John R. Mathias - St. Petersburg, FL

Overview

I am Board Certified by the Florida Bar in the area of Civil Trial Law. To become board certified a lawyer must have tried a minimum of 15 cases in front of a jury and taken a written examination demonstrating their expertise in the area of Civil Trial Law. Only a small percentage of Florida lawyers are Board Certified in the area of Civil Trial. Under the Florida Bar rules, only a Board Certified Civil Trial lawyer can hold himself out as a "specialist".

I was admitted by the Supreme Court of Florida to practice law in the state of Florida in 1988. I have been admitted to practice in the Northern and Middle District Courts of the United States of America since 1988. I am also admitted to practice before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States of America. I have tried cases in both the Federal and Florida court systems.

I am a member Florida Bar Grievance Committee for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. The committee investigates and gathers facts relating to the complaints against other lawyers referred to it by the Florida Bar. The committee then makes recommendations to the Florida Bar regarding the lawyer's conduct and discipline, if necessary. I have also been trained as a Certified Civil Mediator. I have been certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Civil Court Mediator and Court appointed Mediator.

I am a member of the Florida Justice Association, American Association for Justice, The Florida Bar, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers, and The St. Petersburg Bar. I am also a member of the Northeast Exchange Club. I am rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell. Martindale-Hubbell is the oldest and most respected national legal directory. The directory rates lawyers based on reviews by their peers. The rating is based on legal ability and ethical conduct. Legal ability is rated "A" (Very High to Preeminent), "B" (High to Very High), or "C" (Good to High). Ethical Conduct is rated "V" (Very high). "AV" is the highest rating possible. Very few lawyers achieve this rating.

I graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Business Administration in May of 1985. I attended Stetson University College of Law and obtained my law degree in December of 1987. I have been practicing law continuously ever since. I began my legal career working for insurance companies defending arson, fraud, and injury claims. Some of these companies included State Farm, Allstate, and Nationwide. Nationwide Insurance Company provided additional negotiation training through the Pepperdine School of Law in California. I now use this training and experience to fight those companies I once represented.

I have been married for 15+ years and have two children. In my free time, I enjoy fly fishing for snook, redfish, tarpon, and bonefish.