Snedaker Law
by Jeannine Gage
In Central Florida, it’s a common sight to see the face of a local personal-injury attorney on a bus bench or billboard. For many, advertising is key to keeping their business thriving.
What is uncommon, however, is the face of one local firm. That face is Shannon Snedaker, one of the few female personal-injury attorneys in Central Florida who take the lead to represent their practice.
“It’s really all men in suits,” she says, “so I’m happy to put myself out there.”
Shannon and her brother-in-law Tim Snedaker opened Snedaker Law in Lake Mary five years ago.
While Shannon does more traditional personal-injury work – representing those who have been injured in an accident, mostly – Tim practices personal-injury protection, which means representing doctors and other healthcare providers who have trouble getting paid by insurance companies. At Snedaker Law, clients don’t pay anything unless they win their case.
Shannon says letting the community know that Snedaker Law is co-led by a woman both loses and gains them clients.
“Many women will want someone who understands them to represent them,” she says. “Women, no matter if we are stay-at-home moms or professionals, all go through the same things: being pulled in so many different directions, and being responsible for so many.”
Some, however, fall into traditional stereotypes and want a male attorney.
“I’ve been underestimated my whole career,” says Shannon. “My dad used to always say, ‘Let them underestimate you. They’ll see in the end who you really are.’”
Putting the Personal Back in Personal Injury
Shannon says both she and Tim bring compassion to their profession, which is sometimes lacking.
“For many, it’s just a money grab,” she says. “Of course, we want our clients who have been wronged to be compensated appropriately, but we are also interested in eliciting changes where there has been negligence.”
The firm has been in the news of late because of one case in particular. Snedaker Law is representing a woman whose daughter died of a drug overdose at an Altamonte Springs hotel two years ago. Four other people died there the same year, and the lawsuit contends the hotel created an environment that encouraged, enabled, and promoted criminal activity.
“We want our client to receive the compensation she deserves,” says Shannon. “But she also wants to make sure what happened to her daughter doesn’t happen to someone else. And we do, too.”