Your Lawyers -

Dawn Marie Bates-Buchanan

 

 

Dawn Marie Bates-Buchanan, was raised in Venice Florida, where her Father was a Police Officer and where she graduated from local Vence High School in 1986. Dawn Marie got her B.A. in Criminology, Sociology and Child Psychology from the University of South Florida. Dawn Marie worked for the 12th Judicial District's State's Attorney's Office (in Sarasota County, Florida) for 5 years as a Legal Assistant, before enrolling in Stetson University College of Law in 1996. Graduating early in December of 1998, Dawn Marie went back to work for the 12th Judicial District's State's Attorney's office. Dawn Marie moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to work on behalf of domestic violence family law clients for Central Florida Legal Services in 1999 where she worked and became the Managing Attorney of the Daytona Beach Office in charge of the Family Law Unit. In 2006 Dawn Marie moved to Bradenton to become the Managing Attorney at Gulfcoast Legal Services, Inc. in their Bradenton Office, where she specialized in consumer, housing, estate planning, family and dependency law and bankruptcy. Dawn Marie and her law partner Susannah opened their firm in February of 2011, then Dawn Marie moved back to Venice in 2012, with her Husband and dogs and opened an office in Venice where she continues to live with her Husband, her daughter Darian and their six dogs.

 

Dawn Marie has been the primary attorney in more than 90 trials from family, to civil and criminal. Dawn Marie is trained as a Collaborative Family Law Attorney. 

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Professional Associations & Memberships

• Admitted to the Florida Bar, September 1999

• Collaborative Training Completed 2015

• IACP (International Academy of Collaborative Professionals) member since 2015

• Manatee County Bar Association 

• Sarasota County Bar Association (Board Director for South County - 2020-2021)

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Named Top SRQ Elite Attorney in 2020 and 2021.

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Susannah Coakley Savitsky

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Susannah was born in Salem, Mass. and grew up in Mystic, Connecticut. Susannah graduated from University of Connecticut and worked as a Realtor and Non-Profit Event Coordinator, then in 2005 she moved to Florida to attend Stetson University School of Law. Susannah graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 2008 and was admitted to the Florida Bar in March 2009. Susannah was a contract employee to various law firms, working primarily in the fields of foreclosure defense and insurance law before joining the Bates-Buchanan Law Group, P.A.  Having been a Realtor before going into law, Susannah has special insights on foreclosure law. Susannah has been instrumental in helping hundreds of people save their homes or make financially sounds decisions about short-sales and deed-in-lieu of foreclosures. Susannah also has experience in contract and collection law. . Susannah is a licensed realtor in Florida. Susannah has her license current to sell real property. Susannah also has her broker's license.

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Susannah has a son, Logan, and a daughter, Serena and two dogs. Susannah is very active in our community, having volunteer at Gulfcoast Legal Services to help people defend their homes from foreclosure; Susannah has served as a board member of Manatee Area Chapter of Florida Association of Woman Lawyers; .