Rebecca Palmer Joins Industry Leaders and Speaks at CFAWL Pass the Gavel Luncheon

 

Rebecca L. Palmer, Founder of Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group and Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers (CFAWL) Past President (2001-2002), recently attended and spoke at the Pass the Gavel Luncheon, which was held on June 6, 2026 at The Citrus Club of Orlando. The group celebrated leadership, service, mentorship, and the continued advancement of women in the legal profession.

The Pass the Gavel Luncheon is a meaningful CFAWL tradition that honors outgoing leaders while welcoming incoming leadership for the year ahead. For Rebecca, the event was also an opportunity to reflect on the role CFAWL has played in her professional life and the importance of women lawyers supporting one another.

“CFAWL has been part of my professional life for a long time, and I’m grateful for the friendships, mentorship, and advice I’ve received in these rooms over the years,” Rebecca shared in her remarks. “CFAWL has helped shape my career, and, more importantly, how I show up for other people.”

As a family law attorney and contributor to her community, Rebecca regularly works with clients during some of the most sensitive and emotionally complex moments of their lives. In her speech, she connected that experience to the mission of CFAWL, noting that both family law and professional organizations like CFAWL require steady guidance, empathy, and a commitment to showing up when it matters most.

“People don’t come to us when things are easy,” Rebecca said. “They come when life is messy, painful, and confusing, and they need someone who can listen, stay steady, and offer the right guidance.”

Rebecca also spoke about the personal values that continue to guide her work as an attorney, mediator, and member of the Central Florida legal community. She credited her father, a Presbyterian minister, with teaching her the importance of kindness, listening, and service, and her mother with showing her that reinvention and lifelong learning are always possible.

Those lessons align closely with CFAWL’s mission to build up women lawyers professionally, personally, and within the broader community. Through mentorship, advocacy, volunteerism, and leadership, CFAWL continues to help women in law find their footing, strengthen their voices, and create meaningful impact across Central Florida.

“Leadership is service, and service is the heart of this organization,” Rebecca said. “When women lawyers support women lawyers, everyone benefits: our clients, our profession, and our community.”

At Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group, those same principles of service, empathy, integrity, and steady guidance are central to the firm’s work in family law. The firm assists clients with divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, mediation, collaborative law, paternity matters, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. The firm also offers estate planning services.

Rebecca’s participation in the CFAWL Pass the Gavel Luncheon reflects her ongoing commitment to the Orlando legal community and to supporting the next generation of women lawyers. As CFAWL begins a new leadership year, Rebecca’s message was clear: women lawyers are strongest when they lead with purpose, serve with intention, and continue moving one another forward.

As CFAWL celebrated its leadership transition, it also honored the many past presidents whose service helped shape the organization’s legacy in Central Florida’s legal community:

1980-81 Carol E. Donahue 1981-82 Kaye Collie 1982-83 Nancy S. Weber 1983-84 Maura T. Smith 1984-85 Janet Messervey 1985-86 Susan K. McKenna 1986-87 Letitia E. Wood 1987-88 Julie Wolf 1988-89 Ava K. Doppelt 1989-90 Patricia A. Doherty 1990-91 Victoria Alvarez 1991-92 Mayanne Downs 1992-93 Melanie M. Ruta 1993-94 Margaret H. Schreiber 1994-95 Julia L. Frey 1995-96 Teresa Adamson Herrmann 1996-97 Leslie A. Blau 1997-98 Lisa C. Harris 1998-99 Felecia G. Ziegler 1999-00 Barbara Rudolph Smith 2000-01 Mary Beth Cantrell 2001-02 Rebecca Palmer 2002-03 Kristen M. Jackson 2003-04 Lori Milvain

2004-05 Meenakshi A. Hirani 2005-06 Mary Musette Stewart 2006-07 Kimberly D. Webb 2007-08 Sarah P. L. Reiner 2008-09 Keersten Heskin Martinez 2009-10 Mary Ann Etzler 2010-11 Christine E. Arendas 2011-12 Melanie S. Griffin 2012-13 Angela Miller 2012-13 Jacquelynne J. Regan 2013-14 Barbara Leach 2014-15 Ashley Winship 2015-16 Jessica McGinnis 2016-17 Amanda Perry Carl 2017-18 Kimberly Hosley 2018-19 Arti Ajit Hirani 2019-20 Jamie Billotte Moses 2020-21 Mary Walter 2021-22 Heather Meglino 2022-23 Lauren Millcarek 2023-24 Nequosha Anderson 2024-25 Nicolette Kramer 2025-26 Christina Russo Walters 2026-27 Alison Imber

To learn more about Rebecca L. Palmer and the family law services offered by Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group, visit rlplawgroup.com.