Justin R. Zinzow is a board certified construction specialist and formerly an attorney with one of Florida's largest law firms (recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the 250 largest law firms in America), Ruden McClosky. He has spent a great deal of time educating legal professionals and community members through organizations such as Lorman Education Services and the Paralegal Association of Florida. Mr. Zinzow has lectured on, among other topics, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, judgment perfection and collection, the Fair Housing Act, construction, and landlord tenant relationships. He enjoys writing in the areas of his practice, and has published articles on the topics of ethics and professionalism and construction. Mr. Zinzow, having a background in the road construction and landscaping trades, represents all manner of sureties, developers, contractors, subcontractors, material-men, laborers, and design professionals in projects ranging from $100,000 to $500 million. He has served as an expert witness in the area of construction law. He has provided legal services relative to FDOT, the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, the Pinellas County Housing Authority, the Alachua County Housing Authority, sureties, and numerous prominent construction projects throughout the state of Florida and the Caribbean. Having a commercial practice focus, he has also represented lending institutions, factors, creditors, real estate holding companies, and landlords in all manner of complex transactions and disputes. Both Mr. Zinzow and Zinzow Law & Mediation and its staff are dedicated to service to community and Country. Over the last ten years Mr. Zinzow has personally donated at least 10,000 hours to legal pro bono programs such as the Florida Bar's Hotline for Hurricane Victims, and to other causes such as Operation American Patriot, Habitat for Humanity, the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Grand Prix Foundation of St. Petersburg, the Maritime Law Society, political campaigns, and the creation and maintenance of town parks. He is an alum of Leadership Pinellas, where, among other things, he served as Chairman of the Fundraising Committee for the Leadership Pinellas/Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas inaugural "Big for a Day Baseball Bash." For community and bar involvement, he was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Community Law Program for outstanding dedication to pro bono service and a lapel pin by the Supreme Court of Florida and the Young Lawyer's Division of the Florida Bar in recognition of exceptional pro bono service. Mr. Zinzow also enjoys serving as a consultant, advocate, and platform for elected officials and candidates to reach their constituents by hosting fundraisers for legislative, judicial, and county commission candidates. He has served as Treasurer and Special Counsel for the Greater Pinellas Young Republicans, and is very active in Florida government. He is a gubernatorial appointee, having been appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to serve a three year term on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, where Mr. Zinzow as Vice Chair has and will, in accord with the Florida Constitution, assist the Governor with appointing new judges to the bench. He has also been appointed by the Pinellas County Commission to serve as a Commissioner on the Pinellas County Board of Adjustment and Appeals, hearing appellate matters relating to construction and development. Mr. Zinzow's peers have lauded him for his expertise and service by recently nominating him for the Gulf Coast Business Review's "Top 40 Under 40" list. In 2007, he was proclaimed by Florida Trend as one of Florida's "Up and Coming Legal Elite." Mr. Zinzow is a graduate with honors from the State University of New York, School of Business, and of Stetson University College of Law, where he graduated 4th in his class.
Mr. Zinzow is the co-founder and a Director of Operation American Patriot, a Florida not-for-profit corporation created to provide support to troops deployed overseas and to injured veterans returning home. Mr. Zinzow has been featured on Fox News, Fox 13, AM Radio, and other media outlets in connection with service member advocacy. (Board Certified Construction Law Lawyer, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education)