Ever since my youth, one of my talents has always been my ability to persuade. That talent emerged when I was a teenager and continues today. Family members often recount the story of how I was somehow able to convince my parents that it was safe for a 16-year-old (me) to have a Mustang sports car with a overpowered engine. My parents were not gullible. It was just that I was very persuasive. That talent served me well in the past and continues to serve me well today as a trial lawyer.

Watch a video of me discussing one of several types of injury lawsuits my practice focuses on.

I was born in Orlando, Florida but spent my youth in Daytona Beach. I was born in Orlando instead of Daytona where my parents lived because the hospital in Orlando was the only hospital in the region that would allow my father to be present during my birth. Growing up back in Daytona Beach, I spent as much time outside as I could. A typical summer day consisted of surfing at the beach all morning, followed by baseball or basketball all afternoon, topped off with all-night games of Marco Polo in the neighbor's pool. We did not have a TV growing up so I read everything I could get my hands on. Though I complained at the time about no TV, looking back I now realize all that reading contributed greatly to my academic success and strong writing skills.

 

I attended Seabreeze High School and the University of Florida. In college I majored in journalism and worked as a writer and editor for The Independent Florida Alligator, an independent newspaper for Gainesville's student audience. My duties ranged widely as a writer and editor at the Alligator. I covered the police beat and government affairs; I served as editor of the entertainment section (click here for the story behind why I declined an opportunity to interview Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Robin Williams) and as a "foreign correspondent" during my study abroad semester in Italy (read my articles about Italian family values, Italian views on alcohol, my visit to Florence's Duomo and my favorite book about Italy).

 

My study abroad semester was a highlight that heavily influenced my young adulthood. I grew up hearing stories about how much fun my father had during his study abroad term in Florence, Italy - that his program had 70 girls to 10 guys, that he traveled across Europe and had many adventures. So when I had the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Florence, I jumped at it.

 

My semester abroad was all I had imagined and much more. I enjoyed it so much that after graduating from the University of Florida, I returned to Italy to work and live. I had not seen nearly as much of Europe as I would have liked in my one semester there. I wanted to live there and immerse myself in a new and different culture. I landed in Rome, Italy with no job, no friends and very little ability to speak the language. It was the first time I was ever homesick. But I stuck out the hard times and built a life for myself. I lived in Rome for two and a half years taking in all I could and traveling frequently.

 

The job I took in Rome as an English language teacher opened possibilities for me to work in almost any part of the world because English is a global language. I took advantage of that opportunity to live and work in Stockholm, Sweden. After two and a half years in Italy, I was ready to continue exploring a different side of Europe.

 

I moved to Stockholm in the summer of 2000 and got just what I bargained for too. Sweden is very different than Italy. It is stereotypical to describe Sweden as orderly and Italy as disorganized, but it's true. Stereotypically, Sweden can be called modern and cold while Italy is ancient and warm. Both countries certainly lived up to those labels for me. While Swedish summers are spectacular, sunny, bright and carefree, Swedish winters are not so. As my first Swedish winter approached, I actually looked forward to the clocks falling back and the days shortening. I thought it would be a fun, new experience to watch the sunset at 2p.m. and nighttime darkness fall at 3 p.m. Turned out it was new, but not fun. My internal clock spun out of control, and I developed trouble sleeping. Life near the Arctic Circle wasn't for me.

 

So I moved to Hawaii. The sunny skies were a powerful antidote that worked quickly to quell my insomnia. I returned to the outdoor sports and activities I had enjoyed back home in Daytona Beach. I surfed, hiked, sailed, and SCUBA dove. It never got old. (View pictures here)

 

Though living in Hawaii never got old, I was getting older each year I spent there. After almost three years in Honolulu, I decided it was time to move on toward developing a career. I returned to Florida for graduate school, getting three advanced degrees in five years. I earned a law degree with honors from Florida State University in 2008 plus a Master's in Business Administration with high honors and Master's in Entrepreneurship with high honors from the University of South Florida. Few people know that USF's entrepreneurship program is ranked #5 nationally by the Princeton Review.

 

During law school, I received several honors including several book awards which recognize the highest grade awarded in each class. I was also invited to join several of the law school's legal journals. I also worked as a law clerk at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

During law school, I participated in a fund-raising effort by law students to combat Lou Gehrig's disease that involved racing in a local triathlon. A law professor had been diagnosed with the disease and the fund-raising effort was done in his honor. Even the short course (900 yards swimming, 16 miles bicycling and 3.2 miles running) was daunting to me at the time, but I dove into the training and soon fell in love with the sport. In 2010, I completed the Florida Ironman triathlon, a single day event requiring competitors to complete 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles bicycling and 26.2 miles running for a total of 140.6 miles. (Watch my Ironman video) I've come a long way since my first triathlon and so has the student group raising funds for Lou Gehrig's disease. To date, that group has donated more than $150,000 to Lou Gehrig's disease research. (Watch a video about the group)

 

After completing law school, I returned home to Daytona Beach where I married my wife, Erin, who gave us our child, a son named Finn. (Read our newsletter about Finn's birth). I am a proud papa and a lucky husband. Today, I balance family, work and triathlon, keeping them in that order. I love being able to have a job that allows me to be of so much help to people who are so grateful and in such need.

 

I focus my legal practice on helping victims of serious personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and child injuries. I am a member in good standing with the Florida Bar, the Central Florida Trial Lawyers Association, Florida Justice Association, American Association for Justice, and the Volusia County Bar Association.

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Zimmet & Quarles. P.L.
Halifax Harbor Marina
125 Basin Street, Suite 210
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Phone: (386) 255-4020
Fax: (386) 255-2027
Toll Free: (800) 934-1020
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