James W. Martin is a wills, trusts and probate attorney in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida. 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, and he has served as a member of The Florida Bar Probate Rules Committee and has chaired The Florida Bar Coordinating Committee on Technology. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law and has been inducted into its Hall of Fame. (Stetson is nationally ranked #1 in trial advocacy and #3 in legal writing by U.S. News & World Report.)

As an undergraduate electrical engineering student at George Tech, James W. Martin worked for the Department of Defense, and when he transferred to Stetson University as a math major, he worked as a computer programmer for Stetson’s data processing department, thus beginning his lifelong love of computers and technology.

When he graduated from Stetson’s College of Law with a Juris Doctor degree, he attended the American Bar Association – American Law Institute’s Estate Planning in Depth program and then the University of Miami’s Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, thus beginning his lifelong interest in wills, trusts, and estates, as well as charitable giving and nonprofits.

A few years later, he read in the Wall Street Journal “U.S. Art World Dillydallies Over Dalis” which prompted him to call the collectors of that artwork and suggest they move their museum to Florida. Later that year, after many more calls from Martin and combined efforts of local, state and federal leaders, the Salvador Dali Museum moved to St. Petersburg, where it remains today.

Over the following years, James W. Martin has written many nationally-published law books and articles. He wrote five legal forms books on real estate sales contracts, real estate leases, LLCs, business corporations, and nonprofit corporations, that are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. He wrote eight legal forms books for West Publishing, comprising over five thousand pages of legal forms. His articles on Florida probate, wills, real estate, contracts, and business have been published in national and state bar publications and are available as free downloads below. He also writes a blog on Florida wills, trusts and probate law.

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

Books

  • 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

Articles

Speaking Engagements

  • Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction, ALI CLE
  • 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
  • Basics of Contract Drafting, The Florida Bar CLE Committee and Young Lawyers Division
  • Drafting Settlement Agreements (That Stay Out of Court), The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section Construction Law Committee
  • Getting to Paperless: A Lawyer or Law Firm’s Step by Step Guide, The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division
  • Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction, St. Petersburg Bar Association Real Property Section
  • Solo Practice Management Basics, Stetson University College of Law
  • 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
  • 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
  • Forming a Small Music Business: The Who Meets the Whys and the Wherefores, The Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section
  • The Lawyer’s Conscience: Professionalism and Ethics in Writing, The Florida Bar Convention
  • Writing the Contract that Stays Out of Court, The Florida Bar Convention
  • How to Write Letters Nonlawyers Will Read, The Florida Bar Convention
  • The Lawyer’s Conscience: Professionalism in Writing Contracts and Wills for a Mechanistic World, The Florida Bar Convention
  • Writing the Contract that Stays Out of Court, The Florida Bar Convention
  • Writing the Contract that Stays Out of Court, The Florida Bar Convention
  • Nonprofit Corporations in Florida, The Florida Bar Business Law Section

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 St Petersburg Pinellas County Florida real estate, business, or probate 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 for a free initial consultation.

The text on this page was written by James W. Martin, Esq. and was last updated on August 25, 2024.

Hall of Fame

Get in Touch

For your free initial consultation, just fill out the Leave a Message form or email jim@jamesmartinpa.com or call (727) 821-0904.
  1. 1 Highest Ratings
  2. 2 Decades of Experience
  3. 3 Quick Response

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