George E. Tragos

George E. Tragos is a well renowned trial attorney. His illustrious career includes positions as a staff analyst for the Finance & Tax Committee of the Florida House of Representatives; Chief of the Felony and Misdemeanor Divisions of the State Attorney's Office; Commissioner to the West German Government; Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida; the United States Government representative in the courts of Switzerland during investigations within France, Switzerland and Austria; the Lead Trial Assistant for the President's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force; and most notably as the Managing Partner of the Law Offices of Tragos & Sartes, where he has defended numerous highly publicized cases for over 25 years. Mr. Tragos' unique experience as both a State and Federal Prosecutor affords him the ability to handle every level of criminal case from DUI's to highly complex defenses in Federal and State Courts. Mr. Tragos is well known and respected by fellow attorneys and judges for his ethical and professional demeanor. These qualities along with his vigor, resourcefulness and captivating courtroom presence are the keystones to his success as a trial attorney.

Mr. Tragos is Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law, an honor that is held by less than 1% of the over 80,000 members of the Florida Bar. As a Board Certified attorney, Mr Tragos possesses special knowledge, skills and proficiency in criminal law. Certification is the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar concerning the competency and learning of attorneys in the area for which it is approved by the Florida Supreme Court. Mr. Tragos also holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating derived from fellow lawyers and judges in the community. He was selected to appear in the 2006 & 2007 edition of Best Lawyers in America and Who's Who in America. Additionally, he was the only attorney in Pinellas County to appear in all criminal defense categories . Mr. Tragos' name has also appeared in numerous editions of Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in the South and Southeastern United States, and Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.

Mr. Tragos is also a long time leader of the Florida legal community. He was a former member on the Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. Mr. Tragos has chaired numerous legal organizations including the Florida Bar Federal Practice Committee, the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar Association, and the Florida Bar Rules and Evidence Committee. He has served as President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Herbert Goldberg Criminal Law American Inn of Court, and the Clearwater Bar Association. Mr. Tragos has also served the legal community as a former member of the Sixth Circuit Pro Bono Committee, the Sixth Circuit Grievance Committee, and the Federal Court Grievance Committee. Mr. Tragos is a frequent lecturer for continuing education seminars and has also been the long standing guest lecturer on legal ethics at Stetson College of Law.

Mr. Tragos is also an acclaimed author, whose professional works appear in numerous legal publications . He co-authored the Florida Bar Evidence Manual and has written articles for the American Bar Association, The Florida Bar Journal, The Journal of the Appellate Section of the Florida Bar, and Stetson Law Review. Mr. Tragos has also been featured on ABC's Dateline and Foxes On the Record with Gretta VanSusteren as well as on numerous local news channels on behalf of his clients as well as a commentator on various national legal news topics.

A partial list of Mr. Tragos' notable clients include Enrique Pretelt, the right hand man of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega; Richard Dortch, President of PTL and close advisor to Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker; Captain Mansfield, the first US soldier to be court marshaled during Desert Storm; the former leader of the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang; Florida First Federal Savings and Loan; Morton Plant Hospital; Premier Cruise Lines; the CFO for a Columbia Health Care Hospital; the former Boxing Champion of the World Hector "Macho" Camacho; Former South American Managing Partner for KPMG Peat Marwick; Derik Bell, professional baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies; and most recently the Parents of Terri Schiavo.

Most of all, George E. Tragos is a family man with deep roots in his community and his Christian faith who considers the honorable duty of diligently representing his clients and defending the rights bestowed to us under the Constitution as the most fulfilling part of his career.

Education

JD 1974, Florida State University;
BA 1971, Florida State University

Admitted

1974 Florida; 1975 U.S. Ct. App. (11th Cir);
1991 District of Columbia; 1995 U.S. Tax Ct.

Professional Honors

Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law by the Florida Bar (less than 1% of all lawyers)
"AV" Rated by Martindale-Hubble (highest possible ranking)
Selected by fellow attorneys to be included in "The Best Lawyers in America"

Employment History

Former Chief Criminal Division, United States Attorney's Office
Middle District of Florida Former Felony Division Chief State Attorney's Office
Former Lead Trial Assistant, Dept. of Justice, President's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Former Commissioner to the West German Government

Professional Associations

The Florida Bar, Criminal Procedure Rules Committee (Chairman)
The Florida Bar Rules & Evidence Committee (past Chair)
The Florida Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers (past President)
Clearwater Bar Assn. (past President)
The Florida Bar, Criminal Law Section (past Chair)
6th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Committee
Herbert G. Goldburgh American Inns of Court (Past President)