James W. Martin

James W. Martin is a wills, trusts, real estate and probate litigation attorney in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, which is part of the Tampa Bay Area. He has the highest attorney ratings on Justia, Martindale, Lawyers, Avvo, and Super Lawyers and has drafted hundreds of wills and living trusts and handled the legal aspects of all types of probate and trust estates, including administration and litigation.

He is Board Certified in Real Estate Law by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization, has served as a member of The Florida Bar Probate Rules Committee, and has chaired the St. Petersburg Bar Association probate law section.

He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law for over 15 years and has been inducted into the Stetson College of Law Hall of Fame. Stetson is nationally ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report.

James W. Martin has presented at bar conventions and association meetings and has written nationally-published law books and articles. He also writes a blog on Florida wills, trusts, real estate and probate litigation law.

Articles

• Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate (With Forms), The Practical Lawyer, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education; The Florida Bar Journal
• Do You Need Your Client’s Consent to Disclose Estate Planning Documents, The Practical Lawyer, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education; ActionLine, The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
• I Want to Sign an Electronic Will, The Practical Lawyer, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education
• I Want to Probate a Will in Federal Court, The Florida Bar News
• Is the Law of the Body a Body of Law?, The Florida Bar News
• Fifty Tips for Drafting Contracts (With Sample Provisions), The Practical Lawyer, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education
• Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction (With Forms and Checklist), ALI CLE The Practical Real Estate Lawyer
• Drafting the Contract or Settlement Agreement That Stays Out of Court, ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section The Brief and ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section The Best Articles
• Fifty Tips for Writing the 21st Century Contract That Stays Out of Court, ALI-ABA The Practical Real Estate Lawyer and The Florida Bar Journal
• How to Write Contracts and Other Documents as a Professional in a Mechanistic World, ALI-ABA The Practical Real Estate Lawyer and The Florida Bar News
• Be Careful Using Form Real Estate Contracts, The Florida Bar News
• Fifty Tips for Writing the Contract That Stays Out of Court, ALI-ABA The Practical Lawyer and The Florida Bar News
• Florida Probate and Estate Planning FAQ

Speaking Engagements

• Do You Need Your Client’s Consent to Disclose Estate Planning Documents, Sarasota Board Certified Group
• Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate, St. Petersburg Bar Association Probate & Guardianship Section
• Snakes in the Grass: Hidden Real Property Issues in Probate, St. Petersburg Bar Association Real Property and Probate Sections
• The Lawyer’s Conscience: Professionalism in Writing Contracts and Wills for a Mechanistic World, The Florida Bar Convention
• Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education; St. Petersburg Bar Association Real Property Section
• Drafting a Clear As-Is Agreement, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the As-Is Sale But Were Afraid to Ask, St. Petersburg Bar Association Real Property Section
• Writing the Contract that Stays Out of Court, The Florida Bar Convention
• Drafting the Settlement Agreement That Stays Out of Court, Presidential Showcase Program, Litigating with Power and Professionalism, American Bar Association Tort & Insurance Practice Section, ABA Convention, Chicago
• Drafting Settlement Agreements (That Stay Out of Court), The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section Construction Law Committee

Books

• Florida Real Estate Lease Agreements: A Collection of Forms for Lawyers
• Florida Real Estate Sales Contracts: A Collection of Forms for Lawyers
• How To Form a Florida LLC or Limited Liability Company: A Guide for Lawyers
• How To Form a Florida Business Corporation: A Guide for Lawyers
• How To Form a Florida Nonprofit Corporation: A Guide for Lawyers

Education

• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Stetson University, B.S. Mathematics
• Stetson University College of Law, J.D.

Ratings

• AV Martindale.com
• AV Lawyers.com
• 10.0 Justia.com
• 10.0 AVVO.com
• Super Lawyers – Estate Planning and Probate

Awards

• Stetson University College of Law – Hall of Fame
• Stetson University College of Law – Ben C. Willard Award
• The Florida Bar Journal – Writing Competition Award
• Marquis Who’s Who in American Law and Lifetime Achievement Award

Professional Associations

• Current
  • Adjunct Professor of Law – Stetson University College of Law
  • Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section – The Florida Bar
• Prior Appointments
  • Probate Rules Committee of The Florida Bar, Member
  • Coordinating Committee on Technology of The Florida Bar, Chair
  • Probate Law Section of St. Petersburg Bar Association, Chair
  • Real Property Law Section of St. Petersburg Bar Association, Chair
  • Business Law Section of St. Petersburg Bar Association, Chair
  • Editorial Board, The Practical Lawyer, American Law Institute – American Bar Association

Community Organizations

• Current
  • Salvador Dali Museum, Inc., Founding Trustee, Officer, Executive Committee, Attorney
• Prior Appointments
  • City of St. Petersburg, City Councilman
  • Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Councilman
  • Leadership St. Pete, Graduate
  • Leadership Tampa Bay, Graduate

• West’s Legal Forms, Volume 29, Nonprofit Organizations
• Florida Jurisprudence Forms, Legal & Business, Volumes 1 through 15 Supplements
• West’s Florida Legal Forms, Volumes 1 and 2, Business Organizations
• West’s Florida Legal Forms, Volumes 3 and 4, Real Estate Transactions
• West’s Florida Legal Forms, Volumes 8 and 9, Specialized Forms
• West’s Florida Corporations System

Courts Admitted To Practice

• Florida:
  • All State Courts
• Federal:
  • U.S. District Court for Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for 11th Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Contact

If you have the need for a Pinellas County probate litigation lawyer, you may use the contact form below or call James W. Martin directly at 727-821-0904 or email him at jim@jamesmartinpa.com .

The text on this page was written by James W. Martin, Esq. and was last updated on December 9, 2024.