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Robert Stuart Willis
Mr.
Willis, senior partner, has been board certified in criminal trial law
since 1993 and is a former prosecutor with extensive experience in the
defense of criminal cases in both state and federal courts. He is AV
rated (highest) by Martindale-Hubbell and has been featured in
Jacksonville Magazine as one of the five best criminal lawyers in
Jacksonville as voted by his peers. He has also been consistently named
in articles by that same publication as among the best criminal lawyers
in the City of Jacksonville. He is included annually in the national
publication entitled The Best Lawyers In America and Mr. Willis was named
as Lawyer of the Year for Jacksonville in 2011 by that same publication.
He is also included in the statewide publication, Florida Super Lawyers,
and has been named by Florida Trend Magazine as a member of Florida's
"Legal Elite" in the practice area of criminal law. Mr. Willis
has twice been named Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the
Jacksonville Bar (1994-1995, 1995-1996), was a State Board member of the
Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Chairman of the
Ethics Committee of the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar. He is
also a Master in the Chester Bedell Inn of
Court. For almost a dozen years he was an instructor at the Trial
Advocacy Seminar for prosecutors and public defenders at the University
of Florida School of Law and has lectured on various criminal law
subjects for Bar sponsored seminars including giving the professionalism
lecture for the "Bridge the Gap" seminar that is required for
all new Florida lawyers. Mr. Willis has also served as a mentor for the
Jacksonville Bar and been recognized as a pro bono resource attorney in
capital cases by the Commission of the Administration of Justice in
capital cases. He is "death qualified" to serve as lead counsel
in capital cases.
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Mr.
Willis is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United
States, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of
Appeals, the Middle District of Florida, and all Florida courts. He has
appeared pro hoc vice in the courts of New Jersey, North Carolina,
Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Tennessee. He is also a member of the
American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Mr.
Willis' undergraduate education was at the University of Florida and the
University of South Florida. While an undergraduate at the University of Florida,
he was a member of the university's debate team. He holds a juris doctor
degree from the University of Florida College of Law. While earning that
degree, he was elected Chancellor of the Student Honor Court, and was
inducted into Florida Blue Key Honor Fraternity. He has served as an
officer or member of the Board for various charitable organizations with
a special interest in serving the needs of mentally handicapped children
and adults. He has also received various awards for his pro bono representation
of indigent persons.
In
addition to criminal trial practice, Mr. Willis has extensive experience
in licensure defense, primarily defense of lawyers in Bar grievance
proceedings, and, similar disciplinary proceedings involving healthcare
professionals.
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David B. Ferebee
Mr.
Ferebee, a senior partner, also is a licensed
Certified Public Accountant since 1979 and prior to entering the practice
of law he was employed by local and national CPA firms. In addition to
his law degree, Mr. Ferebee holds a graduate
law degree, a Masters of Law-Taxation from the nationally recognized
University of Florida Graduate Tax Program. As an attorney, Mr. Ferebee is AV rated (highest) by Martindale-Hubbell,
a recognized national lawyer directory, based on peer reviews.
Since
1985, Mr. Ferebee has been in private legal
practice providing advice and legal representation primarily in areas of
tax, Internal Revenue Service matters and controversies, estates, wills,
trusts, guardianship, business and bankruptcy. While in private practice,
he has qualified and testified in state and federal courts as an expert
witness in tax and bankruptcy matters. Mr. Ferebee
has routinely been asked by other legal practitioners and judges to serve
as court appointed counsel in estate and guardianship cases protecting
the rights of incapacitated individuals or minors. Mr. Ferebee has also been lead trial counsel in several
nationally reported and published trial decisions in the tax, estate,
commercial and bankruptcy areas. Mr. Ferebee's
commitments, clientele, and experience are broad based, including over 15
years of pro bono voluntary service to the Jacksonville Bar Association
providing consultations in estate, tax and bankruptcy matters.
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Prior
to entering private practice, Mr. Ferebee was a
trial attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue
Service, representing the Internal Revenue Service in trials before the
United States Tax Court and serving as a legal advisor for the Internal
Revenue Service audit, collection, and criminal personnel.
Mr.
Ferebee has been a lecturer, speaker, and
instructor in the estate and tax areas as well as an adjunct professor in
tax research at the University of North Florida Graduate School of
Accounting, an instructor in the replica breitling estates and trusts course for the
American Institute of Paralegal Studies, and a lecturer for the
Jacksonville Bar Association, Florida Community College, and Jacksonville
Public Libraries. Mr. Ferebee's past and/or
current affiliations include membership in the Florida Institute of
Certified Public Accountants, the American Association of Attorney
Certified Public Accountants, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the
Tax Section, Elder Law Section, and Real Property and Probate Law Section
of the Florida Bar.
Mr.
Ferebee obtained his undergraduate degree from
the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (B.S. - Business
Administration) and he received his Juris Doctor with honors (J.D.) from
the University of Florida.
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