Mackenzie Allan, an associate in the Tampa office, helps employers resolve workplace disputes efficiently. She defends employers against discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, and wage and hour claims, including claims under Title VII, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Florida Civil Rights Act. She handles these matters in Florida state and federal courts and before administrative agencies such as the EEOC. She also advises employers on compliance obligations and litigation risk before a dispute arises.
Mackenzie has seen litigation from several vantage points: as a prosecutor, as a defense attorney, and as a federal judicial law clerk. Most recently, she served as law clerk to Senior United States District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger of the Middle District of Florida. In that role, she researched complex legal issues and drafted orders resolving a wide range of procedural and substantive motions in civil and criminal cases. She brings that experience to the briefs and motions she prepares for clients, with a focus on clear, well-supported writing.
Before her clerkship, Mackenzie was an associate in the employment litigation practice of a national management-side labor and employment firm. She drafted position statements, dispositive motions, and mediation briefs. She also ran fact investigations and advised employers on compliance obligations and litigation risk. In a race and gender discrimination action in federal court, she secured complete summary judgment for an employer.
Mackenzie began her career as an Assistant State Attorney, where she prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to first degree felonies. She first-chaired five jury trials, second-chaired seven, and argued dozens of substantive motions. She later litigated premises liability, automobile, and construction matters in state and federal court as a civil defense associate. Her trial experience informs how she assesses and prepares cases.
Mackenzie earned her J.D. from Washington University School of Law on a merit-based full-tuition scholarship. At WashU, she served as an Executive Notes Editor for the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy. She was also inducted into the Order of the Barristers and received the Judge John W. Calhoun Trial Practice Award for outstanding trial advocacy as well as the Dean’s Service Award for excellence in leadership and service. Additionally, she competed on the admiralty moot court and trial teams, where she earned the “Best Closing Argument” award in the 2020 Buffalo Niagara National Trial Competition. She earned her B.A., cum laude, from California Polytechnic State University.
Outside the office, she enjoys running, Orangetheory, gardening, baking, and DIY projects.
