EXPERIENCED. FOCUSED. ON YOUR SIDE.
Autumn N. Hancock
Founder / Managing Attorney
Attorney Autumn Hancock focuses her practice on adoption, collaborative law, and family law. In addition to handling family law cases as an attorney who advocates for her clients, Autumn is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator who works as a neutral to help other attorneys and their clients resolve their family disputes. Attorney Hancock also handles certain probate and estate planning, real estate, foreclosure, and criminal law cases.
Ms. Hancock earned her B.A. in Sociology and Criminology from McDaniel College (formerly known as Western Maryland College) where she was honored in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, chosen to present her research on Sexual Assault at the Sociological Society Conference in Boston, inducted into Phi Alpha Delta Legal Honors Fraternity and served as Academic Committee Chair, Secretary, and Vice-President of Alpha Psi Omega, the national theatre honor society. Ms. Hancock was also very active in many student organizations, including: Gamma Sigma Sigma Service Sorority (formal chair), Catholic Campus Ministries (Vice- President), Sociology Club, Women’s Issues Group, and Warmth for Society (President and Founder). During this time, Autumn volunteered as a Rape Crisis Counselor on the Sexual Assault Information Team and worked as a legal intern in the Family Law Division of the Circuit Court of Carroll County, Maryland.
Autumn Hancock earned her Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. During her tenure at Stetson, Ms. Hancock served as a legal intern at The Community Law Program in the Family Law Clinic and for the Guardian Ad Litem Program of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. Autumn also spent a year as a CLI in the Juvenile Division of the Office of the State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
At Stetson, Ms. Hancock was a Florida Bar Association Public Service Fellowship recipient for three semesters. She served a Guardian Ad Litem for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, a Historian for the Family Law Society, a member of the Criminal Law Society, and was active in several other student organizations.
Since 2023, Autumn N. Hancock has served as a Civil Traffic Hearing Officer for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida, pursuant to section 318.30, Florida Statutes, and Rule 6.630, Florida Rules of Traffic Court. Attorney Hancock presides over civil traffic infraction cases in Pinellas and Pasco Counties.
Ms. Hancock currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at St. Petersburg College where she teaches Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business Law, Family Law, Civil Litigation, Commercial Transactions, and Intro to Legal Studies to a diverse population of students with a variety of educational backgrounds and experience.
Prior to founding Hancock Law Firm, Ms. Hancock worked for a criminal defense firm where she handled a variety of legal issues and was also solely responsible for all Expungements and Record Sealing. She then worked in general practice where she represented a diverse group of clients in criminal, bankruptcy, family, and other civil litigation matters, Ms. Hancock personally represented all of the firm’s family law clients and handled a full family law caseload as well as assisted with other matters. She was consistently able to achieve favorable results for clients.In 2011, Ms. Hancock began practicing real estate law. Autumn Hancock has worked for 2 large real estate firms handling primarily foreclosure and eviction cases. Most recently, Autumn Hancock was a Managing Litigation Attorney for a reputable real estate firm where she managed 11 attorneys and 6 paralegals throughout Central Florida and the Southwest Florida corridor. She managed all trials, depositions, and hearings in 17 counties. In this position, Attorney Hancock represented institutional and private lenders throughout the state of Florida. She managed a very high volume case portfolio. Autumn specialized in the areas of residential transactions, foreclosure, complex litigation, loss mitigation, real estate transactions, and eviction. She was consistently able to work to resolve highly litigated and contested issues through loss mitigation, mediation, motions practice, discovery practice and civil litigation. Ms. Hancock’s case portfolio consisted of the firm’s most heavily litigated cases and she attended hearings, foreclosure mediation, bankruptcy mediation, depositions, and trials daily.
Attorney Hancock remains very involved in the community as a member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, Chair for the St. Petersburg Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section, the Clearwater Bar Association, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers (Pinellas), Behind the Boots, Next Generation Divorce, the International Association of Collaborative Professionals, Responder Life, Wills for Heroes, Ask-A- Lawyer Panel for Pinellas and Hillsborough, Lawyers for Young Adults Project, and the local YMCA. Ms. Hancock currently serves as on the Board of Directors for the St. Petersburg Bar Association.
Ms. Hancock has been the recognized for her work in the community and the legal field, with accolades including but not limited to: Super Lawyers Rising Star 2016, Community Law Program’s 2016 Inaugural Leadership Class, Lawyer Monthly Magazine’s Women in Law Award 2017 and Women in Law Award 2018, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2017, US Business News 2017 Legal Elite Award for Probate & Estate Planning in Pinellas County, The National Advocates Top 40 Under 40, Tampa Magazine’s 2017 Top 5 Attorneys: Family Law, Sixth Judicial Circuit 2017 Pro Bono Service Award, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2018, Lawyer Monthly Magazine’s Women in Law Award 2018, US Business News Legal Elite Awards 2018 Best Full-Service Firm in St. Petersburg, Tampa Magazine’s 2018 Top 5 Attorneys: Family Law, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2019, Lawyers with Distinction Award 2019, Women in Law Award 2019, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2020, Lawyers with Distinction Award 2020, Women in Law Award 2020, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2021, and Lawyers with Distinction Award 2021, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2022, Sixth Judicial Circuit 2023 Pro Bono Service Award, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2023, 2024 Top 10% Florida Family Law Attorney as recognized by America’s Most Honored Lawyers, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2024, Tampa Magazine’s Top 3 Family Law Attorneys 2024, and Florida’s Top 5% Family Law Attorney 2024 as recognized by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys .
