Experienced. Efficient. Effective. Excellence.
Andrew J. Chmelir Esq.
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Practice Areas:
- Divorce
- Family Law Modification & Paternity
- Child Support
- Criminal Defense
- Federal Criminal Defense
- Postnuptial and Prenuptial Agreements
Biography
Andrew J. Chmelir earned his B.A. degree in 1993 from Florida State University's School of Criminology. Andrew then attended law school at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, where he excelled and received several academic scholarships and the prestigious Book Award in Criminal Law, Federal Income Taxation and Property Law. While in law school, Andrew interned at both the Brevard County State Attorney's Office and the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office. At the Miami office, Andrew worked as a Certified Legal Intern and served as lead counsel in several jury trials. After law school, Andrew joined the Orange County State Attorney's Office as a trial attorney and gained extensive experience prosecuting cases within Felony, Misdemeanor, Traffic and Juvenile Divisions.
After serving as a prosecutor in Orlando for over three years, in 1999, Andrew and his law partners formed the law firm of Jacobson, Chmelir & Ferwerda and have been providing legal representation to countless individuals in both family and criminal law related matters.
Andrew and the firm have defended numerous individuals facing state and federal criminal prosecutions. Andrew has represented clients in high-profile cases and has served as lead counsel in jury trials throughout Central Florida including federal district courts in both Tampa and Orlando. Andrew and his law partners are well known and respected within the federal judicial court system.
Andrew and the law firm are also experienced family law trial attorneys. The firm has handled hundreds of cases involving divorce, paternity, child support and time-sharing disputes. Andrew has received the requisite training in collaborative law and is a member of the Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida. Andrew is frequently retained by his peers to serve as an expert witness regarding attorney's fees matters.
Andrew is a seasoned appellate attorney and has authored numerous criminal and family law related appellate briefs; he has presented oral argument before state and appellate judicial panels including the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal in Atlanta, Georgia, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeal in Cincinnati, Ohio and the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, Florida. Andrew is licensed to practice law before the United States Supreme Court and has represented individuals who have sought appellate review before our nation's highest court.
Andrew's legal ability and high ethical standards have been acknowledged as he received and maintained the coveted Martindale-Hubbell "AV" peer review rating, the highest rating bestowed upon an attorney by fellow lawyers and judges.
Education
- St Thomas University School of Law, Miami, Florida
- J.D.
- Honors: Prestigious Book Award in Criminal Law
- Honors: Book Awards: Criminal Law, Property Law, and Federal Income Taxation
- Florida State University’s School of Criminology
- B.A. - 1993
Bar Admission
- Florida, 1996
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Colorado, 1997
- Missouri, 2006
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
Honors
- Martindale-Hubbell “AV” peer review rating
- Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Award Recipient
- Named “Orlando’s Top Lawyers” by Orlando Home & Leisure Magazine
- Outstanding Volunteer Award by Altamonte Springs Babe Ruth Baseball Association
- Recipient of the Advocates of the Year Award by the Seminole County Bar Association
- Susan Elizabeth Khoury GAL Award of Excellence
- Pro Bono Hero, Florida Bar Foundation
- Seminole County Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
Classes & Seminars
- Guest lecturer at Orange County traffic hearing officer school, 2019 & 2022
- Former Orange County Police Academy Instructor, 1999 to 2004
Pro-Bono Activities
- Orange County Guardian at Litem for dependent children through the Orange County Legal Aid Society
- Pro Bono instructor at Sealing & Expungement Workshops through the Seminole County Legal Aid Society
- Advisory Board Member, Florida State University Seminole Club of Greater Orlando, 2016 to Present
- ProfessioNole Mentor for FSU students
- Florida State University Seminole Club of Greater Orlando, President, 2005
- Florida State University Seminole Club of Greater Orlando, Board of Directors, 2001 to 2007
- Volunteer Attorney Mentor for Orange County Bar Association, 2020
- Former Orange County Teen Court Judge and Advisor
- Former VITA federal income tax prepared for the indigent through Orange County Legal Aid
Past Positions
- Brevard County State Attorney’s Office, Internship
- Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Internship
- Former Law Clerk at Solms & Price, P.A.
Professional Associations
- Family Law Section, Florida Bar
- Criminal Law Section, Florida Bar
- Appellate Law Section, Florida Bar
- Central Florida Criminal Defense Attorneys Association
- Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
- Seminole County Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association
- Florida Bar 18th Circuit Grievance Committee, Chairman; Member, 2010 to 2011
- Central Florida Family Law American Inn of Court
- The Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida
- Florida Bar, Family Law Section, Ad Hoc Guardian Ad Litem Committee, Member, 2021