Biography
Jim Rolfes was born and raised in Florida. He attended Stetson University and graduated in 1979. He then went on to receive his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law in 1983. While at Cumberland, Jim was a member of the Law Review and a member of the National Mock Trial Team. In addition, Jim received the American Jurisprudence Awards in Constitutional Law and Admiralty, which award is given to recognize receipt of the highest grade in each class.
After being admitted to the Florida Bar in 1983, Jim joined the firm. Jim was one of the youngest attorneys to become a Board Certified Trial Lawyer in 1990, at the age of 32. He has been recertified by the Florida Supreme Court six times. In addition to being Board Certified in Civil Trial law, he has previously served on the Board of Governors of the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar and is past chairman of the Grievance Committee of the 12th Judicial Circuit. He has been AV™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 1987. An AV certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment; a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.
Jim serves as a gubernatorial appointed representative to the Twelfth Judicial Nominating Commission. He has been a member of the Commission since 2012 and served as Chairman from 2017-2018 and Vice Chairman from 2016-2017. Jim has tried over 75 jury trials to verdict in many jurisdictions throughout the State of Florida. He has acted as an expert witness in legal malpractice actions and attorney fee matters and has lectured in the field of trial practice. In addition to his mediation practice, he also had a very diverse practice involving transportation, products liability and general commercial litigation.
Jim was statewide counsel for various national and international manufacturers and was past Chairman of the Board of Children First, a non-profit organization that provides childhood and early childhood education to the less fortunate children in the Sarasota and Bradenton communities. Jim currently serves as Treasurer for the Sarasota Chapter of Girls, Inc. Girls, Inc. provides support and training for girls in Sarasota County from kindergarten through college. He has also been very active in youth sports coaching and serving as a board member for youth sports throughout Sarasota County.
In January of 2024, Jim decided to become “Of Counsel” to the firm and dedicate his entire practice to helping individuals and corporations who have been victimized by the negligent representation of attorneys throughout the State of Florida. He now devotes his entire practice to this area.
To discuss a legal malpractice matter, please call Mr. Rolfes’ Paralegal, Layne Cason, at (941) 552-4636 or email her at lcason@dglawyers.com
