Free Initial Consultation
Accepts Credit Cards
Shareholder at the firm James W. Martin, P.A.
Areas of Practice
Sole Proprietorships; Business Associations Law; Business Development; Business Dissolutions; Business Enterprises; Business Estate Planning; Business Formation; Business Fraud; Business Litigation; Business Organization; Business Planning; Business Regulation; Business Reorganization; Business Start-Ups; Business Succession Planning; Business Successions; Business Torts; Business Transactions; Business Transfers; Business Trusts; Buy-Sell Agreements; Buying and Selling of Businesses; Closely Held Business Estate Planning; Closely Held Business Law; Entrepreneurial Business Law; Family Business Law; Family Business Successions; International Business Law; International Joint Ventures; Joint Ventures; Limited Liability Company Law; Private Business Law; Professional Practices; Small Business Law; Civil Practice; Collections; Business Law; Commercial Collections; Garnishments; International Collections; Post Judgment Collections; Professional Collections; Retail Collections; Secured Collections; Unsecured Collections; Commercial Law; Commercial Bad Faith; Commercial Fraud; Commercial Liability; Commercial Litigation; Commercial Transfers; Complex Commercial Litigation; Commercial Torts; Commercial Transactions; International Commercial Law; International Sale of Goods; Negotiable Instruments; Retail Liability; Sale of Goods; Secured Transactions; Uniform Commercial Code; Commercial Real Estate; Commercial Conveyancing; Commercial Real Estate Acquisitions; Commercial Real Estate Bankruptcy; Commercial Real Estate Contracts; Commercial Real Estate Development; Commercial Real Estate Finance; Commercial Real Estate Foreclosure; Commercial Real Estate Litigation; Commercial Real Estate Sales; Commercial Real Estate Workouts; Industrial Real Estate Law; Retail Development; Computer Contracts; Computers and Software; Computer Law; Information Technology Contracts; Information Technology Licensing; Construction Law; Architectural Law; Construction Accidents; Construction and Design Law; Construction and Surety Law; Construction Claims; Construction Contracts; Construction Defects; Construction Equipment Liability; Construction Finance; Construction Insurance; Construction Liens; Construction Litigation; Construction Products Liability; Construction Safety; Construction Workouts; Contractor Performance Bonds; Contractors Liability; Environmental Construction Law; International Construction Contracts; International Construction Law; Materialmens Liens; Mechanics Liens; Roof Industry Liability; Stucco Litigation; Contracts; Breach of Contract; Commercial Contracts; Contract Fraud; Contract Litigation; International Commercial Contracts; International Contracts; Conveyancing; Copyrights; Copyright Litigation; Copyright Licensing; Corporate Law; Closely Held Corporations; Corporate Commercial Law; Corporate Contracts; Corporate Dissolutions; Corporate Ethics; Corporate Fiduciary Law; Corporate Formation; Corporate Governance; Corporate Insurance; Corporate Investigations; Corporate Organization; Corporate Partnerships; Corporate Planning; Corporate Real Estate; Family Corporations; Incorporation; International Corporate Law; Nonprofit Corporations; Professional Corporations; S Corporations; Small Business Corporations; Debtor and Creditor; Creditors Rights; Debtor and Creditor Collections; Debtor and Creditor Remedies; Debtor and Creditor Rights; Secured Creditors Rights; Unsecured Creditors Rights; Art Law; Museum Law; Fine Arts; Environmental Law; Environmental Corporate Law; Environmental Litigation; Environmental Real Estate; Sick Building Syndrome; Advance Directives; Physician Practices; Inheritance; Insurance Collection; Insurance Contracts; Insurance Litigation; Life Insurance; Surety Bonds; Surety Law; Intellectual