About Dawnmarie Bates-Buchanan

Dawn Marie Bates-Buchanan, was raised in Venice Florida, where her Father was a Police Officer and where she graduated from local Vence High School. Dawn Marie went on get her B.A. in Criminology, Sociology, and Child Psychology from the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1990, then attended Manatee Community College and completed her Certification as a Legal Assistant. Dawn Marie worked for the 12th Judicial District’s State’s Attorney’s Office (in Sarasota County, Florida) for 5 years before enrolling in Stetson University College of Law in 1996. After graduating early in December of 1998, Dawn Marie went back to work for the 12th Judicial District’s State’s Attorney’s office. Dawn Marie moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to work on behalf of domestic violence family law clients for Central Florida Legal Services in 1999 where she worked and became the Managing Attorney of the Daytona Beach Office in charge of the Family Law Unit. In 2006 Dawn Marie moved to Bradenton to become the Managing Attorney at Gulfcoast Legal Services, Inc. in their Bradenton Office, where she specialized in consumer, housing, estate planning, family and dependency law, and bankruptcy. Dawn Marie has been the primary attorney in more than 70 trials. Dawn Marie is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law and Circuit Civil and Foreclosure Mediator, with special training in Mortgage Modification Mediation in Bankruptcy. Dawn Marie is trained as a Collaborative Family Law Attorney.

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Dawn Marie is married to her husband, Eddie, and they have a daughter Darian. They also share their home with their dachshunds and other rescue dogs.