Andrew J. Chmelir Esq.

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.