Property; Artistic Property; International Law; Internet Law; Labor and Employment; Age Discrimination in Employment; Confidentiality Agreements; Covenants Not To Compete; Wrongful Termination; Wrongful Termination Defense; Wage and Hour Law; Sexual Harassment; Restrictive Covenants; Personnel Policies; Agreements; Noncompetition and Non-Solicitation Agreements; Noncompete Litigation; Executive Transfers; Executive Severance Contracts; Executive Employment Law; Employment Termination; Employment Rights; Employment Law; Employment Litigation; Employment Contracts; Employment Breach of Contract; Employer Liability; Employee Rights; Employer Rights; Leases and Leasing; Commercial Landlord and Tenant Law; Commercial Leasing; Evictions; Industrial Leasing; International Leasing; Landlord and Tenant Law; Lease Terminations; Leasing; Office Leasing; Retail Leasing; Shopping Center Leasing; Litigation; Civil Litigation; Complex Litigation; Defense Litigation; E-Discovery; Federal Civil Litigation; Federal Litigation; Mortgage Law; Commercial Mortgages; Mortgage Foreclosure; Mortgage Lien Foreclosure; Mortgage Refinancing; Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations; Charitable Giving; Charitable Organizations Law; Charitable Trusts and Foundations; Nonprofit Organizations Law; Public Charities; Tax Exempt Organizations; Partnership Law; Limited Liability Partnerships; Limited Partnerships; Partnership Dissolution; Partnership Formation; Partnership Organization; Probate; Ancillary Probate; Probate Administration; Probate Litigation; International Probate; Property Law; Personal Property Leasing; Personal Property; International Property Law; Real Estate; Boundary Disputes; Easements; International Real Estate; Land Acquisitions; Land Sales; Land Trusts; Property Management; Quiet Title; Real Estate Acquisitions; Real Estate Bankruptcy; Real Estate Brokerage Law; Real Estate Brokers and Agents Liability; Real Estate Collections; Real Estate Contracts; Real Estate Development; Real Estate Foreclosure; Real Estate Fraud; Real Estate Leasing; Real Estate Litigation; Real Estate Partnerships; Real Estate Sales; Real Estate Title; Real Property; Real Property Acquisitions; Real Property Development; Residential Real Estate; Residential Real Estate Acquisitions; Residential Real Estate Foreclosure; Residential Real Estate Sales; Right of Way Easements; Waterfront Development; Trusts and Estates; Contested Trusts and Estates; Decedents Estates; Estate Administration; Estate Litigation; Estate Planning; Estate Bankruptcy; Estate Planning for the Elderly; Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples; Estate Settlements; Family Trusts; Family Wealth Transfer; Fiduciary Law; Fiduciary Liability; Financial Planning; International Estate Planning; Living Trusts; Personal Planning; Powers of Attorney; Trust Administration; Trust and Estate Collections; Trust Law; Trust Litigation; Trust Planning; Unclaimed Property; Wealth Planning; Wealth Preservation; Unfair Competition; Wills; Contested Wills; Living Wills; Missing Heir Searches; Successions; Zoning, Planning and Land Use; Historic Preservation; Land Use; Land Use Litigation; Rezoning; Zoning Law; Zoning Variances; Land Development; Environmental Land Use
Admitted
1974, Florida, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1987, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 1978, U.S. Supreme Court
Law School
Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 1974
College
Georgia Tech; Stetson University, B.S., Mathematics, 1971
Membership
St. Petersburg Bar Association (Chair, Business Law Section, 2008-2009; Chair, Real Property Section, 2007-2008; Chair, Probate Law Section, 2006-2007, 1999-2000; Chair, Technology Section 2003-2004); The Florida Bar (Member, Probate Rules Committee, 1994-2000; Chair, Coordinating Committee on Technology, 1992-1993).
