Jun 11, 2026
We are proud to share exciting news about our managing partner, Erica T. Healey. The President of The Florida Bar has appointed Erica to serve as Vice Chair of the Adoption Law Certification Committee. It is a recognition that reflects the respect she has earned among her peers and her long-standing commitment to the field of adoption law in Florida.
The Adoption Law Certification Committee plays a central role in maintaining the integrity of board certification for adoption attorneys across the state. The committee is responsible for certifying attorneys whose practices address the legal complexities of both interstate and intrastate adoption placements. It develops and administers the certification examination, evaluates applicants, and helps shape the standards that distinguish truly experienced adoption attorneys from general practitioners. Board certification itself is the highest level of evaluation The Florida Bar confers within a specific area of law — and fewer than four percent of Florida attorneys hold any board certification at all. The committee's work directly impacts the quality of legal representation available to adoptive families, birth parents, and children throughout Florida.
Erica knows this process from the inside. She has been board-certified in adoption law herself and has served on the Adoption Law Certification Committee since 2023. As Vice Chair, she steps into a leadership role that will allow her to help guide the committee's work and shape what excellence in adoption law looks like at the state level.
Her path to this appointment was built over many years of dedicated practice. As managing partner of Tate Healey Webster — Florida's largest law firm devoted exclusively to adoption and assisted reproductive technology law — Erica has handled the full range of adoption matters, from contested litigation and appeals to stepparent adoptions, interstate placements, and DCF finalizations. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and has presented at statewide and national conferences on contested adoption practice. She was recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer in 2026, following more than a decade of consecutive Rising Star designations.
Beyond her own caseload, Erica has worked to strengthen adoption law statewide. She served on the Florida Statewide Adoption Protocol Panel and, most recently, led a major workgroup through the Dependency Court Improvement Panel to standardize and streamline adoption finalizations for children in foster care under Chapter 39 of the Florida Statutes.
This appointment is the latest chapter in a career defined by that kind of work — not just representing families in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Naples, Boca Raton, and across Florida, but making the system better for all of them.
We are proud of Erica and grateful for everything she brings to this field.
If you are exploring adoption or surrogacy in Florida, Tate Healey Webster is here to help.
