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Attorney and Staff Contact Information

Julie Sheppard, Interim General Counsel

Julie Sheppard is serving as Interim General Counsel.  She recently retired from her role as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel at IHMC where she has worked since its inception in 2004 as an independent research institute of the State University System of Florida. Formerly she served as the General Counsel at the University of West Florida and Associate General Counsel at the University of North Florida. Prior experience also includes working as Counsel to the Florida Board of Regents Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations; Administrative Hearings Officer to the Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security; Associate Attorney, Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer and Nelson, Portland, Maine; and Law Clerk to The Honorable Robert V. Cauchon, Justice of the Massachusetts Trial Courts-Land Court Department.

Julie earned her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. Julie is admitted to practice in Florida, Maine, and Massachusetts. She has served four years on the Impact 100 Board of Directors and was its 3rd President; served for 6 years on the Sacred Heart Advisory Board; served as a Trustee of Pensacola State College, WSRE and the Pensacola State College Foundation; six years as a Director for North Florida Legal Services; 6 years as a Mentor for the Spring Entrepreneur Hub; past Chair of the Studer Community Institute Foundation; and served on the mayoral transition team for DC Reeves and Grover Robinson. Julie resides in Pensacola Florida with her husband Phil Turner and they have two adult daughters.

Carolyn Eaton, Associate General Counsel

Carolyn Eaton specializes in governance and provides legal counsel on a broad range of issues, including education law, university policies and procedures, and compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.

She joined the University of West Florida in 2018, bringing with her valuable experience from her previous roles with the Florida Department of Health and a local real estate development firm as in-house counsel.

A lifelong resident of Florida, Carolyn earned her Bachelor’s degree in Legal Administration from the University of West Florida and her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law.

Megan Simms, Associate General Counsel

Megan Simms joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2019, and holds the position of Associate General Counsel for the University. Megan provides comprehensive legal advice to academic and business units across the University on issues ranging from student matters, contracts, and labor and employment. Megan also serves on University committees including the Campus Care Team, Clery Compliance Team, and International Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining the University, she worked in private practice in the areas of family law and insurance defense.

Megan received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida and her J.D from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where she served on the Moot Court team and the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Law. She is admitted to practice in Florida, Alabama, and Kentucky.

Julie Jones, Assistant General Counsel

Julie advises the University and its affiliated entities in the areas of contracts, public liability litigation, real estate, and risk management. Additionally, she advises on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters and operational matters, such as facilities and construction projects, policies and procedures, and does training on legal issues and policies relating to compliance with state and federal laws.

Prior to joining the General Counsel’s office at UWF, Julie worked in the energy/utility industry for over 25 years, first in Labor Relations/EEO, then as the Risk Management and Claims Manager at Gulf Power Company for over 20 years, and finally at Florida Power and Light. She provided services in a broad range of legal matters including:   public liability litigations, contracts, real estate, corporate security, policies and procedures, subpoenas, training, and regulatory compliance. Before working in the utility sector, Julie worked in private practice, as an Assistant Public Defender for the Office of the Public Defender, First Judicial Circuit, and as District General Counsel for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Julie earned her Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, where she served on the Moot Court Society as a Special Teams member. She received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting, magna cum laude, from the Honors College of the University of Southern Mississippi.

Julie is a member of the Florida Bar, the Alabama bar and admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. A lifelong native and resident of Northwest Florida, Julie is an eighth-generation member of her family to live and serve in this area and is member of various community organizations and has served on several boards.

Cody Titus, Paralegal

As the Paralegal and Office Administrator for the Office of General Counsel, Cody is a key contributor to the legal operations and administrative success of the Office of General Counsel, supporting the University of West Florida Community.  He recently transitioned from University’s Office of Procurement & Contracts as the Contracts Manager where he assessed University contracts for risks and routed them for reviews to various departments to mitigate inherent risks. His role now as the Paralegal includes Legal Support and Research; maintaining and organizing the legal department’s case files, records, and litigation-related documents, ensuring compliance and accessibility; managing the day-to-day operations including budget support, scheduling, external correspondence, and serving as the primary point of contact for both internal and external inquiries; and assisting with the development, review, and dissemination of University policies and procedures

Cody earned his Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law, following his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Alabama. While in law school, he demonstrated strong leadership by serving as the 3L Treasurer for the Student Bar Association and was actively involved in organizations including the Business Law Association and the Entertainment, Art & Sports Law Society. Dedicated to public service, Cody also provided significant pro bono hours to The Charleston Housing Court Pilot Project, offering critical legal assistance to low-income individuals facing eviction. He has been a long-time resident of Pensacola, Florida, since relocating with his family in 2002.  Cody plans to sit for the Florida Bar in February 2026.

Email our office: gcfrontdesk@uwf.edu