Securities attorney Susan Healy, a founding partner in the investor
advocacy law firm Vernon Healy, was named the Collier County Women’s Bar Association’s 2011 Woman Lawyer of the Year for her career representing investors harmed by Wall Street misdeeds and for her efforts to advance the position of women in general as well as in the legal profession.
The Woman Lawyer of the Year is awarded annually by the CCWBA to an attorney who has excelled in her career, overcome traditional stereotypes associated with women, promoted the status of women within the profession and promoted the status of women in the State of Florida.
Healy thanked the members of the CCWBA for welcoming her into the southwest Florida legal community and for encouraging her to accept leadership positions with the CCWBA and the Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL).
Quoting her partner, Chris Vernon, she explained, “The Women’s Bar is the new ‘old boy’s’ network.”
Healy regularly assists Baby Boomer and Greatest Generation women in standing up to Wall Street for selling rogue investments and failing to supervise unscrupulous financial advisors.
“I hate to see anyone lose their nest egg, but women who have struggled to achieve the American dream only to have it taken away by someone else’s misconduct hold a special place for me,” Healy said.
In recent years, her noteworthy cases include more than $10 million in civil securities fraud arbitration claims brought on behalf of investors who bought Lehman notes. The notes were marketed as 100 percent principal protected, but retirees and others who bought them believing they were safe lost virtually all of their investment when Lehman filed bankruptcy in 2008. For her work, she has been named by her peers as one of The Best Lawyers in American in the area of securities law.
In addition, Healy brought a fraud and mismanagement civil action on behalf of land trust beneficiaries and represents victims of unlawful tax shelter schemes.
Healy was elected and currently serves as the president of FAWL, a statewide organization comprised of 29 local chapters. As president, Healy serves as the FAWL representative on The Florida Bar Board of Governors. She also serves on the Florida Bar’s Special Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and on the Chief Justice’s Advisory Committee for the 2012 Tobias Simon Pro Bono Awards. She currently sits as a member of the Finance Committee of the Education Foundation of Collier County, having previously served as treasurer and vice chair of that organization.
The Vernon Healy law firm, based in Naples, Florida, focuses its practice on complex financial disputes and securities fraud litigation and arbitration.
