Mr. West is a veteran criminal defense attorney having practiced in state and federal courts for over 35 years. In his practice, he has handled nearly every type of criminal case and has extensive experience in homicides, self-defense and firearm cases, drug offenses, DUI manslaughter and white collar fraud cases. He is among the handful of lawyers in the nation who have tried death penalty cases in both state and federal courts.
He served as co-counsel in the highly publicized George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case and has extensive experience defending serious felony cases and has successfully tried several self-defense cases involving the use of a firearm in defending against an unlawful attack. After Mr. Zimmerman’s acquittal, Mr. West continued to represent Mr. Zimmerman in the federal civil rights investigation until in 2015 the Department of Justice announced that no charges would be filed.
He holds the prestigious AV Preeminent rating by Martindale Hubbell, a 10.0 rating by Avvo, has been awarded Superlawyer status by Thomson Reuters, Top 100 by National Trial Lawyers, is recognized by Legal Elite, Florida Trend Magazine, Orlando’s Top Lawyers and has been board certified as a criminal trial specialist by the Florida Bar since 1987. In addition, he has held director positions with the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. West has presented around the country to legal organizations, law students and legal professionals on various aspects of the Zimmerman trial, including self defense law, forensic evidence in firearm cases and stand your ground issues. He has appeared on all the major media outlets in connection with the Zimmerman case or other high profile cases he’s handled.
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees before attending law school. He attended the Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles and completed his legal education at SUNY at Buffalo School of Law. After graduation, Mr. West moved to Florida and has been practicing criminal law ever since.
In addition to his private practice, Mr. West holds the position of National Trial Counsel for CCW Safe (www.ccwsafe.com). As National Trial Counsel, Mr. West is involved in developing CCW Safe’s panel of network attorneys, consulting with network attorneys regarding member representation and participating in CCW Safe sponsored training and education events.