Greenlee brings solo practice perspective to Florida Bar Leadership

Described by a colleague as a determined and independent leader “who can cut through the noise,” veteran Tampa civil litigator Paige A. Greenlee was sworn in June 19 as Florida Bar president-elect.

“Paige is funny, fearless, direct, and pragmatic,” said Sarasota lawyer Christine Davis, a friend of 20 years. “She has a rare ability to be candid without being cruel, confident without being arrogant, and practical without losing sight of the goal.”

Davis delivered the tribute to an Orlando ballroom packed with Supreme Court justices, judges, and lawyers who gathered for the 2026 Florida Bar Convention.

Greenlee will succeed newly sworn Florida Bar President Michael Fox Orr, a Jacksonville trial lawyer, when his term concludes in June 2027.

An eight-year veteran of The Florida Bar Board of Governors, Greenlee grew up in a “one-redlight town” in rural Pennsylvania before going on to the Ivy League and earning an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, something few friends know, Davis said.

Greenlee’s late father carried on the family’s mortuary business that an ancestor founded in 1930, Davis noted.

“Paige really did grow up in a funeral home,” Davis quipped. “So, when we were all asking our parents to borrow the car, Paige was asking to borrow the one that carried the dead bodies.”

Greenlee moved to Southwest Florida to chart a different path, Davis said.

“Those details explain her perspective and deep sense of service that is so much a part of who she is.”

Davis and Greenlee met and became fast friends decades ago when they were elected to the Board of Governors of the Young Lawyers Division.

“Since then, I’ve had the privilege of watching Paige build a remarkable career, as she became a partner at several well- respected, large and mid-sized law firms,” Davis said. A dozen years ago, Greenlee founded Greenlee Law, PLLC.

“And that part of Paige’s story is what truly sets her apart,” Davis said.

Greenlee didn’t let the challenges of launching a solo practice interrupt her professional service, Davis said.

In addition to her service on The Florida Bar Board of Governors, Greenlee also volunteered for “countless” voluntary bar associations, including serving a term as Hillsborough County Bar Association president.

Greenlee ran a “tough” campaign for Florida Bar president-elect, traveling the state to meet with members, while maintaining her practice, Davis said.

“She did it while representing her clients, running her business, making calls, managing deadlines, and carrying all of the responsibilities that solo lawyers know only so well,” she said. “She may not have slept, but she did it.”

Greenlee “believes in the profession and has a passion for the law,” Davis said. “That is why she will be an excellent president-elect, and ultimately, president.”