Elisabeth Whitmire is a Florida attorney, founder, and the driving force behind Post Conviction Project, Inc. To PCP's knowledge, she leads the only organization in the state approved by the Florida Supreme Court as a criminal defense legal aid organization dedicated exclusively to criminal appeals and post-conviction relief.
She wears two hats simultaneously, and wears both well. As CEO, she guides PCP's strategic direction, organizational growth, and dual-pillar mission of legal advocacy and reentry support. As Director of Legal Services, she is in the trenches: actively litigating cases, supervising attorneys, and personally fighting for clients who have been failed by the system.
Elisabeth's legal career spans more than a decade and covers ground that few attorneys in this field can claim. She completed her Juris Doctorate in two and a half years, six months ahead of the standard program, graduating with a specialization in Legal Research, Writing, and Drafting. That certification required additional coursework beyond the standard degree, and the investment shows. In post-conviction and appellate work, the written argument is often the only argument that matters.
She began her legal career with a judicial clerkship at Florida's First District Court of Appeal, an experience that gave her an inside view of how appellate courts evaluate arguments, identify weaknesses, and decide outcomes. From there, she spent years as an Assistant Public Defender, participating in over 100 jury trials, before moving into civil litigation and independent practice. During her time in private practice, her pro bono efforts were recognized by the Florida Supreme Court, a distinction that reflects both her commitment to access to justice and the caliber of work she brings to cases regardless of compensation. She holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell — the highest peer review rating available — as well as Gold Client Champion status, recognizing excellence in both legal ability and client service. In 2022 and 2023, she was named by Sarasota Magazine as one of their Elite Top Attorneys in appellate practice, a distinction she earned in back-to-back years. In 2025, she was named an honored listee in Marquis Who's Who.
The Florida Supreme Court's approval of PCP as a legal aid organization is not a rubber stamp. To earn it, Elisabeth had to demonstrate the depth of experience and professional standing required to mentor and directly supervise law students practicing under the Clinical Legal Education program. Students at PCP are not just observing. They are practicing law under her supervision. That approval is a reflection of her credentials, her record, and the standard she holds herself to.
That standard extends to how she thinks about this work. Elisabeth believes that justice is not just about innocence. It is about the integrity of the process for everyone. If rules were broken or corners were cut in one person's case, the same can happen to anyone, including someone who is entirely innocent. Ensuring that the system follows its own rules is not a technicality. It is the foundation of a system worth trusting. PCP represents people at every stage of that fight: not just the exonerated, but the overlooked, the over-sentenced, and the ones the system would rather forget. Some sentences are not just harsh. They are simply disproportionate to any reasonable measure of justice.
Post-conviction law is one of the most complex and least-resourced areas of the legal system. It is also one of the most consequential. Elisabeth built PCP because she believes that a wrongful conviction, an unjust sentence, or a missed legal argument should never be the last word, and that the people most harmed by those failures deserve skilled, relentless, compassionate representation regardless of their ability to pay.
That belief is not just a mission statement. It is how she shows up every day.
