Ann E. Finnell has been a trial lawyer for over 35 years. She has handled homicide and death penalty cases since 1981 and focuses on complex homicide litigation including death penalty mitigation. In addition, she has tried serious felony cases including second degree murder and manslaughter cases, sexual battery cases, kidnapping, armed robbery, armed burglary and other violent crimes.
Ann E. Finnell is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Florida College of Law. Ms. Finnell has extensively lectured and taught in the areas of criminal trial practice and death penalty practice. She has lectured for the Florida Public Defender Association, Arizona Public Defenders, Wisconsin Public Defenders and Montana Public Defenders. She has taught at the Prosecutor/Public Defender Program in Gainesville, Florida since 1988 and has taught at the Florida Public Defenders College. She also lectured for the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys Annual Conference in Aspen, Colorado.
Ms. Finnell previously served on the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, and on the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee. She was the 2007-08 Chair of the Executive Council of the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar and served on the Bar’s Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee. Ms. Finnell is the 1996 recipient of the Barnard Award, in recognition of outstanding service, from the Florida Public Defender Association. Ms. Finnell was featured in the 2002 Oscar-winning documentary “Murder on a Sunday Morning” along with Patrick T. McGuinness, a shareholder in the firm. The film documented the defense team successfully defending a young man against the false charge of murder.
Ms. Finnell is a Master of the Chester Bedell Inn of Court, a founding member of the Northeast Chapter of the Florida Association of Defense Attorneys, a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the Florida Bar and the Bar of the Middle District of Florida.
Ms. Finnell is a past President of the Jacksonville Women Lawyer’s Association and is a past President of the Jacksonville League of Women Voters. She has also previously served on the local Duke Alumni Advisory Admissions Committee.
