Key West attorney Ashley N. Sybesma will become the president of FFLA on July 1, 2025. FFLA is a statewide charitable organization committed to expanding access to the civil justice system for Floridians of limited means through strategic grantmaking, support for legal aid providers and courts, and the development of innovative legal service initiatives.
Sybesma is an attorney at The Smith Law Firm, a boutique law firm in Key West, where she focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, including commercial disputes, construction defects, product liability, land use, and immigration matters. Over the course of her career, she has represented a diverse range of clients from multinational corporations and national retailers to nonprofit organizations and local homeowners in both state and federal courts.
A graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, Sybesma has distinguished herself as both a legal advocate and a community leader. She has been deeply engaged in pro bono work, including the representation of children and victims of domestic violence, and was honored with The Florida Bar’s President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the 16th Judicial Circuit in 2018.
Sybesma was appointed by the Supreme Court of Florida to the Board of Directors of The Florida Bar Foundation (now FFLA) in 2018. She has served in various leadership roles, including chair of the 16th Circuit Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee and as a longtime member of the 16th Judicial Circuit’s Professionalism Committee. In 2020, she was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the 16th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission.
Sybesma has been recognized for her civic involvement and leadership throughout Monroe County, serving as past president of the Monroe County Bar Association and a board member of Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition.
Sybesma is an FFLA Fellow and brings to her new role a deep understanding of the legal aid landscape and a strong commitment to advancing access to justice statewide.
