Before going to law school I served four years as a Coast Guard line officer.  The first year I was assigned to a high endurance cutter out of Pensacola, FL.  The following year I was given command of a 95' Coast Guard patrol boat stationed in West  Palm Beach, FL.  We mostly did patrols of the Florida Keys doing search and rescue work, drug interdiction, and other law enforcement.  The next year I commanded an 82' patrol boat out of DaNang, Vietnam doing coastal patrols.  The fourth year I taught cadets at the Coast Guard Academy and then the Coast Guard sent me to law school.  I spent a total of nine years on active duty, then left to become a felony prosecutor in the State Attorney's office in West Palm Beach, Florida.

After two years as a prosecutor, I joined a large law firm in West Palm Beach.  I primarily represented Doctors and Hospitals in medical malpractice claims and General Motors and Ford Motor Company in complex product  liability claims.

In 1978 I moved my family back to Pensacola, Florida to be close to my aging parents.

In 1982 I was a founding partner in a three lawyer firm.  Since then  I have only represented  plaintiffs in serious  injury cases  with an emphasis  on maritime  and product liability claims.

Married, two daughters, four grandsons and one grandaughter.  My wife of 40 years and my oldest daughter are also lawyers.

Areas of Practice

• Maritime Law

Bar Admission

• Florida - 1972
• Mississippi - 1988
• Alabama - 1981

United States Courts Admissions

• Untied States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1986
• United States District Courts:
• Florida
  Southern District - 1975
  Northern District - 1979
• Mississippi
  Southern District - 1986
  Northern District - 1986
• Alabama
  Southern District - 1987

Education

• Bachelor of Science, Engineering, United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, COnnecticut
• Juris Doctor, Columbus School of Laaw, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

Certifications

• Board Certified in Admiralty and Maritime Law by The Florida Bar
• Florida Supreme Court Approved Arbitrator Training
• Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi

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