Focused on protecting business growth and representing injured people

Jo-Anne Yau is focused on protecting growing businesses and representing injured people. Ms. Yau has represented businesses across the United States, and inventors, artists, and musicians from around the world.  To best represent her clients who are athletes, Ms. Yau is a licensed Sports Agent.  Her experience also includes litigation of various legal disputes in Florida, including personal injury claims resulting from car accidents and slip & falls, and criminal defense of misdemeanor and felony charges.

After graduation from Florida Coastal School of Law, Ms. Yau joined a prestigious law firm in the heart of downtown Jacksonville. There, she was mentored in the areas of Personal Injury and Criminal Defense. She learned strategies to negotiate settlements and plea bargains. In addition, she became skilled in the art of litigation in Civil and Criminal Courts. In addition to the firm’s traditional areas of practice, Ms. Yau had the opportunity to develop a new department: Corporate and Intellectual Property Law. Within five years of taking on Trademark, Patent, Franchising, and Business clients, the firm was able to open a satellite office, devoted solely to these areas of practice.

Ms. Yau started Yau Law to once again bring her Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, Intellectual Property, Franchising, and Business clients together in one office. From car accidents to slip & falls, and from misdemeanors to felonies, Ms. Yau is known for personally conducting consultations with her clients. It is her philosophy to educate her clients of their rights, and let them decide how their case should be handled.

Ms. Yau makes education a priority.  This includes educating the community as well as her client.  Recently, the National Judicial College has invited Ms. Yau to the faculty, to teach courses to judges across the country.  The American Medical Writers Association is featuring Ms. Yau as the legal keynote speaker when their annual conference comes to Jacksonville in October 2011.  She is an Adjunct Professor at Florida State College of Jacksonville, teaching Personal Injury Law in the Paralegal Studies department. She is also a Judge and Coach for the Mock Trial program at Florida Coastal School of Law, and taught Franchise Law there. In addition, every quarter, Ms. Yau offers free seminars to the community, and she is the co-host of “Business Talk” on Blog Talk Radio.  Her topics include "Tips to Start a Business," "Using Trademarks to Protect, Promote, and Produce More Business," "Franchising:  From Emblems to Empires," "Personal Injury Claims—Navigating Insurance Claims," and "Preserving Evidence of Your Personal Injury Claim."

Franklin Pierce, a law school in New Hampshire with a curriculum centered around intellectual property, commerce, and technology, took an interest in Ms. Yau’s manuscript, "Stealing What’s Free: Exploring Compensation to Body Parts Sources for Their Contribution to Profitable Biomedical Research." Franklin Pierce Law Review published this article in their journal in 2006.

Prior to her law practice, Ms. Yau received her J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law, on the Dean’s List, in 2004. In law school, she was awarded the Pro Bono Distinction for her dedication to legal and community services to the less fortunate. She was also awarded the Best Oral Advocate award. Furthermore, she served two terms as Vice Magister of Phi Delta Phi, the Honors Society. Upon graduation, she was honored with the Founder’s Award, for upholding the objectives and values of Florida Coastal School of Law. She received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Calgary, in Canada in 1999.