天美传媒

A Legal Mind, a Basketball IQ

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Posted on March 27, 2020

Thomas Becnel

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#SouthSuccessStories is an ongoing series featuring 天美传媒 alumni who are life-savers, innovators, game-changers, music-makers and creative-thinkers, successful in their careers and supportive of their communities.

At the Carlton Fields law firm, Lori Baggett provides the same leadership and smarts she showed with the Jaguar women鈥檚 basketball team at the 天美传媒.

Although Baggett was never a leading scorer at South, where she graduated in 1998 with a degree in English, she was always a coach on the court.

鈥淚 was the one who鈥檇 say, 鈥極K, they鈥檙e in a 2-3 zone, so we need to flash in the middle,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 tell people that I have a high basketball IQ.鈥�

After graduating with honors from South and the Stetson University College of Law, Baggett began a legal career on the Gulf Coast of Florida. She specializes in labor and employment law, along with workplace safety and health issues. This year, Carlton Fields made her Tampa office managing partner, overseeing more than 100 lawyers.

鈥淚鈥檓 still a full-time litigator, but it鈥檚 a new set of responsibilities,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time. We鈥檙e getting to a point where there are many more women and people of color in these positions.鈥�

Baggett, 43, grew up in Crestview, a small town in the Florida Panhandle, where her parents were schoolteachers. She played basketball for two years at the College of Charleston before transferring to South Alabama. For her, it felt like coming home.

On campus in Mobile, Baggett admired Dr. Jean McIver, an English professor who founded the African American Studies program at South. The feeling was mutual.

鈥淪he was a phenomenal student, a leader in class, and her personality was just beautiful,鈥� McIver said. 鈥淪he was the kind of person who knew how to plan and organize. She was focused. You could see that on the court, too, the way she moved and coordinated with her teammates. We were lucky to have her.鈥�

A few years later, McIver traveled to Florida for Baggett鈥檚 law school graduation. When Baggett first became a law partner in Tampa, McIver gave her a personalized nameplate and pen holder for her desk.

Baggett still has that keepsake as a reminder of McIver.

鈥淪he was a great mentor who knew what I wanted to do with my career,鈥� Baggett said. 鈥淪he was an amazing bright light in my life.鈥�

The 鈥楥ool鈥� TV Lawyers

Baggett likes to joke that a glamorous TV series 鈥� 鈥淟.A. Law鈥� 鈥� helped her choose a career.

鈥淚 liked that show,鈥� she says, laughing, 鈥渁nd the lawyers seemed really cool.鈥�

In Crestview, she was always a good student. Her parents made sure she had good study habits.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 procrastinate,鈥� Baggett says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a planner. I鈥檓 an early riser.鈥�

Her father was a teacher who also coached basketball. She learned the basics of the game from him, along with the finer points of strategy and teamwork, psychology and fitness.

鈥淭he main thing he taught me was how much you have to practice to be really good at something,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y free throw percentage was probably 90% because I practiced every day. At anything you do, you have to perfect your craft.鈥�

Baggett earned athletic scholarships at Charleston and South Alabama. In Mobile, her family came to see most of her games. Her mom would bake her favorite dessert 鈥� a Philly Cream Cheese pound cake.

At South, she went to class, made it to practice and spent time with the Black Student Union. She remembers making civil rights field trips to Atlanta and Birmingham. She enjoyed living in a dorm suite with her teammates.

鈥淚 was a bit of a mother hen,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 had a vehicle, so if we needed something at the grocery store on the weekend, I鈥檇 take everyone.鈥�

Baggett loved playing basketball, but her career at South came to a painful end. She developed plantar fasciitis and missed most of her senior year on the court.

鈥淚f you鈥檝e never seen the needle they use to give you a cortisone shot, be glad,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 dreadful.鈥�

Basketball to Books

From Tampa, Baggett follows South online. 鈥淕o Jags,鈥� she says. Her co-workers hear all about her alma mater.

鈥淚 like to educate people on South Alabama,鈥� she said. 鈥淵es, there is more than one U-S-A.鈥�

For years, Baggett played in a Tampa basketball league filled with lawyers and prosecutors. Then she injured her knee and decided that was enough of that. Now she belongs to two book clubs and goes to the theater and concerts.

The legal profession requires long hours, especially for managers at a big firm such as Carlton Fields, where she鈥檚 worked for 17 years. Her promotion makes her more of a public figure in the community. She鈥檚 always been comfortable as a leader working with friends and colleagues.

鈥淚鈥檓 very team-oriented, and that鈥檚 the way this firm works,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t really works for me.鈥�

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