General Info

I graduated from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia in 1973, and from New York University School of Law in 1977. I practiced law in New York for two years, leaving in the spring of 1979, to move closer to family, in Pinellas County, Florida. In August 1980, I was appointed to the part time, contract position of city attorney for the city of Safety Harbor, Florida, a position which I held until August 1990. I became proficient in municipal law and was a charter member of the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association. I represented the city in court, at the union bargaining table, at city commission meetings, at planning and zoning, board of adjustment, and code enforcement board meetings. During my tenure as city attorney no money judgment was ever taken against the city. For my first ten yrs. in Florida I maintained a private practice emphasizing mainly civil litigation, including family law. I had always been interested in criminal defense work, and in 1988, Lloyd Mosley invited me to take office space with him. Lloyd was a well known criminal defense attorney. I tried my first criminal trial in October 1990. It was a first degree murder case in which I had tried to get the state to let my client plead to second degree murder. The verdict was second degree murder. Since then I have tried 30 felony jury trials, seven of which were murder cases. I have ten not guilty verdicts, two lesser included offenses, one mistrial, and one hung jury. I have, on two separate occasions, been qualified as an expert witness in criminal defense for the purpose of testifying in evidentiary hearings on motions for new trial based on incompetent counsel. In general practice I have advised and represented many small businesses, have incorporated churches, charitable and civic organizations. In 33 yrs.I have represented thousands of individuals. In New York I did commercial real estate, syndications, and litigation, which included a constitutional challenge in U.S. District Court to a residency requirement contained in the Florida probate code. The challenge was successful and the requirement held unconstitutional. I am proud of having handled injury cases that settled from a range of $7500 to $850,000. I have never lost a client to the death penalty. Finally, I hold active licenses to practice in Florida and Montana.