Practice areas: Real Estate
Licensed in Florida since: 2018
Education: The Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Selected to Rising Stars: 2021 - 2026 
Free Consultation Lake Law Firm
475 Central AveSuite 402
Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: 727-592-1812 Email: Sheila M. Lake Visit website
Details 
At Lake Law Firm, Sheila Lake presents clients in the state of Florida. Her practice focuses on legal issues related to real estate, business formation, civil litigation, property law, title closings and community associations. Early in her career, she served victims of violence as they sought legal help as a Vancouver, Washington, legal advocate before spending 15 years as a firm administrator in Florida.
Ms. Lake graduated from Eckerd College with a Bachelor in American Studies with a focus in Political Science before attending law school. With a concentration in Constitutional Law, she graduated from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School with a Juris Doctor. She is currently an adjunct professor at her former law school and serves within her community as a business owner and employer.
During her career, she has represented individuals, real estate developers and community associations in both commercial and residential closings. Admitted to practice in the state of Florida, she is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
In 2017, Ms. Lake was given a certificate of merit in wills, estates and trusts, and received many honors and distinctions during her time as a student and her early career as a lawyer. The Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law Journal gave her the Andaloro Award, and she was included in the Who’s Who among students in American Universities and Colleges in 2015.
First Admitted: 2018, Florida
Professional Webpage: http://www.lakelawfirmpa.com/about.shtml
Bar / Professional Activity
- Middle District of Florida, 2018
- Florida Bar, 2018
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- I successfully appealed an Attorney Fee Award of over $50,000.00 in a partition action to the 2nd DCA, where one owner died during the pendency of the action and the court allowed the attorney to continue the action without a substitution of the party and after the death caused the action to become moot due to the parties holding title as joint tenants with the right to survivorship., 2024
- I represented a property owner in a Declaratory action brought by a city municipality regarding the validity of its short-term rental ordinance. The client successfully obtained a judgment in its favor declaring the ordinance invalid. , 2023
- I successfully defended an appeal to the 2nd DCA regarding a third-party purchaser at a foreclosure sale's motion to set aside the sale and refund his deposit when he failed to pay the remaining amount of his balance. The deposit satisfied my client's judgment, and my client was made whole. , 2023
- I successfully completed two appeals to the 2DCA in an easement action. The issues were the improper bifurcation of the legal and equitable claims and an improperly entered injunction against my client. , 2023
- I represented approximately 535 residents in opposition to a proposed land use/rezoning development in one of our southern counties that would have created a mixed-use development, with condominium towers of approximately 170 feet with amenities and no public access, reducing the only commercial zoning in the area to 5 acres. After more than 13 hours the Planning Commission voted against the development. , 2022
- I successfully negotiated the Sale and Purchase of 20 acres of real property for over $8,000,000.000, 2022
- I was able to obtain a settlement for a failure to disclose in a real estate deal that fully satisfied my client’s damages. , 2021
- I represented the borrower in a foreclosure action, he had a mortgage modification but when the loan was transferred to the Plaintiff over two years later they refused to honor the modification. The case took over four years and went to trial. The signed modification agreement (countersigned by the bank) was never sent to my client and the Plaintiff argued Statute of Frauds. The Court found for my client and issued an Order Dismissing the Case and finding that there was a valid modification. The Court also awarded my client with his reasonable attorney fees., 2020
- I represented a Homeowner's Association in a quiet title action, where the original developer mistakenly deeded the Association's property to the master association. Both association's governing documents forbid the transfer of the property from the master association to the sub-association. The title company required a declaratory judgment stating that the sub Association was the intended grantee and is and always was the legal and equitable owner of the property., 2019
- I represented a law firm in a FDCPA. I was able to settle this case in a short period of time for attorney fees only, saving my client thousands of dollars in litigation fees and statutory damages., 2019
- I represented the commercial property owner in an ADA action. I was able to settle this case within a short period of time, saving my client thousands of dollars in the process., 2018
