James W. Martin is a Florida Bar Board Certified Real Estate Lawyer in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, who has practiced real estate, wills, trusts and probate law for five decades. He attended Georgia Tech, Stetson University, and Stetson University College of Law, earning a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and a law degree. In addition to his law practice, he has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law since 2009. He teaches Advanced Legal Writing Contract Drafting and Law Practice Management. He was inducted into the Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame in 2013. Stetson is nationally ranked #1 in trial advocacy and #3 in legal writing by U.S. News & World Report. St. Petersburg attorney James W. Martin has the highest attorney ratings on Justia, Martindale, Lawyers, Avvo, and Super Lawyers. He has drafted and reviewed hundreds of wills and living trusts and real estate sales contracts and leases, and he has handled the legal aspects of all types of probate and trust estates including administration and litigation. He served for six years on The Florida Bar Probate Rules Committee, he has served as chair of the St. Petersburg Bar Association Real Property, Business, and Probate Sections. James W. Martin has written nationally-published law books, legal articles, and legal forms for Florida attorneys, including five legal forms books published in 2022 on real estate sales contracts, real estate leases, LLCs, business corporations, and nonprofit corporations, which are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Before that 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 (see below). He also writes a blog with comments on Florida real estate, business, probate, and trust estate law.

Highest Ratings

Professional Associations

Community Organizations

Books Author

  • 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 Author

  • Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate (With Forms), The Practical Lawyer, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education; The Florida Bar Journal
  • Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction (With Forms and Checklist), ALI CLE The Practical Real Estate Lawyer
  • 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
  • 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
  • How to Write Letters Nonlawyers Will Read, ALI-ABA The Practical Real Estate Lawyer and 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

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

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

Education

  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Stetson University, Bachelor of Science B.S. in Mathematics
  • Stetson University College of Law, Juris Doctor J.D.

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 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 January 26, 2025.

Hall of Fame

Get in Touch

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