RESUME

Summary
Jim Martin provides legal advice and representation in three areas: (1) wills, trusts, estate planning, and probate estates; (2) real estate and construction law; and (3) corporate, LLC, business and nonprofit law. He has written legal forms books and articles in those areas for West Publishing, ALI-ABA, ALI CLE, and The Florida Bar. He serves on the editorial board of ALI CLE The Practical Lawyer. He teaches at Stetson University College of Law as an adjunct professor. He attended holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Juris Doctor in law from Stetson University. He has served on the Florida Bar Probate Rules Committee and on the executive councils of the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and Law Practice Management sections. He is a former St. Petersburg City Councilman and a graduate of Leadership St. Pete and Leadership Tampa Bay. He is rated AV by Martindale and is listed in Who’s Who in America and the World.

Education
Stetson University College of Law, Juris Doctor
Stetson University, Bachelor of Science, Mathematics
Georgia Institute of Technology

Bar Admissions
Florida
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Professional Listings & Awards
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent 30th Anniversary
Who'sWho in American Law
Who'sWho in America
Who'sWho in the World
Ben C. Willard Award, Stetson Lawyers Association
Barbara Sanders Memorial Writing Award, The Florida Bar
Tampa's Top Rated Lawyers 2012 Edition, ALM

Professional Activities
Adjunct Professor, Stetson University College of Law
ALI CLE The Practical Lawyer, Editorial Board
The Florida Bar (Former member Probate Rules Committee)
St. Petersburg Bar (Past chair Probate, Real Property, and Business Law Sections)

Community Involvement
Salvador Dali Museum (Trustee, Counsel, and Secretary)
St. Petersburg City Councilman (former)
Tampa Bay Regional Planning Councilman (former)
Pinellas County Arts Councilman (former)
Leadership St. Pete and Leadership Tampa Bay Graduate

Author/Editor - Law Books
West’s Florida Legal Forms: Business Organizations
West’s Florida Legal Forms: Real Estate Transactions
West’s Florida Legal Forms: Specialized Forms
Florida Jur Legal Forms (former editor)
West’s Legal Forms: Nonprofit Corporations
West's Florida Corporations System

Author - Law Articles
-Fifty Tips for Writing the Contract That Stays Out of Court, ALI-ABA Practical Real Estate Lawyer
-How to Write Contracts and Other Documents as a Professional in a Mechanistic World," ALI-ABA Practical Real Estate Lawyer
-How to Write Letters Nonlawyers Will Read, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer
-Fifty Tips for Writing the 21st Century Contract That Stays Out of Court, ALI-ABA Practical Real Estate Lawyer
-Legal Ways to Preserve Wealth, Fla. Bar EASL Newsletter
-Tips for Drafting Purchase Contracts, Lorman Education Services
-Forming a Small Music Business: The Who Meets the Whys and Wherefores, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer
-Drafting the Contract or Settlement Agreement That Stays Out of Court, The Brief ABA Tort Trial & Ins. Practice Section
-Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer, Fla. Bar Journal
-Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction , ALI CLE Practical Real Estate Lawyer (accepted)
-I Want to Sign an Electronic Will, ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer
-Why You Need an Employee Policy for Electronic Information, ABA Family Advocate , ALI-ABA Practical Lawyer
-I Want to Probate a Will in Federal Court, Fla. Bar News
-How to Sue an LLC Member Without Piercing the Corporate Veil, Fla. Bar News
-Is the Law of the Body a Body of Law, Fla. Bar News
-Be Careful Using Form Real Estate Contracts, Fla. Bar News
-Construction Contractors in Florida Are Incorporating, Fla. Bar News
-Don’t Forget to Put Your Client’s Address in the Judgment, Fla. Bar News
-Legislature Limits Homeowners Rights to Sue Contractors, Fla. Bar News

Speaker-Legal Seminars
-Writing the Contract that Stays Out of Court, Fla. Bar Convention
-The Lawyer's Conscience: Professionalism in Writing Contracts and Wills for a Mechanistic World, Fla. Bar Convention
-How to Write Letters Nonlawyers Will Read, Fla. Bar Convention
-Forming Small Music Business, Fla. Bar Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section
-The Lawyer's Conscience: Professionalism in Writing, Fla. Bar Convention
-Drafting Settlement Agreement That Stays Out of Court, ABA Convention Chicago
-Drafting a Clear As-Is Agreement, St. Petersburg Bar
-Ten Tips for Handling Complex Probate, St. Petersburg Bar
-Tips for Handling the Complex Real Property Transaction, St. Petersburg Bar
-Snakes in the Grass: Hidden Real Property Issues in Probate, St. Petersburg Bar

Updated May 12, 2013