Florida Criminal Defense Attorney

Mitchell A. Stone P.A.

Mitchell Stone Photo

Mitchell A. Stone

  • Profile
Bio

Jacksonville-Based Criminal Defense Attorney

At Mitchell A. Stone, P.A., the skill and commitment of attorney Mitch Stone is demonstrated in his impressive record of acquittals, dismissals, and other favorable verdicts and results.

Professional Profile

Mitchell (Mitch) Stone received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida College of Law in 1988. He began his career at the State Attorney's office in Miami and in Jacksonville, prosecuting DUI, domestic violence and other misdemeanors in county court and violent crimes, drug crimes, property crimes, white collar crimes, DUI manslaughter and other felonies in circuit court. He was later promoted to the Special Victims Unit (SVU) and the Homicide Team where he prosecuted capital crimes.

In 1992, he began private practice and has been a principal partner in several law firms specializing in state and federal criminal defense. Over the past three decades, he has defended cases from DUI and drug possession to murder, drug trafficking conspiracy, SVU cases, RICO and financial fraud cases. In 1999, he was recognized by the Florida Bar as a board-certified criminal trial law specialist and now serves on the Criminal Law Board Certification Committee.

He is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubble and has been named in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Florida Trend's Legal Elite, Jacksonville Magazine's Leading Lawyers and is rated 10.0 Superb by AVVO. He has successfully represented clients in numerous high-profile cases and has conducted over 150 criminal jury trials to verdict in both federal and state court.

He served as the 33rd President the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and as President of the Jacksonville Beaches Bar Association, President of the Northeast Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association and Chair of the Florida Bar Criminal Law Board Certification Committee. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Florida Bar Criminal Law Section and International Society of Barristers. He is admitted to practice in Florida, Washington, D.C., the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Middle, Southern and Northern Federal District Courts of Florida.

He has authored Property Crimes Defense Strategies (2014) and Strategies for Defending DUI Cases in Florida (2012). He was editor of the Florida Defender Magazine (2018-2019) and authored the F Words and DUI Notes columns.

He served as faculty at the Blood Breath and Tears DUI defense seminar (chair 2012-2017), the Gerald T. Bennett Prosecutor/Public Defender Advanced Trial Practice seminar, The Florida Bar's Masters of DUI, Gun Law in Florida, ProLawCLE: Defending White Collar Criminal Cases, DUIDLA Diving into DUI, Lorman DUI Defense and Showcase on Sentencing.

In 2021 he was awarded the G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award by the Florida Bar and was named Lawyer of the Year in 2022 by Best Lawyers for his work in Criminal Defense. He is also a frequent commentator on criminal law issues in national, state, and local media.

Personal

Mitch Stone has been married to his wife Christine since 1988 and has two daughters, Hannah and Sarah. He lives in Atlantic Beach and enjoys surfing and paddleboarding when not practicing law or playing golf. He is a member of Surfrider and is an advocate for protecting our environment and the beaches.

Call our Jacksonville offices at (904) 263-5005, or use or our contact page to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

Areas of Practice

Litigation Percentage

  • 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Board Certified, Criminal Law Trial Lawyer, Florida Board of Legal Specialization and Education

Bar Admissions

  • Florida, 1989
  • District of Columbia, 1991
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida, 1991
  • U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1990
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1990
  • U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, 1991

Education

  • University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida
    • J.D. - 1988
    • Law Journal: Editor, University of Florida International Law Journal, 1987 - 1988
  • University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
    • B.A. - 1985
    • Major: Political Science

