Founder

Joseline Jean-Louis Hardrick is a child of Haitian immigrants who came to this country fleeing a dictatorship and seeking opportunities for their children. She learned English as her second language. She grew up poor, sometimes without more than one meal daily. She shared one set of clothes with her two sisters and relied heavily on subsidized meals and transportation at school. She also attended public educational institutions from kindergarten through high school. She later attended a private university in New York City on a scholarship. She saw the stark differences between her life growing up and those with access to wealth, power, and influence.

As she continued her education and grew her career through pipeline programs, she nderstood the importance of the additional training needed for people like herself to succeed in these competitive environments. Journey to Esquire® is the manifestation of the lessons she learned through her life experience. As an outsider to the Tampa Bay area, she is uniquely qualified to understand how to navigate the legal industry here as she has built a strong network of attorneys of all backgrounds, judges, and other stakeholders. She worked at a big law firm for almost four years in litigation and completed five years of clerking at the federal level. Her goal is to show students the path toward excellence, self-sufficiency, and courage despite the statistics indicating that they may not otherwise succeed. She deeply understands that although she has no control over the industry, she can control herself and her actions, a lesson she hopes to instill in Journey to Esquire® scholars. Ms. Hardrick received The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division 2019 Diversity Award for her work with Journey to Esquire®.

President

Brielle B. Bell is an Associate at Bush Ross, P.A. practicing Bankruptcy and Commercial Litigation. Brielle represents debtors, creditors, and trustees in Chapter 11 and 13 reorganizations and Chapter 7 liquidations. She also represents parties in all aspects of litigation in federal and state courts. Before joining the Board, Brielle was one of the inaugural scholars in the Diversity Access Pipeline program. Brielle graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law and competed on the Moot Court Board and Stetson Trial Team. While at Stetson, Brielle interned with the Honorable Charlene E. Honeywell in the Middle District of Florida and, in 2018, Ms. JD Fellow. She has clerked with the Honorable Roberta A. Colton in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida. She was in the program inaugural class.

Vice President

Kim Lopater is an associate in the Litigation Department of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, working on insurance brokerage and insurance intermediary matters. Kim has previously represented insurance companies and their insureds in various areas at both the trial and appellate levels. Kim gained additional experience with mortgage foreclosure and bankruptcy matters as a judicial intern with the Sixth Judicial Circuit in St. Petersburg and the United States Bankruptcy Court in Tampa. Later, she developed her skills in handling veterans’ appeals to the Department of Veterans Affairs for disability benefits through Stetson Law’s Veterans Law Institute.

Director

Sarah Lahlou-Amine is a Board Certified Attorney in Appellate Practice who practices in all state and federal appellate litigation areas. In addition to handling all types of appeals and original proceedings, Sarah is frequently retained for the strategic focus she brings to trial court litigation, helping clients and trial lawyers create records suited to both protect favorable rulings and document grounds for reversal in the event of an adverse outcome. Sarah served as Chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar and has been consecutively recognized in the Florida Super Lawyers magazine since 2010. She has garnered an AVⓇ Preeminent distinction, the highest available mark for professional excellence from Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Ratings. She has been repeatedly recognized for her dedication to pro bono service.

Director

Vanessa Ferguson is the Managing Director and an Attorney at Ferguson Legal, PLLC. Ms. Ferguson was born near Orlando, Florida, and is a Florida native. Ms. Ferguson obtained her Associate’s degree and her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology, with a concentration in Legal Studies, from the University of South Florida St Petersburg. Ms. Ferguson attended the University of Dayton School of Law and graduated in two and a half years with a certification for her Intellectual Property concentration. Before starting Ferguson Legal, PLLC, Ms. Ferguson worked at a national employment law firm. In February 2019, Ms. Ferguson became a Certified Information Privacy Technologist, a certification that demonstrates her understanding of privacy and data protection practices in the development, engineering, deployment, and auditing of IT products and services.

Director

Abigail Dean began her legal career as a prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County, where she spent a year and a half passionately advocating for justice. Her time as a prosecutor provided invaluable insights and sharpened her skills in investigation, negotiation, and trial litigation.

A proud alumna of Stetson University College of Law, Abigail not only earned her Juris Doctor but also distinguished herself by competing on the Dispute Resolution Board. During her time at Stetson, she served as the vice president of the Black Law Student Association and actively participated in organizations such as the Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Christian Legal Society.

Driven by a desire for something new, Abigail made the decision to move to Sarasota, bringing her legal expertise and passion for community service to this vibrant area.

Currently, Abigail practices in the area of civil law, specializing in a range of legal matters including personal injury and wrongful death claims. Her dedication to these practice areas reflects a commitment to providing effective and personalized representation for clients facing diverse legal challenges.

Committed to making a positive impact beyond the courtroom, Abigail is an active member of the Sarasota Bar Association and the George Edgecomb Bar Association. She believes in giving back to the Sarasota and Bradenton community by providing food to those less fortunate on the weekends. In addition to this, she is involved in organizations such as Journey to Esquire and Prodigal Daughters.

Director

Assita Toure has been practicing since 2019 with prior experience handling casualty, product liability, premises liability, trucking litigation cases and criminal matters. Assita began her career as an Assistant Public Defender for the 13th Circuit Office of the Public Defender's office where she represented adults and juveniles accused of committing misdemeanor and felony offenses. After leaving the Public Defender's office, Assita transitioned to a regional insurance defense firm in Tampa, Florida where she represented corporations and small businesses in claims arising from a variety of trucking accidents including wrongful death actions, vehicle/ pedestrian and multiple vehicle collisions. She also represented businesses against premises liability, auto negligence, product liability and various tort claims.

Assita received her B.A. in Political Science (cum laude) from the University of South Florida in 2016 and her J. D. with a dual concentration in Social Justice Advocacy from Stetson College of Law in 2019. While in law school, she served as the President of the Black Law Student Association, was a Diversity Access Pipeline Scholar, an extern for the Honorable Keith Meyer of the 6th Judicial Circuit, Clearwater and as an intern for the Honorable Robert G. Fegers of the 10th Judicial Circuit, Bartow.

Assita is involved in several civic and professional organizations and served on the executive board of the Fred G. Minnis Bar Association from 2019 to 2023.

Director

Elpinikki “Nikki” Roussos recently joined the practice of law in 2023. Nikki's law school experience was nothing short of dynamic. She played a pivotal role as the parliamentarian for the Student Bar Association for three years, honed her legal skills as a member of the Mock Trial Board, and showcased her litigation prowess in competitions, including the prestigious National Chester Bedell Mock Trial Competition. Nikki has applied her wealth of knowledge and experience in her role as an Assistant State Attorney in the Juvenile sector of Hillsborough County. Her journey from the Bahamas to the courtroom of the 13th Judicial Circuit is a testament to the dedication, resilience, and passion required to navigate the path to becoming an Esquire.