Carl has spent his career specializing in litigating and trying civil cases. Today he focuses his practice on the defense of persons and entities in a wide variety of tort cases involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death. He is board certified by the Florida Bar and nationally board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as an expert in civil trial law. He has been selected the last five years by Law & Politics Magazine as one of Florida’s “Super Lawyers” in the area of insurance defense.

Carl has integrated his legal career with service to his community and his profession. He is currently serving his fourth term as his judicial circuit’s representative on the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar, the governing board of the Bar. On two occasions the Presidents of the Florida Bar have chosen Carl to serve as co-Chair of the Disciplinary Review Committee, the largest committee of the Board of Governors. He has also served as Chair of the Board Review Committee on Professionalism and Advertising. From 2003 to 2004, he served as the President of the local Bar Association. The Supreme Court of Florida has chosen Carl to its 21-member Work Group on Standards for Jury Panel Sizes. He has also been involved in local government, being twice elected as Commissioner of the City of South Miami (1984 to 1990). Carl has been appointed to the faculty of the University of Florida Levin College of Law as an adjunct professor of law where he has taught Trial Practice since 1990 and served as the faculty advisor to its trial team.

In 2011, the President of the Florida Bar recognized Carl’s exemplary service with the President’s Award of Merit for chairing the committee which completely rewrote and restructured the lawyer advertising rules, a task that needed one year to complete.

He and his wife, Anna, reside in Gainesville and have two daughters and a granddaughter.

• Florida, 1976
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

• University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1976, Juris Doctorate
  Honors: Society of Wig and Robe
• University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 1972, Bachelor of Arts, With Honors
  Major: Psychology

• The Florida Bar
• Board of Governors of the Florida Bar (2005 - Present)
  • Co-Chair Disciplinary Review Committee (2011 - 2012)
  • Co-Chair Board Review Committee on Professionalism and Advertising (2011 - 2012)
  • Special Committee on Lawyer Referral Services (2011 - 2012)
  • Trial Lawyers Section
• Member, Florida Supreme Court Work Study Group on Jury Panel Sizes (2004 - 2006)
• Florida Defense Lawyers Association
• Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association (1999 - Present)
  • Board of Directors (2001 - 2005)
  • Director of Programs (1999 - 2000)
  • Past President (2003 - 2004)
• University of Florida Levin College of Law
  • Adjunct Professor of Law (1999 - Present)
  • Adjunct Lecturer of Law (1992 - 1999)
  • Faculty Advisor to Trial Team (1999 - 2003)
  • Trial Team Coach (1997 - 1999)
  • Lecturer and panelist on various topics including civil trial law, mediation and professionalism in ethics
• National Board of Trial Advocacy
  • National Board Certification
• American Board of Trial Advocates
• National Institute of Trial Advocacy
• Florida Defense Lawyers Association

• James C. Adkins American Inn of Court, Master Emeritus
• Gerald T. Bennett Inn of Court, Founder
• Super Lawyer - Florida (2006 - Present)
• President's Award of Merit from Florida Bar (2011)