Get to know John
St. Petersburg, FL (1984-Present)
Born into this community as a rare St. Pete native, John grew to love it and learned to fight for it.
From an early age, John has thought differently. Graduating from Lakewood High School in 2002, he excelled in math, science, technology, reading, and writing. But John was restless—looking for his true calling. Years later, he found it.
Drawing on his friends’ and family’s experiences with the criminal justice system and embracing his natural contrarian principles, John set out to become a great lawyer for those who need help the most. He is determined to stand up for those in the crosshairs of our system and to stand in the way of the awesome power of the Government.
For our system’s many faults, one person can still make a difference. John strives to be one of them.
Orlando, FL (2002-2006)
In 2006, John graduated with honors from the University of Central Florida, earning degrees in Political Science and Philosophy. After college, but before law school, John lived in Spain for almost a year, studying the language while traveling through the country and the rest of Europe. Through that experience, John learned to speak Spanish. Although he wishes he had more time to practice, John has found that his ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients has been critical in bringing comfort and understanding to clients trapped in an unfamiliar and disorienting system.
Washington D.C. (2007-2010)
In May of 2010, John graduated with honors from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C. While in law school, he realized he had a strong drive to help those most in need. Subjects like Corporate Law and International Arbitration were of no interest to him. Instead, John got his first taste of action interning as an Investigator for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. There, he learned to build serious cases in the heart of the city. Importantly, the experience sparked his passion for Criminal Defense.
John also taught a year as a Fellow in the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, a fellowship led by U.S. Supreme Court biographer Professor Stephen Wermiel and now-Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin. John, along with his other Fellows, were dispatched through the city to teach at-risk public high school students their Constitutional Rights. In addition to the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, John served as the Editor-In-Chief of the Criminal Law Brief, a student-led scholarly magazine published twice a year at the time.
Pinellas and Pasco Counties (2010-2023)
After being sworn in as licensed attorney barred in Florida, John returned to his home city of St. Petersburg to begin his career as a Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida, covering Pinellas and Pasco counties.
In nearly thirteen years as a Public Defender, John defended literally thousands of criminal cases, including trying over 100 cases.
County Court (2010-2012)
In his first two years a Public Defender, John earned his chops handling misdemeanor cases of all types. Day in and day out, he worked cases including, but not limited to:
DUI
Driving on Suspended License
Reckless Driving/Racing
Battery
Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Paraphernalia
Disorderly Conduct
Domestic Violence
Petit Theft
Resisting Arrest Without Violence
Misdemeanor Probation Violations
Through this initial experience, John learned to maneuver through the courtroom and make convincing arguments in front of juries.
Juvenile Court (2012-2013)
In 2012, John was promoted to defending Juvenile cases, a bridge connecting his later experience defending serious adult cases. In his time as Public Defender for children, John tried numerous cases to verdict and learned the basics of litigating felony cases. Juvenile court, due to its relatively minor stakes, was the perfect proving grounds to learn the critical skills necessary to succeed in adult felony cases.
Circuit Court (2013-2019)
After almost a year in the Juvenile Division, John was promoted to defend adult felony cases in Circuit Court. Here, John was introduced to the more-complex adult felony system in Florida. In his six years, John defended thousands of felony cases big and small, including but not limited to:
Drug Possession
Drug Sales
Drug Trafficking
Grand Theft
Grand Theft Motor Vehicle
Dealing in Stolen Property
False Verification of Ownership
Failure to Redeliver Leased Property
Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer
Aggravated Assault
Aggravated Battery
Arson
Resisting Arrest with Violence
Fleeing to Elude
Burglary
Failure to Register as a Sex Offender/Predator
Felony Probation Violations
Senior Public Defender (2019-2023)
After six years of trying dozens of felony-line cases, John was promoted to Senior Public Defender, a supervisory position managing felony-line Public Defenders. In addition, he was assigned some of the office’s most serious and high-profile cases. In his last four years as a Public Defender, John spent the majority of his time litigating cases of the highest magnitude. In this role, John negotiated with and litigated against prosecutors in the uppermost echelons of the State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida. John has experience defending major cases, including but not limited to:
Murder
Manslaughter
Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Death
Capital Sexual Battery
Sexual Battery
Child Abuse
Kidnapping
Home Invasion Robbery
Lewd and Lascivious
Carjacking
Robbery
10-20-Life
Prison Releasee Reoffender
Career Criminals
