Kirsten C. Teany
Associate
Orlando Office
255 South Orange Avenue, Suite 900
Orlando, Florida 32801
Kirsten C. Teany is an associate in the Orlando office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. with an impressive three-decade-long legal career, during which she dedicated 28 years to becoming a skilled trial attorney in Florida. Ms. Teany specializes in general litigation, premises liability, insurance and insurers and premises liability.
As an attorney for the State of Florida in the Children's Legal Services Department for Department of Children and Families for more than 25 years, Ms. Teany has passionately advocated for the best interests of children in dependency proceedings under Chapter 39, Florida Statutes. She began working for the Department of Children and Families in September of 2001, where she was assigned to work at the Children's Advocacy Center, handling the most egregious cases in Orange County, FL. These cases included, but were not limited to, sexual abuse of children under 12, failure to thrive, malnutrition, dehydration, Munchausen by proxy, burns, bone fractures, internal injuries, death, near drowning, and other severe hospital or high-media cases that were deemed best handled by the Center. Additionally, she handled drug court cases in Orange County for ten years.
During her tenure, Ms. Teany held several positions as senior, supervising, and lead trial attorney that allowed her to mentor and train attorneys and second chair attorneys. When she transitioned to the Lead Trial Attorney for Orange and Osceola County in 2020, her role and responsibilities increased to include handling cases in other counties as needed, solidifying her reputation as an expert family and trial attorney.
At the start of her career, Ms. Teany was an Assistant State Attorney in the State Attorney's Office Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, FL where she was responsible for reviewing cases, negotiating pleas, attending, and conducting depositions and trying cases. She handled misdemeanor crimes, DUI, Domestic Battery, prior to being promoted to the Felony Unit. In the Felony Unit, she managed a case load of felony crimes, including, but not limited to, Drug Charges, Dealing in Stolen Property, Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Robbery, Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling, Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, and Murder.
In 1993, Ms. Teany earned her Juris Doctor from University of Florida College of Law, after receiving her Bachelor of Science Business Administration in Finance from the University of Florida.
Ms. Teany has been a Board-Certified Juvenile Law Specialist since 2018 and is a highly sought-after speaker on the topic. She is a member of the Florida Bar and Orange County Bar Association.
She is licensed to practice law in Florida.
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter: Attorneys on Child Sexual Abuse Case Law, Proving Dependency and Termination of Parental Right's cases. This presentation was part of the Lunch and Learn Program in person and on-line through a webinar and approved for 1 CLE credit - April 19, 2022
- Presenter: Attorneys on Termination of Parental Rights Grounds. This presentation was given as part of the Guardian Ad Litem Lunch and Learn Program and was offered Statewide through a webinar that was approved for 1 CLE credit - April 20, 2021
- Presenter: Child Protective Investigators on Dependency Law. Presented to Investigators during their training and continued to present to new child protective investigators - April 17, 2019
- Presenter: New Case Managers on Dependency Law and the role of Children's Legal Services. Presented the training to new case managers and continued training new case Managers - August 6, 2019
- Presenter: Juvenile Law class at FAMU Law School on Dependency, the Role of Children's Legal Services and how a case proceeds through the Dependency Court - March 14, 2018
- Co-Presenter: 2017 Child Protection Summit on Children's Legal Services role in Child Trafficking Cases. "The Battle is Not Without an Army - The Human Trafficking Team in the Child Welfare Arena", dealt with recognizing the children who are victims of Human Trafficking, and proving the legal cases in order to obtain jurisdiction, and terminate parental rights when needed, and working together to ensure we are meeting the needs of the children who are victims - August 30, 2017
- Co-Presenter: "Bridge the Gap on Domestic Violence Presentation to Central Florida Department of Children and Families, Attorneys, Investigators, Case Managers and Community Partners." Presentation involved numerous community partners and therapist who work with parents and children affected by domestic violence - June 19, 2017
- Presenter: Public Defender's Office, Assistant Public Defenders assigned to the Juvenile Division under Danielle Barbato, Juvenile Division Chief. Presented to the attorneys on the Dependency Laws and our roles as attorneys assigned to protect the children that they have as clients. With a unified family court our roles and how they relate to each other is an issue of importance.
- Co-Presenter: "Bridge the Gap Presentation to Central Florida Department of Children and Families, Attorneys, Investigators, and Community Partners." Bridge the Gap Program was designed by Kirsten Teany, Veraunda Jackson, and Lashara Brown, for the Attorneys, Investigators and Case Managers to learn each other's roles and create a better understanding of what each agency does to work together more effectively and efficiently - May 20, 2016
- Presenter: Orange County Bar Association, Lunch and Learn presentation sponsored by the Guardian Ad Litem Program on Termination of Parental Rights - September 22, 2015
- Presenter: Child Protective Investigators at the Pine Hills and Westgate offices on Legal Requirements for Shelter and Dependency. Each unit was trained individually from August to October 2015
- Presenter: Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section, Major Family Law Seminar on How Dependency Law affects visitation and custody. This power point presentation was created and presented with Judge Thomas Turner, Ninth Judicial Circuit - September 19, 2014
- Presenter: Child Protective Investigators on Transition Plans Transition Plans, now required to be filed when children are being moved based upon changes in the Florida Statutes - January 14, 2014, and February 12, 2014
- Presenter: State Attorney's Office on Dependency - April 19, 2013
- Presenter: Orange County Bar Association, Lunch and Learn presentation sponsored by the Guardian Ad Litem Program on Termination of Parental Rights - August 28, 2012
- Presenter: Leadership Law Program of the Orange County Bar Association on Dependency -February 17, 2012, and February 1, 2013
- Presenter: Orange County Sheriff's Office Victim Advocate Faith Based Training on Dependency and Mandatory Reporting - October 5, 2011
- Presenter: During a legal training, Department of Children and Families in Orlando, on the topic of Drug Court - June 17, 2005
- Panelist: National Association of Drug Court Professional's 11th Annual Drug Court Training Conference, on the topic of Managing Adoptions and Safe Family Act - June 9, 2005