Attorney Cortney Young is the Assistant General Counsel to the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association. She works directly for our General Counsel on legal defense, litigation, and contract matters. Ms. Young earned her law degree from the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport while she worked full time as a law enforcement officer. Ms. Young graduated law school magna cum laude and placed in the top 3% of her class. She was a member of the Stetson Law Review.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Young worked for approximately ten years as a law enforcement officer. Ms. Young served in both the patrol and the school resource divisions, where she worked on investigations, proactive policing initiatives, and community engagement. Her service was recognized with several awards and certifications including a life-saving award, a triumphant bar, as the deputy sheriff of the month, and with a crisis intervention team certification.
During law school, in addition to her studies, Ms. Young interned with the General Counsel’s Office to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. This experience deepened her understanding of and passion for the complex legal work (both labor and management) essential to the operations of a successful law enforcement agency. Before joining Sun Coast PBA’s General Counsel’s office, Ms. Young worked as a civil litigator primarily focused on first party property and premises liability defense. Ms. Young earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Ms. Young brings an exceptional blend of grit, lived experience, and high achieving educational accomplishment to our Union members. She is deeply proud to use her legal skills to protect and defend our law enforcement community and their families.