Published Works

  • "Defending the Unlicensed Contractor: A Novel Approach," Defender Magazine, Summer, 1999
  • "Doggett Days in Federal Court," Defender Magazine, Spring, 2001
  • "DUI Notes: 3 Things You Should Know About," Florida Defender, Winter, 2006
  • "DUI Notes: An Achiever's Guide to Law Enforcement Jurisdiction in Florida," Florida Defender, Fall, 2008
  • "DUI Notes: Cowboy, Killer or Candybar...Read the Label," Florida Defender, 2008-2009
  • "DUI Notes: Boating Under the Influence," Florida Defender, Fall, 2009
  • "DUI Notes: Oh, Brother What Will They Think of Next?," Florida Defender, Spring, 2009
  • "DUI Notes: DMV Fought the Law and the Law Won or Can I Get Some BTUs," Florida Defender, Volume 21, No.2, 2009
  • "DUI Notes: Nothing to Sneeze At" Florida Defender, Winter, 2009
  • "DUI Notes: Working’ with Workman" Florida Defender, Fall, 2010
  • "DUI Notes: Who Said Hearsay was Admissible?" Florida Defender, Spring, 2010
  • "DUI Notes: Guilt by Implication –Implying More than Consent" Florida Defender, Summer, 2010
  • "DUI Notes: DUI MURDER A Matter of Prosecutorial Discretion" Florida Defender, Winter, 2010
  • "DUI Notes: Bullcoming!" Florida Defender, Fall, 2011
  • "DUI Notes: You’re Putting Me ON, Right?" Florida Defender, Spring, 2011
  • "DUI Notes: Affirmative DUI Defenses that Might Just Work" Florida Defender, Summer, 2011
  • "DUI Notes: Is He Really Permitted to Ask You to Blow?" Florida Defender, Winter, 2011
  • "DUI Notes: ONE AND DONE? Maybe Not." Florida Defender, Fall, 2012
  • "DUI Notes: It’s Not a Cinderella Story" Florida Defender, Spring, 2012
  • "DUI Notes: An Unintended Consequence" Florida Defender, Summer, 2012
  • "DUI Notes: A Case for Accident Reconstruction Experts" Florida Defender, Winter, 2012
  • "DUI Notes: Ch-Ch-Cha –Changes… Recent Changes to laws concerning DMV Suspensions" Florida Defender, Fall, 2013
  • "DUI Notes: What Difference Does a Hole Make?" Florida Defender, Spring, 2013
  • "DUI Notes: The End of an Error" Florida Defender, Summer, 2013
  • "DUI Notes: Cause and Rehabilitation in DUI Trials" Florida Defender, Winter, 2013
  • "DUI Notes: Pop Stars Get Popped" Florida Defender, Spring, 2014
  • "DUI Notes: The End of DUI Defense? Maybe, But Not So Fast" Florida Defender, Summer, 2014
  • "F Words: Get Your Federally Incarcerated Client an Amendment 782 Sentence Reduction Now! Well, Sort of… " Florida Defender, Spring, 2015
  • "F Words: Did He Just Use the F Word in Front of the Jury?" Florida Defender, Summer, 2015
  • "The Fantasy About Fantasy Games in Florida" Florida Defender, Winter, 2015
  • "F Words: Do You Have the Right to Remain Silent?" Florida Defender, Fall, 2016
  • "F Words: Do you Have a Dog in This Fight" Florida Defender, Summer, 2016
  • "F Words: Fact is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction" Florida Defender, Winter, 2016
  • "F Words: Defending a Case of Criminal Legal Malpractice" Florida Defender, Summer, 2017
  • "F Words: Follow the Bitcoin... or Track Me If You Can" Florida Defender, Winter, 2017-2018
  • "Who Are We? William “Bill Sheppard, Esq." Spring, 2018
  • "The Editor’s Column: Learning the Ropes by Serving" Spring, 2019

Representative Cases

Classes/Seminars

  • Faculty - Gerald T. Bennett Advanced Trial Advocacy Seminar, 2003 - Present
  • Faculty - Search & Seizure Law, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, 1990
  • Faculty - Strategies in Handling DUI Cases in Florida, 2005, 2007
  • Faculty - Blood, Breath & Tears XII, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2005, 2009
  • Faculty - Federal Sentencing at the Showcase on Sentencing, 2009
  • Chair - Blood Breath & Tears DUI Seminar, 2010-2017
  • Faculty - The Florida Bar Masters of DUI 2012, 2014,2016,2018,2019
  • Faculty - ProLawCLE Defending White Collar Crime  2019

Professional Associations & Memberships

  • Jacksonville Bar Association, Criminal Law Section, Member, Chairman, 1991 - 1992
  • The Florida Bar, Member
  • Florida Association of Criminal Defense, Board Member, Secretary 2017, Treasurer 2018, President-Elect 2019, President 2020
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member
  • Northeast Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Past President
  • Jacksonville Beaches Bar Association, President 2017-2018

Past Employment Positions

  • State Attorneys Office, Miami 1988
  • State Attorneys Office, Jacksonville 1988-1991
  • Fannin & Tyler 1991-1992
  • Healy & Stone 1992-1994
  • Healy, Stone & Zahler 1994-1998
  • Mitchell A. Stone & Associates, P.A. 1998 - 2007
  • Stone, Taylor & Associates, P.A. 2007-2009
  • Stone & Associates 2009-2012
  • Stone Lockett, P.A. 2012-2018
  • Mitchell A. Stone, P.A. 2018 - Present

Pro Bono Activities

  • Annually Contributes to Jacksonville Legal Aid

Languages

  • Spanish