I,ve got a friend who,s a lawyer

Barry Rigby

Barry Rigby, Esq.

Law Offices of Barry Rigby, P.A.

PO Box 568841

Orlando, FL 32856

(407) 650-1985

barryrigbylaw@gmail.com

About me

I’m originally from rural Missouri. After high school, I moved to Florida to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville. I received my undergraduate and law degrees from UF.

After law school, I worked as an analyst for the Florida House of Representatives in Tallahassee, and while living in Tallahassee I earned a significant number of graduate-level credits at FSU. So even though I’m a Gator by my degrees, I tell people I’m also a Semi ‘Nole.

From Tallahassee, I moved to Orlando where I served as an assistant state attorney before being lured into private practice by a small law firm. In 1995 I left private practice to take a position with The Florida Bar. I worked in its Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale branches as well as its Tallahassee headquarters before returning to private practice in 2003.

For the past 20 years, my practice has focused on representing attorneys in Florida Bar disciplinary proceedings and representing applicants before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. I’ve also maintained a diverse general practice, including family law, civil litigation, criminal defense and estate planning . My practice is based in Central Florida, but I’ve handled cases statewide – from Pensacola to Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Ft. Myers to Tampa, and many parts in between.

Although the bulk of my current practice is family law, collections, representing attorneys in Florida Bar proceedings, and providing expert opinions and testimony in matters relating to attorney conduct and legal malpractice, I’ve had experience in many areas. Click this link to find out about a consultation .

I,m an optimist.

Every day, I strive to make a meaningful difference, providing wise counsel and support to those who need it.

Representing Attorneys

There are relatively few attorneys throughout the state who regularly represent other attorneys. I’ve been doing so for 20 years, and before that I spent several years working for The Florida Bar. I understand how devastating it can be to receive a Bar complaint. I’m intimately familiar with The Florida Bar disciplinary system, and I maintain a good working relationship with Florida Bar attorneys and staff. Many times there’s no way to come away from a disciplinary proceeding completely unscathed, but I believe that I’m able to guide my clients to the best results possible under difficult circumstances.

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Representing Bar Applicants

Though I’ve only been representing Bar applicants for about 20 years, I got my first inside view of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners while I was in law school in the mid-80s. I worked for an attorney who was on the FBBE, and he asked me to bartend for a private party he hosted after one of their meetings. I was able to hear some of the discussions over cocktails about various cases – of course without names of applicants or their attorneys. This gave me, even as a Bar applicant myself, insight into how the FBBE views issues. I had no idea that many years later, I’d be one of the attorneys helping applicants navigate the admission process. If someone is held up in the admission process, it’s because of some misstep in the past. My goals is not just to help someone gain admission to the Bar, but to be a life coach of sorts and help those people learn how to best address errors and misfortunes, past and future.

Family Law and Criminal Law

I handled my first divorce case in 1986, while enrolled in the Civil Clinic at UF law school. I represented a woman who was overdue to get out of an abusive relationship. It would be a few years before I’d handle another family law case, but over the years, family law has remained a substantial part of my practice. I strive to be empathic and compassionate, and never judgmental. I’ve been divorced twice, so I understand how difficult and draining it can be to go through the process. I handle not only divorces, but also paternity/custody matters, domestic violence cases, modifications, child support, and dependency cases involving DCF. I also handle family law appeals.

I don’t actively seek out criminal law cases anymore, but I continue to do criminal law cases for past clients or clients that I’m helping in another type of matter. I’m very sensitive to fees and costs in family and criminal law cases. Experienced attorneys recognize “worst day in court” scenarios in family law cases. If the worst financial hit that a judge would impose on a client is, for example, $50,000.00, it probably doesn’t make sense to spend $20,000.00 on attorneys’ fees.

Similarly in a criminal case, if a client isn’t facing jail time, it doesn’t make sense to pull out all the stops when a reasonable plea offer will be forthcoming from the State. Even though a case may be a felony and a defendant is theoretically subject to five years in prison, an experienced attorney will know when that case will result in a probation offer. Clients shouldn’t be charged excessive fees to do a simple plea negotiation.

In paternity cases, the new amendments to the statutes make it more likely than ever that a father will get 50% timesharing. However, there are still parenting issues that warrant hiring an attorney even if timesharing is not in dispute. Many people who try to do divorce or paternity cases on their own to save money find that they made costly mistakes and hiring an attorney would have saved money over time.

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Civil Litigation

When I left the State Attorney’s Office many years ago, I went to work for a small law firm with two excellent lawyers. They taught me how to respect clients both personally and financially, to always be mindful of what a case “will hold” – an attorney should never charge out of proportion to the difficulty of the case or the client’s resources. I’ve handled construction litigation, real estate disputes, land use disputes, landlord tenant matters, and many types of breach of contract. I pride myself on being able to handle civil cases of the most complex nature, without breaking the client’s bank. Before plunking down a big retainer over a civil dispute consider having a consultation with me to see if the matter is in an area where I have significant experience and can handle the case cost effectively.

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Estate Planning

Early in my career, I took most of my continuing education in estate planning. I’ve continued to do estate planning work over the years. My parents have passed on, and my family had litigation over some of their estate. Two of my brothers also predeceased me, and I unfortunately got to see first-hand the types of issues that affected their survivors. When I do estate planning, I take the time to understand my clients’ wishes, but I also take the time to help them think through what will transpire when they pass. Estate planning isn’t just about having sophisticated software to generate complicated documents – something I’ve seen from estate planning specialists many times. It’s about helping clients make sound, practical decisions to create the best circumstances for their survivors when they pass.

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Consultations

I will provide scheduled consultations by phone, video (Zoom or FaceTime) or in person. Basic 15-minute initial phone consultations are free. FaceTime or Zoom consultations are $100.00 for up to 45 minutes. In-person consultations are $250.00 for one hour.

Barry Rigby

Career Highlights

Professional

  • Chief Headquarters Discipline Counsel for The Florida Bar (Tallahassee)
  • Chief Branch Discipline Counsel for The Florida Bar (Ft. Lauderdale)
  • UPL Counsel for The Florida Bar (Orlando)
  • Past Orange County Guardian Ad Litem award recipient
  • Past Chair of the statewide Florida Bar Client Security Fund Committee
  • Past Member of the 9th Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee
  • Past Family Law Certified Mediator
  • Frequent lecturer in seminars dealing with ethics and professional responsibility

Civic

  • Past Kiwanis Club President
  • Past Kiwanis Club Lt. Governor
  • Past Salvation Army board member
  • Past Menello Museum of Art board member