Joe's story

I grew up in a home that wasn’t wealthy. I joined the military to get out of the trailer park. I served 25 years and retired with two core skills: taking care of my troops and planning (and winning) the fight. Those skills led me to law school.  I wanted to help people, especially veterans and their families. But mostly, my mindset was focused on “the fight.”

The Litigation Years

I became a litigator. Courtrooms became my battlefield. Criminal defense, divorce, civil lawsuits, and particularly probate litigation. At $375 an hour, I fought for my clients like a legal gladiator.

I thought winning would make people happy. But it didn’t always work that way. The people on the other side weren’t happy. Sometimes my own clients weren’t happy. The win wasn’t big enough. Or it cost too much. Or it took too long. 

Hourly billing made things worse. At $375 an hour, time was expensive. Clients avoided talking to me because every conversation was on the clock. They didn’t realize the better I know a person, the better I can help them.

The Breaking Point

At one point, I was managing 125 cases at the same time. The push for more clients, more billable hours, and higher hourly rates was exhausting. It turned every consultation into an analysis of attack instead of a caring conversation. I became argumentative, unhealthy, and unhappy. My family felt it too.

At the end of the year, I quit. I took time off for medical reasons and started searching for a better way to use my experience — a way to keep people out of the fights I had spent years waging in court.  I found a better way

The Lessons from Court

The House with No Deed 

A mother swore she didn’t need a plan because she “only had the house,” which she had gotten from her grandmother.

But no one in the family had ever transferred the property by deed — not her, not her grandmother, not anyone going back to the early 1900s. It cost thousands to clear title and settle taxes.

The Insurance Letter 

More than 10 years after a grandfather died, his family got a letter from an insurance company asking for proof of death.

However, the listed beneficiary had also passed away. The alternate beneficiary had passed too. We had to open multiple probates. After all the work and expense, each grandchild received $49.

My Mother’s Death

My mother was killed by a young driver high on drugs. She didn’t have much — a bank account with $38, a refrigerator with $400 owed on it. But she had a plan. She left clear instructions for bills, accounts, and personal items. Even in grief, we knew what to do and why. That plan spared us confusion, legal battles, and unnecessary costs.

The New Mission:  Lifetime Legacy Planning

I realized the best fight is the one you never have to wage in court.

That’s why I created a practice focused on Lifetime Legacy Planning — protecting families from predators, providing for loved ones’ needs, and passing on not just money, but values, wisdom, and love. I don’t bill hourly, so we can talk openly and build a plan tailored to your life.

The families I help won’t lose assets because no one knew they existed. They won’t have to fight over property because the deed wasn’t done right. And they’ll have the most precious gift you can give loved ones when you’re gone: time to grieve, remember, and heal — without a legal battle hanging over them.

Education

 

  • J.D., cum laude, Florida Coastal School of Law (2013)

  • B.S., University of Maryland University College 

  • A.A., Anne Arundel Community College ​

 

 

Professional Associations

 

  • President, Christian Legal Society, Jacksonville Chapter

  • Member, Jacksonville Bar Association (Military/Veterans Outreach Committee)

  • Member, Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section

 

 

Awards & Honors

 

  • Lawyers of Distinction 

  • Florida Veterans Foundation - Pro Bono Advocate

  • Scouting America (BSA) District Award of Merit