countless small businesses struggle with the problems that arise from failing to comply with complex employment rules and regulations they weren’t even aware existed.  These experiences, along with my innate interest in labor and human relations, led me to my current position with the Firm.