- I represented an employer in an employment discrimination action, where the Plaintiff alleged the employer failed to hire due to her religious beliefs. Under the statute the employer did not meet the definition of an employer, after a hard fought final hearing the action was dismissed with prejudice., 2018
Representative Clients
- Tierra Shores Homeowners Association - I am the general counsel and handle all general association matters., 2023
- Country Haven Estates Property Owners Association - I am the general counsel and handle all general association matters, as well as all collections for delinquent assessments., 2024
Transactions
- I’ve successfully raised the number of closings my firm is handling to more than triple my first year opened. , 2021
Pro bono / Community Service
- I represented a tenant in a lien foreclosure action who believed he had purchased the property from the title owner, in reality he purchased the property from a person who appeared to have scammed the record title owner 50 years ago. The person had passed away, without ever knowing she was the record owner of this property - she had signed a rental agreement 50 years ago and the suspect used that agreement to get a mortgage and transfer title. Unfortunately, the tenant had no standing in the lien foreclosure action. I helped the client open a criminal action which is still ongoing at this time. , 2022
- WMU Cooley chapter of Help Save the Next Girl, Director of Professional Public Relations
- Alumni Mentoring Program, Founder
- Alumni Outreach Program with the WMU Cooley Law School Alumni Association, Committee Chair
- WMU Straight and Gay Alliance, Vice President, 2017
- I represented a recent law school graduate whose landlord attempted to keep a $4,700 deposit for "cleaning", 2020
- I Support Youth, Board Member and a Mentor
- I represent an individual borrower in a mortgage foreclosure case, where the bank accepted the trial payments for a modification and monies from Florida's Hardest Hit Program and then refused to accept my client's payments stating that they never received "an acceptable signed modification agreement," because my client sent in the agreement in an envelope other than the one the bank provided., 2018
- I represented a young woman who lost her father unexpectedly and the only asset was his home. I was able to get the home declared as homestead and the property passed to her by operation of law., 2018
- I represented a veteran who was being evicted due to nonpayment. Plaintiff amended complaint for a cause not covered under COVID protections. I negotiated a 30 day move out in exchange for dismissing the case with prejudice. , 2021
Educational Background
- Eckerd College, Bachelors in American Studies with a concentration in Political Science , 2015
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- In light of the recent upsurge in the social acceptance of nontraditional gender roles, which encouraged the court to hear Obergefell v. Hodges, other members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI) community, are being left out of the equality that Obergefell implies. Particularly the transgender community, who are now the subject of attack from less progressive members of our society and who still have to endure discrimination based on their gender preference, are left without the protections required in regard to their everyday life. This article argues that gender self-identification should be a fundamental right., Author, THE RIGHT TO GENDER SELF-IDENTIFICATION - POST OBERGEFELL, Western Michigan University Cooley Journal of Practical and Clinical Law, 2018
Honors
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, Super lawyers, 2025
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, Super lawyers, 2024
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2023
- Best of Florida Regional Winner, Guide to Florida, 2023
- Best of Florida Regional Winner, Guide to Florida, 2022
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2022
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2021
- Honor Roll WMU Cooley, 2016 - 2017
- Pro Bono Pledge Completion Certificate
- Andaloro Award, WMU Cooley Law Journal
- Certificate of Merit – Wills, Estates & Trusts, Fall 2017
- WMU Alumni Distinguished Student Award
- WMU Leadership Achievement Award
- Phi Delta Phi International Graduate of the Year (2017) Nominee
- WMU Dux Honoree, 2015 - 2016
- Dean’s List WMU Cooley, 2016 - 2017
- Certificate of Merit – Research & Writing, Spring 2016
- Excellence in American Studies
- Honor Role WMU Cooley, Fall 2015
- Dean’s List WMU Cooley, Fall 2015
- Clifford F. Griggs Award
- Excellence in the Field of American Studies
- Dean’s List, 2013 - 2015
- The Irving G. Foster Award
- Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and College, 2015
- PEL Honor’s Program
- Dean’s List, 2001 - 2002
Industry Groups
- Civil Litigation involving Real Property
- Community Associations
- Real Estate Development
- Residential and Commercial Closings
Office location for Sheila M. Lake
475 Central Ave
Suite 402
Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
Selections
6 Years Rising Stars
- Rising Stars: 2021 - 2026