For more than 30 years, Nancy Hutcheson Harris has practiced exclusively in the area of marital and family law. Her firm, Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A., resolves complex family law matters using the collaborative or traditional methodologies. She focuses on protection without destruction, guiding clients through their most difficult challenges, while preserving the client's most important assets - the family and their financial future.
Ms. Harris was chosen by her peers as Tampa's #1 divorce lawyer in Tampa Magazine in 2017 & 2018 and was named Family Law Lawyer of the Year in U.S. News - Best Lawyers®. For more than 15 years, Ms. Harris has been listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, a compilation of select attorneys who have consistently earned an AV-rating, the highest score awarded by Martindale-Hubbell®. Ms. Harris has been recognized as one of Florida's outstanding lawyers in Florida Super Lawyers®, Florida Trend's Legal Elite, Tampa Bay Magazine's Top Lawyers, Legal Leaders' Tampa's Top Rated Lawyers, The National Advocates Top 100 Lawyers, and The Best Lawyers in America. Her firm, Harris, Hunt, & Derr, P.A., has made the list of U.S. News- Best Law Firms® since 2016.
Nancy Harris is a founding member of the Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Professionals, earning recognition for her outstanding contributions to the collaborative movement. She is a frequent lecturer at Continuing Legal Education programs throughout Florida and, in 2016, presented at the 5th European Collaborative Practice Conference in Amsterdam.
Ms. Harris received the Hillsborough County Family Law Professionalism Award, selected by her attorney peers as having exemplified the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in the practice of family law. Ms. Harris authored the chapter on Collaborative Divorce in West Publishing Corporation's Florida Family Law, 2011-2018 ed. (Vol. 23, Florida Practice Series).
Ms. Harris is currently on the Board of the Tampa Theatre; the Morean Arts Center Board of Trustees; formerly served on the Academy Prep Center Board of Trustees and the United Way Board of Trustees; and participates annually in the Lawyers for Literacy program.
For recreation, Ms. Harris enjoys challenging treks. She has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro; completed the Tour of Mont Blanc, France; reached Everest's Base Camp; traversed Coast to Coast England; trekked the GR20 in Corsica; hiked the mountains of Bhutan; and climbed Mount Fuji.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
• Tampa Theatre Board of Directors
• Morean Arts Center Board of Directors
• Tampa Bay Area Committee on Foreign Relations
• Lawyers for Literacy Mentoring Program
• Hospice Women of Philanthropy
Education
- University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina
- Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 1977
- Honors: President, Student Government
- University of South Carolina
Bar Admissions
Honors
- One of Florida's outstanding lawyers in Florida Super Lawyers®
- Florida Trend’s Legal Elite
- Tampa Bay Magazine’s Top Lawyers
- Legal Leaders’ Tampa’s Top Rated Lawyers
- The National Advocates Top 100 Lawyers
- The Best Lawyers in America
- Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, AV rated
- Hillsborough County Family Law Professionalism Award
- Florida Super Lawyers, Top 50: Women Florida Super Lawyers
- 10.0 AVVO rating
- Paul L. Whiting, Sr. Service Award
- Tampa Magazine #1 Divorce Lawyer
- Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers
- Top Lawyers of Tampa – The National Law Journal
- Pimm v. Pimm 601 So.2d 534 (FLA. 1992) (recognized by the AAML as one of Florida’s most important cases)
- Best Lawyers®, Family Law Lawyer of the Year
Classes & Seminars
- Presented, 9th Annual Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Presented, 31st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Presented, 48th Annual Conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- Presented, 2016 Annual Conference of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Presented, 5th European Collaborative Practice Conference in Amsterdam
Pro-Bono Activities
- Academy Prep Center Board of Trustees
- United Way Board of Trustees
- Board of the Tampa Theatre, Present
- Board of the Morean Arts Center Board of Trustees
- Lawyers for Literacy program
Published Works
- Author, Collaborative Divorce in West Publishing Corporation’s Florida Family Law, 2011-2017 ed. (Vol. 23, Florida Practice Series)
Professional Associations
- Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Founding member, past Co-Chair and current Board Member
- Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Past Vice President and Board Member
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Current member
- Florida Bar Family Law Section Executive Committee, Past member and committee chair
- Family Law Rules Committee of the Florida Bar Family Law Section, Current member
- Executive Committee of Hillsborough County’s Marital and Family Law section, Past Chair and current member
- Global Collaborative Law Council, Member
- Canakaris Inns of Court, Member
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Member
- Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers, Member
- Hillsborough County Bar Association, Family Law Section
- Hillsborough County Bar Association, Collaborative Law Section
- Florida Bar Family Law Section, Financial Affidavit Task Force Committee
- St. Pete Bar Association, Family Law Section
- St. Pete Bar Association, Collaborative Law Section
- Stann W. Givens Family Law Inns of Court, Master
- Tampa Bay Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Executive, Membership, Marketing and Romero Committees
- Next Generation Divorce
Current Employment Position
