Mitchell (Mitch) Stone, received his Juris Doctorate from the University Of Florida College Of Law in 1988. From there began his career as a prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office first in Miami and then Jacksonville, Florida. He began by prosecuting DUI and Domestic Violence cases in county court and soon advanced to the position of a circuit felony prosecutor where he handled violent crimes, property crimes, white collar crimes and DUI manslaughter cases. Later, he was promoted to the Special Assault Unit and the homicide team of the State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville.
After leaving for private practice in 1992 he started a Florida-based state and federal criminal defense law firm based in Jacksonville. Over the years he practiced almost exclusively in criminal courts defending clients across the state from charges ranging from simple DUI to drug possession to murder as well as representing clients charged in major drug trafficking cases, fraud and financial crimes cases in Federal court. In 1999, he passed the Florida Bar’s criminal trial law board certification exam and was thereafter recognized by the Florida Bar as a Board Certified Criminal Trial Law Specialist. After 20 years of running his own law firm in 2012, he formed what is now, Mitchell A. Stone, P.A., a North Florida based law firm specializing in State and Federal criminal defense.
In addition to being board certified, Mr. Stone has achieved the highest ratings from peer review and other publications. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubble which is the highest rating a lawyer can receive. He has been recognized for his work in the areas of criminal defense, DUI defense and white collar criminal defense by being named in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Florida Trend's Legal Elite, Jacksonville Magazine's Leading Lawyers and in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He has successfully represented clients in numerous high profile cases. He has conducted over 150 criminal jury trials to verdict in both Federal and State court.
In 2017 Mr. Stone was elected secretary by the statewide membership of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL). He will become president of FACDL in 2021. He served as president of The Jacksonville Beaches Bar Association in 2017-2018 and remains on the board as immediate past president. He has also served in the past on the board of FACDL, as President of the Northeast Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The White Collar Conference and the Florida Bar Criminal Law Section. He is admitted to practice in Florida, Washington DC, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Middle and Northern Federal District Courts of Florida.
Mr. Stone has been published numerous times for his work relating to criminal defense matters including authoring Property Crimes Defense Strategies (Aspatore 2014) and Strategies for Defending DUI Cases in Florida (2012). He currently authors the F Words column for Defender Magazine. He has served as Chair of Blood Breath & Tears, the annual statewide DUI defense seminar in Florida. He is a frequent lecturer on criminal defense subjects at legal seminars and has served on the faculty of the Gerald T. Bennett Prosecutor/Public Defender Advanced Trial Practice Seminar, The Florida Bar's Masters of DUI seminar, the FACDL Blood Breath and Tears DUI seminar, the Lorman DUI seminar and the FACDL Showcase on Sentencing. He has also lectured on criminal defense topics at the Fourth Judicial Circuit Public Defender's Office and at the Middle District of Florida's Federal Defender Conference. He is a frequent commentator on criminal law issues in national, state and local media.
Mitch Stone has been married to his wife Christine since 1988 and has two daughters, Hannah and Sarah. He lives in Atlantic Beach and enjoys surfing and paddleboarding when not practicing law or playing golf. He is a member of Surfrider and is an advocate for protecting our environment and the beaches.
Author: "Defending the Unlicensed Contractor: A Novel Approach," Defender Magazine, Summer 1999; "Doggett Days in Federal Court," Defender Magazine, Spring 2001; "DUI Notes Three Things You Should Know," Defender Magazine, Winter 2007. Faculty: Gerald Bennet Advanced Trial Advocacy Seminar, 2003—; Blood, Breath and Tears DUI Seminar, 2006, 2009; Lorman DUI Seminar, 2005, 2007. Committee Member, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals CJA Advisory Panel.
