J. Pace Mawhinney

DIVISION lEADER/Tampa Bay

"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."
George S. Patton

Mr. Mawhinney is a division leader in the firm's St. Petersburg office concentrating in the areas of corporate and insurance defense. He has spent his career representing insurance companies, their insurers, and other parties in civil litigation throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and other surrounding counties. His practice focuses primarily on premises liability, automobile negligence, and products liability.

Mr. Mawhinney was born in Tallahassee, FL and raised in Lakeland, FL. After attending Lakeland Senior High School, Mr. Mawhinney attended Florida State University where he graduated cum laude with degrees in Criminology and English Literature. He was both a Florida Academic Scholar and 21st Century Scholar and consistently made both the Dean’s and President’s list. During this time, Mr. Mawhinney also worked as a Senior Criminal Analyst for the State Attorney’s Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit. With this position, he worked closely with law enforcement officers in the investigation of felony and misdemeanor crimes and assisted the state attorneys in the ultimate prosecution of the cases. He was afforded the opportunity to observe trial proceedings on a daily basis.

Mr. Mawhinney stayed in Tallahassee and continued his education at FSU College of Law. He gained extensive experience working in both administrative and commercial litigation while pursuing his Juris Doctorate. As a clerk with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Mr. Mawhinney had the opportunity to represent the State at the Division of Administrative Hearings in matters involving the licensure of various professional entities. He spent the summer after his second year of law school clerking with a prominent commercial litigation firm specializing in business/corporate law, eminent domain, and condemnation matters. After graduation, he was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2008.

In his spare time, Mr. Mawhinney enjoys playing guitar, exercising and watching Tampa Bay and FSU athletics.