Rachel Stevens

Rachel Stevens is a managing partner at Stevens & LaMaida PLLC, located in Dade City, Florida. Rachel has been practicing law for 10 years and in that time, she has dedicated her practice to all areas of criminal law. Rachel believes representation is more than what a lawyer learns in law school, it’s about learning your client’s story and how they ended up in this situation. Getting to know a client on such a personal level allows her to use that information, that story, that personal touch, to be a strong, and at times, very loud advocate. Rachel’s philosophy is that most people who are charged with crimes are not bad people, but in bad situations, in the wrong place at the wrong time, or associating with the wrong person. Learning a client’s story allows Rachel to incorporate that knowledge into a defense and strategy for negotiating with the State or presenting the case to a jury.

Rachel was raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she attended local public schools including St. Petersburg College where she received a pre-law degree Batcholers of Science - in Paralegal Studies. When deciding what law school to apply to Rachel decided she wanted to stay in St. Petersburg and only applied to one law school, Stetson. A risky move that paid off when she was offered a seat for the 2009 academic year. In 2012, Rachel received her Juris Doctor (JD) from Stetson University College of Law and passed the bar the same year. Not long after passing the bar, Rachel moved to Pasco County to take a position at the Dade City office of the Public Defender. While working in Dade City, she fell in love with the small town and its surrounding communities. Since this time, Rachel has become a resident of central Pasco County and engaged member of the community. When not working, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children on their property surrounded by nature.