Jo Ann Palchak

About Jo Ann

Jo Ann Palchak is an attorney at Sass Law Firm with a unique and wide-ranging background that bridges the public and private sectors. Her legal career includes significant trial and appellate work, white collar litigation, and internal investigations, informed by her early experience as a software engineer and corporate professional.

Before joining Sass Law Firm, Ms. Palchak was the founder of Jo Ann Palchak, P.A., and previously practiced at the prominent white collar firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Darryl C. Casanueva of Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal, gaining invaluable insight into judicial decision-making and appellate strategy.

Ms. Palchak began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Hillsborough County, Florida. There, she first-chaired numerous jury trials involving serious criminal charges and was frequently relied upon to support colleagues with complex motion practice and appellate issues. She also took an active role in enhancing the office’s forms and research resources, particularly in the area of suppression motions.

In the private sector, Ms. Palchak brings prior experience as a principal software engineer in Oracle Corporation’s bug diagnostic and escalation division. She has also worked in Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s power generation business unit (now Siemens) and at a technology startup—giving her a deep understanding of internal operations, systems architecture, and data analysis. This technical background enhances her legal practice, especially in internal investigations and matters involving digital evidence.

Ms. Palchak earned her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law, where she was recognized with the Dean’s Award and named Student of the Year. She also received honors for her substantial pro bono service. While in law school, she published scholarship on gender crime jurisprudence, donating her research to the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia.

Ms. Palchak combines rigorous litigation experience with analytical precision, offering clients a powerful advocate in employment law disputes, workplace investigations, and cases involving complex factual or technical issues.

For a full list of Jo Ann’s awards, publications, speaking engagements, associations and committees, check out the below categories or her Resume CV.