Mary Ann Stiles to receive IAOTP's Global Legal Industry Icon Award

Mary Ann Stiles will be honored by the International Association of Top Professionals at its December 2026 awards gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The recognition highlights her four-decade legal career, leadership in workers' compensation and regulatory law, and long record of professional awards.

Why it matters: - The Global Legal Industry Icon Award puts Mary Ann Stiles among IAOTP’s most recognized legal professionals for 2026. - The honor reflects a career centered on workers’ compensation, corporate law, regulation, and advocacy. - Stiles will be recognized on stage in December 2026 at IAOTP’s Annual Awards Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

What happened: - IAOTP selected Mary Ann Stiles, JD, for the Global Legal Industry Icon Award for 2026. - Stiles is president of Mary Ann Stiles, P.A., a boutique law firm serving select clients in corporate, regulation, and workers’ compensation matters. - Stiles previously served as vice president and general counsel for GTFH, LLC, d/b/a CompCorrect, LLC, and as general counsel and compliance officer for Construction Casualty Insurance in St. Petersburg, Florida. - IAOTP plans to present the award at its annual gala in December 2026. - More information about the gala

The details: - IAOTP describes the Global Legal Industry Icon Award as a distinction for leaders who have shown dedication, innovation, and leadership in law. - The award also recognizes work that advances justice, rights and freedom, and policy changes that affect public well-being. - Stiles has more than four decades of experience as a practicing attorney and legal professional. - Her practice areas include advocacy, policy, workers’ compensation defense, contracts, employment law, public speaking, mediation, administrative work, regulatory matters, and governmental relations. - Stiles served as a partner at Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., a large minority- and women-owned firm. - She ran Stiles, Taylor & Grace, P.A., for 25 years from 1982 to 2012. - In 2009, Stiles took leave from her firm to serve as general counsel for the Florida Department of Children and Families. - In that role, she reorganized the agency’s legal department and oversaw litigation. - She also served as a shareholder, director, and officer of American Reinsurance Brokers, Inc.-US, a reinsurance company organized in Ireland. - Her prior roles included general counsel for Associated Industries Insurance Company, Associated Industries Insurance Services, the Associated Industries Political Action Committee, and the Associated Industries of Florida. - Stiles also served as special counsel, vice president, and chief lobbyist for the Associated Industries of Florida. - She became the first full-time woman to lobby business issues there in 1977. - Earlier in her career, Stiles worked as an associate attorney with Deschler, Reed & Critchfield. - She also served as an intern with the Subcommittee of Federal Procurement Practices under then-Sen. Lawton Chiles. - Stiles was a legislative analyst for the Florida House of Representatives. - Her education includes an Associate of Arts from Hillsborough Community College in 1973, a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University in 1975, and a Juris Doctor from Antioch School of Law in 1978, now the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law.

Between the lines: - The award caps a long list of prior honors that already made Stiles a familiar name in legal and professional recognition circles. - IAOTP featured Stiles in its Top 25 Global Impact Leaders publication and named her Top Global Legal Industry Icon this year. - Stiles received IAOTP’s Presidential Award in Law in 2024, was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2022, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. - Other recent honors include the inaugural Francis Perkins Award from the Florida Bar’s Committee of Women on Workers’ Compensation in 2025. - Stiles has also been recognized by Best Lawyers, the Wall Street Journal, Florida Trend, Tampa Business Journal, Tampa Bay Magazine, and Florida’s Women-Led Businesses. - She has maintained an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell for more than three decades. - Stiles has also served on boards and committees, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, Larson’s Workers’ Compensation Law advisory board, NWCDN, Platinum Bank of Brandon, the Florida Department of Administrative Hearings workers’ compensation rules committee, and the Florida Workers’ Compensation Task Force. - Her business roles have included ownership and leadership positions at Styles by Stiles, 42nd Street Café & Bistro, Fletcher’s Backstreet Grill, Eclipse, Inc., and Six Stars Development Company of Florida, Inc.

What's next: - Stiles will accept the award in December 2026 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. - IAOTP also says Stiles will be considered this year for its Empowered Woman of the Year Award. - Stiles says she will continue advising clients and working to resolve disputes and protect liberties and rights in administrative and legislative systems. - More on Stiles is available through her LinkedIn profile and video biography.

The bottom line: - IAOTP is honoring Stiles for a legal career defined by workers’ compensation expertise, public service, and a long record of industry recognition.