Age: 55
Family: My long-suffering wife is Cecilia Birk, Esq. We have a wonderful 15-year-old daughter, Jane.
Pets: Life without a dog would be dull and gray. We have a yellow lab, Buddy.
Education: University of Massachusetts-Amherst 1983, Bachelor of Arts in English/journalism and legal studies. Florida State University College of Law, juris doctor with honors, 1995.
Admitted to the Bar: October 1995
Employed by: Marks Gray
Field of practice: Employment, news media, copyright, trademark, ERISA, FLSA.
Professional organizations: The Jacksonville Bar Association, Federal Bar Association-Jacksonville Chapter; Association of Defense Trial Attorneys; Jacksonville Association of Defense Lawyers; Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra.
Community involvement: Middle District of Florida Jacksonville Division Civil Pro Bono Panel.
How did you become involved?
U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan and leaders of the Federal Bar Association-Jacksonville Chapter started the Civil Pro Bono Panel in 2006. They invited all members of the association's Jacksonville chapter to join the panel and I accepted. It's one of my best professional decisions. Since then, I have represented two pro se plaintiffs in federal court. One was an employment case involving severe mental illness, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related employment laws. The second was a client who was wrongly arrested because a county court clerk failed to properly note that the client's traffic citation had been dismissed rather than set for trial. A true parade of Kafkaesque, life-changing events flowed from that mistake. The client needed financial and legal help correcting public records and repairing her status in society.
How can someone else become involved?
Any attorney admitted to the Middle District of Florida can join the Jacksonville Division's Civil Pro Bono Panel. Just call Jim Leanhart, division manager, at the U.S. District Court clerk's office at (904) 549-1900, and ask to be added to the list. Here's my unconditional guarantee: Any attorney who joins the panel and accepts a pro bono case will be forever grateful for that decision. No question. No fine print. You'll be glad you did.
What have you learned/achieved through the experience?
I really am filled with gratitude for the chance to help individuals who lack the resources necessary to obtain their own legal counsel when they need it most. It is easy at times to minimize or forget the extraordinary value of the training and experience we have as attorneys. Helping individuals navigate difficult times in their lives that involve legal problems is a powerful reminder of just how much influence we can have in our society to help resolve conflicts and directly impact the lives of people.
What was the last book you read or are reading?
"Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World" by Tom Zoellner.