MAUREEN AVILA

FEATURED IN SARASOTA MAGAZINES - JULY 04' - "PEOPLE TO WATCH"

As a 34-year-old of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage whose office is decorated with Buddha figures, Chicago’s "Cows on Parade" collectibles and a bead curtain rendition of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, Maureen Avila may not seem like the typical Sarasota attorney. But in many ways this feisty family law practitioner (she did so well by one Longboat Key woman during her divorce that the ex-husband’s new wife called Avila when she decided to divorce him) is an example of a new kind of Sarasota professional: young, Hispanic, educated and eager to stir the political stew.

Avila studied law in Delaware and decided early that family law was her avenue of choice. "Dealing with people’s money and children—those are the most important things. It’s rewarding to help people through the most difficult period in their lives."

That belief has driven the spirited Avila to also serve on the United Way’s board of directors, sponsor her nephew’s basketball team and serve as former chair of the Latin Chamber of Commerce and on the steering committee for Focus on Leadership. She’s also campaigning for C.J. Czaia, Democratic candidate for the 13th Congressional District.

Meanwhile, Avila herself is running for the board of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, with intentions to focus more of that organization’s attentions on the smaller local chambers such as Sarasota. She doesn’t expect that will be easy, but, she says, "I’m not shy about a good fight."—By Anu Varma