Biographies
Ross Marshman
Ross is a 3L at the Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee. From May 2011 to July 2011, he had the opportunity to work as a certified legal intern with several Assistant Public Defenders assigned to County Court, and was given a relatively small caseload of his own to manage. During that time, he amassed an invaluable amount of hands-on experience and training, including trial experience.
In August 2011, he was given the opportunity to work for the Second Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office. He currently handles the County Court mental health caseload. His clients are some of the most unique and oftentimes vulnerable members of the local community. Ross is proud to represent such a diverse group of individuals. He is excited to have the continued opportunity to serve with experienced attorneys and to gain even more insights into our criminal justice system.
Ross completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida in the Honors Program. Aside from being a full time law student, Ross is the current Vice President of the Mock Trial Team and an active member of the Student Bar Association. He avidly follows national and world affairs and plans to travel to as many other countries as he can. Since he also likes to spend time outdoors, he is certified by the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Wilderness Medical Institute in Wilderness First Aid.
Alan Beard
Allen attended law school at the Seattle University School of Law in Seattle, Washington. While attending law school, he was a police officer by day, law student by night. By the end the three and half year-long evening law program, he had completed nearly 18 years of service as a law enforcement officer in Washington State. He also completed his bachelor's degree in anthropology at Pacific Lutheran University while working full time as a police officer.
The lure of cave diving prompted his move shortly after law school graduation in December 2009 to the North Central Florida town of High Springs. Allen has been scuba diving since a teenager and for the past several years has been traveling to North Central Florida and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to cave dive. He is excited for the opportunity to serve as an attorney with the Second Judicial Circuit Public Defender. It is an exciting and challenging career, and Tallahassee offers as much, if not more, cave diving opportunities as the area around High Springs, making it the perfect location to live and work.
In addition to serving as a police officer, Allen also served three years in the US Army and once lived in Costa Rica, Central America, for 15 months where he taught English to third through sixth grade at Liceo Franco Costarricense, a French elementary school.
His interests, other than cave diving, include motorcycling, hiking, kayaking, biking, traveling and photography. Some of his travel highlights include: Israel, Jordan, Russia, the Central American countries, Colombia, and Cuba.
Allen has a 21 year-old son, Jared, who is an avionics electrician in US Navy and stationed at the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California.