PROFILE

WORK EXPERIENCE

Edwin L. Ford, P.A. (1996 to present)

President
Attorney At Law
Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator

Ruden, McClosky (1995 – 1996)

Senior Partner
Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator

Dart, Ford & Spivey, P.A. (1986 – 1995)

Senior Partner
Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator

Holland & Knight, LLP (1982 – 1986)

Partner

Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm & Furen, P.A. (1978 – 1982)

Associate/Partner

EDUCATION

Masters of Arts in Theological Studies (2014)

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies (2010)

Moody Theological Seminary

Juris Doctor (1975 – 1978)

Washington College of Law
The American University

Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) (1966 – 1970)

Seton Hall University
Dual Majors: History and Classical Languages
Minor: Theology

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

  • Director, Sarasota County Bar Association (2019-2022)
  • Vice President, New Life Lutheran Church Council
  • Member of The Florida Bar for over 41 years
  • Governor, Young Lawyers Division, The Florida Bar 1979 – 1980
  • Founding President, Young Lawyers Section of Sarasota County Bar Association 1982 – 1983
  • President, Sarasota County Bar Association 1987
  • President, United Way of Sarasota County, Inc. 1996
  • Chairman, Leadership Sarasota 1988
  • Chairman, Foundation for United Way of Sarasota County, Inc. 2000 and 2004
  • Chairman, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee, The Florida Bar 2001
  • Chairman, Sarasota Bank Community Advisory Board 1999
  • Vice President and Director, Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce 1994
  • Chairman, Olympic Torch Committee 1996
  • Director, Florida West Coast Public Broadcasting (WEDU) 1987 – 1988
  • Director, Children First, Inc. 1997 – 1998
  • Director, Community AIDS Network, Inc. 2003
  • Director, Mental Health Association of Sarasota County, Inc. 1987
  • Director, Riverview High School Foundation 2001 – 2002
  • Director, Great Sarasota’s Great Kids! 2005
  • Member, Sarasota County Grants in Aid Community Advisory Committee 1994
  • Member, Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center 1980

MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Bar Association
  • Sarasota County Bar Association
  • Florida Academy of Professional Mediators
  • Solo Practice Section, American Bar Association
  • John & Mable Ringling Museum
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Sarasota Arts Council
  • Sarasota Film Society

AWARDS AND HONORS

  • AV Rated Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Leading Florida Attorney
  • Sarasota County Bar Association Distinguished Service Award
  • United States Supreme Court Bar Association
  • Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix Community Hero
  • Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator
  • Qualified Court Appointed Arbitrator
  • Special Master, Sarasota and Dade Counties

PUBLICATIONS

  • Above the Law (Tate Publishing), 2016
  • “Documenting Real Estate Transactions”, The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, November, 1987
  • “Future Advance Financing In Florida”, The Florida Bar Journal, March 1989
  • “Avoiding Lender Liability: Ten Commandments of Customer Relationships”, Robert Morris Associates Commercial Lending Newsletter, June 1989, Volume 21, Number 6
  • “Unconventional Theories of Lender Liability in Florida”, The Florida Bar Journal, July/August 1989

PERSONAL

   Between college and law school, I served as a B-52 navigator in the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force and attained the rank of Captain. I am a Vietnam veteran.

   As a Certified Circuit Court Mediator, I have mediated thousands of cases. Those cases include disputes arising from real estate purchases and sales, personal injuries and wrongful deaths, business dissolutions, construction defects, boundary line matters, security and brokerage disputes, will and trust contests, domestic relations, defamation, civil theft, homeowners associations disputes, medical and legal malpractice actions, loss of staff privileges, nursing home disputes, eminent domain actions, disability insurance claims, NASD proceedings, mobile home park disputes, wrongful discharge claims, notes, mortgages, business purchases and sales, and insurance claims.

   The remainder of my practice consists of representing institutional and private lenders, general business counseling of private clients, business entity formation and maintenance and general civil litigation. Over the years, I have represented dozens of local, regional, and national commercial lenders in complex financial transactions and private individuals in their business entity formations and maintenance.

   I am admitted to practice in all courts in the State of Florida as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

   As a community leader, I have had the privilege to lead several non-profit human services organizations. In those capacities, I have managed both volunteers and staff members and served as a liaison among non-profit organizations and local and state government agencies.

   I have been married to Kathy for forty-nine years and we have one son, Russell.