M. Kemmerly Thomas

M. Kemmerly Thomas was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal on June 2, 2016, by Governor Rick Scott and took office on June 20, 2016.

Prior to her appointment to the First District Court of Appeal, Judge Thomas was in private practice in Tallahassee, Florida, as well as Thomasville and Savannah, Georgia from 1991 to 2016. She practiced in the areas of workers’ compensation defense, employment issues, lien resolution and carrier audit litigation. Judge Thomas is board certified in workers’ compensation. While in private practice, Judge Thomas was an annual speaker on workers’ compensation issues at the Florida Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference and the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Educational Conference. She also authored brochures and guides to employers on workers’ compensation issues, annually authored the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Reference Manual and published articles in legal publications on hot topics in industry.

Judge Thomas received a B.A., from Louisiana State University, Northeast Louisiana University in 1988, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi, College of Law in 1991. While at the University of Mississippi, Judge Thomas served as President of the Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity.

Judge Thomas was a former court appointed member of the Second Judicial Circuit Professionalism and Ethics Committee, a member of the State of Florida, Workers’ Compensation Section, a member of the State of Georgia, Workers’ Compensation Section. She is also a certified wildlife, conservation and land management expert. In 2017, Judge Thomas was inducted into the Florida Workers' Compensation Institute Hall of Fame.