Ms. Hancock has been published in the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Fall/Winter 2018, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Spring/Summer 2019, The Paraclete – The Ethics and Professionalism Issue September/October 2019, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Fall/Winter 2019, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Spring/ Summer 2020, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Fall/Winter 2020, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Fall/Winter 2021, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal Spring/Summer 2022, and is a contributing author for SharpHeels.
Attorney Hancock is honored to be elected to serve on the Executive Board of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers in June 2021 and to serve as the Editor for the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Journal.
Ms. Hancock is uniquely qualified through broad experience to assist clients in many types of matters- be it an adoption, a mediation, a divorce, a traffic ticket, or a real estate foreclosure issue.
As the wife of a Firefighter / Paramedic, Autumn Hancock also understands the unique legal issues that affect the personal and professional lives of our first responders and is especially dedicated to serving this community. Hancock Law Firm will always work hard to serve those who protect and serve our community.
Outside of her legal work, Attorney Hancock’s favorite thing to do is spend time doing anything with her two young sons and her husband. Autumn loves scuba diving, traveling, working on art projects with her kids, taking walks around the neighborhood, shopping, riding her peloton, and spending time laughing with friends.
Rachel Bennett
Firm Administrator
Ms. Bennett has been a licensed attorney in the state of Florida since 2010.
Rachel received her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2009, where she was on the honor role and a member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International. Ms. Bennett earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature in 2005 from the University of South Florida, where she belonged to Golden Key International Honor Society and Phi Sigma Pi National Honors Fraternity.
In addition to her role at Hancock Law Firm, Ms. Bennett is also a full-time professor at St. Petersburg College. Rachel has been working at SPC since 2010 and regularly teaches Legal Research & Writing, Comparative Legal Systems, Business Law I & II, Business Organizations, Civil Litigation, and Animal Law.
With a lot of experience working in law offices prior to, during, and after law school. Having had just about every job in a law office, including lawyer, Rachel; has a unique appreciation for what it takes to get the job done correctly. This is the invaluable experience she brings to Hancock Law Firm as the Firm Administrator.
Kristin Kadaj
Florida Registered Paralegal, NALA Advanced Certified Paralegal
Kristin received her Bachelors of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies from St. Petersburg College in 2014 and went on to attend two years of law school while working as a paralegal.
Even before joining Hancock Law Firm, Kristin had over 10 years of experience working in complex marital and family law. She is passionate about helping clients achieve their goals during these difficult times.
In 2018, Kristin was appointed to the Florida Bar’s Unlicensed Practice of Law (UPL) committee to investigate claims of unlicensed practice of law in Pinellas County, Florida. After serving a 6-year term in this role, she was appointed to the Florida Bar’s UPL Standing Committee in 2024, On the UPL Standing Committee, Kristin helps to oversee other UPL Committees in their localities. In 2024, Kristin was also appointed to the Florida Bar’s Florida Registered Paralegal Eligibility and Compliance Committee to work with other paralegals and with attorneys across the state of Florida and manage the requirements to become and maintain a Florida Registered Paralegal designation.
Ms. Kadaj is a critical liaison between our clients and our firm. She assists clients with gathering required documents, completing discovery requests, and preparing financial schedules. Our clients love the level of care and concern that Kristin takes in each of their cases.
Kristin displays an exceptional blend of compassion and professionalism with our clients and members of our legal community, making her a vital member of the Hancock Law Firm team.
When Kristin is not working, she enjoys spending time with family, including her 2 crazy Australian Shepherd “furkids”, practicing yoga, vacationing in the mountains, and reading.
Trisha D. Spencer
Administrative Assistant
Trisha moved to Florida from Indiana in 2018 and joined Hancock Law Firm in May, 2021.
Ms. Spencer earned her certification as an Administrative Assistant from the International Business College in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 1998. Since then, she has worked in many administrative capacities in Indiana and Florida, including as a Police Dispatcher and Administrator for the Rochester, Indiana Police Department, as a Health Inspector for Miami County, as the sole Registrar for Miami County, Indiana, and as Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of US Bank.
Trisha appreciates her work with Hancock Law Firm because she enjoys learning new skills and coming up with new ideas to increase efficiency. Trisha is passionate about helping others, and family law and adoption have a special place in her heart – she is an Adoptee herself.
Being a wife and a mother have always been two of Ms. Spencer’s greatest accomplishments. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and friends, spending afternoons in the pool, at the beach, on the boat, shopping with her mom, or relaxing around the fire pit.
Zeus Hancock
In Memoriam
Zeus, our beloved purebred yellow Labrador Retriever, and our Office Manager, passed away on March 6, 2020.
Adopted by Attorney Hancock at 8 weeks old, Zeus enjoyed every second of his nearly 15 years of life (or 70, in dog years).
His mischievous, boisterous, sweet, and loving personality led to some hilarious and sweet memories for everyone who knew him.
Although he could be a troublemaker sometimes, Zeus brought us years of love and laughter.
While he was with us, Zeus greeted every client, attorney, and visitor as if they were already his best friends. Even past retirement age, he was happy to go to work each day with a wide grin and a wagging tail.
Zeus led by example and taught us to always live life like someone left the gate open.