Biography
Professional Listings: Who's Who in America; Who's Who in the World; Who's Who in South/Southwest; Who's Who in American Law; Who's Who in Entertainment; Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America; Leading Florida Attorney (Lawlead.com). Writing Award: Florida Bar Journal Barbara Sanders Memorial Writing Competition, 2000-2001; Award for "Fifty Tips for Writing the 21st Century Contract That Stays Out of Court". Author of Legal Forms Books: Business Organizations, Real Estate Transactions, and Specialized Forms, West's Florida Legal Forms, West Publishing, 1991, 1995, 6 volumes; Florida Jur Forms, West Publishing, 1998 and 1999 supplements for 15 volumes; West's Florida Corporations System, West Publishing, 1984, 1 volume; Nonprofit Corporations and Associations, West's Legal Forms 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions, Thomson West Publishing, 1986-2004, 1 volume; Execution of Florida Legal Documents, West, 1992, 1994, 1995. Author of Legal Articles: I Want to Sign an Electronic Will, ALI-ABA The Practical Lawyer, June 2009; Don't Print That Email, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, April 2009; Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate (With Forms), ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, August 2008; Going Paperless Or Not, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, October 2007; A Model Electronic File Policy for the Law Office, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, April 2007; May I Shred My Scanned Paper Files, Florida Bar News, December 2006; Converting from Paper to Electronic Files, Florida Bar News, November 2006; I Want to Probate a Will in Federal Court, Florida Bar News, June 2006; How to Sue an LLC Member Without Piercing the Corporate Veil, Florida Bar News, September 2004; Is the Law of the Body a Body of Law, Florida Bar News, June 2004; Be Careful Using Form Real Estate Contracts, Florida Bar News, May 2004; The Technology You Need to Project the Vision of Your Case, ALI-ABA Practical Litigator, March 2004; Construction Contractors in Florida Are Incorporating, Florida Bar News, February 2004; Don't Forget to Put Your Client's Address in the Judgment, Florida Bar News, March 2004; A Simple Computer File Management System for Lawyers, ALI-ABA CLE Review, December 2003; Drafting the Contract or Settlement Agreement That Stays Out of Court, The Brief (ABA Tort Trial & Ins. Practice Section, Winter 2003) and Best Articles Published by the ABA (ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section, September 2003); Jim's Three Favorite Technology Tools, Florida Bar News, July 2003, ALI-ABA CLE Review, December 2003; Legislature Limits Homeowners Rights to Sue Contractors, Florida Bar News, December 2003; Forming a Small Music Business: The Who Meets the Whys and Wherefores, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, March 2002; Tips for Drafting Purchase Contracts, Lorman Education Services, 2001; Putting Your Entertainment or Sports Client's Nest Egg in Florida: Legal Ways to Preserve Wealth, E.A.S.L. Newsletter, Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section, May 2001; Fifty Tips for Writing the 21st Century Contract That Stays Out of Court, ALI-ABA Practical Real Estate Lawyer, November 2000, ALI-ABA's Practice Checklist Manual for Drafting Leases IV, June 2003; New Law Says File Money Judgments with DOS, Florida Bar News, October 2000; How to Write Letters Non lawyers Will Read, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, January 2000; How to Write Contracts and Other Documents as a Professional in a Mechanistic World," ALI-ABA Practical Real Estate Lawyer, November 1999; Fifty Tips for Writing the Contract That Stays Out of Court, ALI-ABA Practical Real Estate Lawyer, ALI-ABA, May 1998; Basic Legal Asset Protection and Estate Planning Concepts for Florida Residents, Nat'l Center for Preventive Law, Denver, April 1993. Seminar Speaker: Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate, St. Petersburg Bar Probate Section, 2007; Drafting a Clear As-Is Agreement, St. Petersburg Bar Real Property Section, 2007; Writing the Contract that Stays Out of Court, Florida Bar Convention, Florida Bar Journal writing seminars, 1994, 1997, 2000; Drafting the Settlement Agreement That Stays Out of Court, ABA Convention, Chicago, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, 2001; The Lawyer's Conscience: Professionalism and Ethics in Writing, Florida Bar Convention, 2001; Forming a Small Music Business, Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section, 2001; How to Write Letters Non Lawyers Will Read, Florida Bar Convention, 1999; The Lawyer's Conscience: Professionalism in Writing Contracts and Wills for a Mechanistic World, Florida Bar Convention, 1998. Community Involvement: Board of Trustees & Secretary, Salvador Dali Museum, Inc., 1980-1986, 1992; Board of Trustees, Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, 2002-2003; Board of Directors, Pinellas County Arts Council, 1997-2001; Trustee & Secretary, Florida International Museum, Inc., 1992-1994; St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce (Board Attorney 1991-1992; Focus St. Pete., 1997-2002); Leadership Tampa Bay, 1988; Leadership St. Pete, 1981; Bring Back the Vinoy, Inc. (Co-founder, 1984); St. Petersburg City Councilman 1982-1983; Adjunct Professor, Legal Drafting, Stetson University College of Law (2009).
Rate Information
Fixed Hourly Rates
Fixed Fees Available
Free Initial Consultation
Accepts Major Credit Cards
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