George E. Tragos, Clearwater & Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer

George E. Tragos is a well-known trial attorney in the Clearwater & Tampa area. His memorable and long career includes various positions of importance. Throughout his lengthy and memorable career, he has been staff analyst for the Finance & Tax Committee of the Florida House of Representatives; Chief of the Felony and Misdemeanor Divisions of the State Attorney's Office; Commissioner to the West German Government; Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida; the United States Government representative in the courts of Switzerland during investigations within France, Switzerland and Austria; the Lead Trial Assistant for the President's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force; and Managing Partner of the Law Offices of Tragos & Sartes. While at the Law Offices of Tragos & Sartes, he has been a part of numerous well-publicized cases. Mr. Tragos' unique knowledge as both a State and Federal Prosecutor grants him the ability to handle every level of personal injury case. Mr. Tragos is respected and admired by fellow attorneys and judges for his ethical and professional demeanor. These qualities as well as his energy, ingenuity and courtroom presence are the keystones to his success as a personal injury attorney.

Mr. Tragos has been granted an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. This is the highest available rating that can be bestowed upon lawyers by their peers as well as judges in the community. He made an appearance in the 2006 edition of Best Lawyers in America and was the only Pinellas County lawyer that specializes in criminal defense to appear in all of the Criminal Defense categories for the 2007 edition. Mr. Tragos has been featured in a variety of editions of the publication Who's Who. He has been in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, Who's Who in the South and Southeastern United States, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in the World.

Mr. Tragos is also a long time leader of and active participant in the Florida legal community. He was a former member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. Mr. Tragos has chaired a variety of legal organizations including the Florida Bar Federal Practice Committee, the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar Association, and the Florida Bar Rules and Evidence Committee. He has been President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Herbert Goldberg Criminal Law American Inn of Court, and the Clearwater Bar Association. Mr. Tragos has also contributed to the legal community as a member of the Sixth Circuit Pro Bono Committee, the Sixth Circuit Grievance Committee, and the Federal Court Grievance Committee. Mr. Tragos is commonly a lecturer during continuing education seminars. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer on legal ethics at Stetson College of Law.

In addition to his contributions to the legal world, Mr. Tragos has made numerous contributions to the world of publishing. His professional works have appeared in various legal publications. He is the co-author of the Florida Bar Evidence Manual and the author of numerous articles for the American Bar Association, The Journal of the Appellate Section of the Florida Bar, the Florida Bar Journal, and Stetson Law Review. Mr. Tragos has also been featured on ABC's Dateline as well as on numerous local news channels on behalf of his clients. In addition, he has made appearances as a commentator for programs that cover various national legal news topics.

A partial list of Mr. Tragos' noteworthy clients includes Richard Dortch, President of PTL and close advisor to Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker; Enrique Pretelt, the right hand man of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega; Derik Bell, professional baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies; Captain Mansfield, the first US soldier to be court marshaled during Operation Desert Storm; Florida First Federal Savings and Loan; Premier Cruise Lines; the CFO for a Columbia Health Care Hospital; the former Boxing Champion of the World Hector "Macho" Camacho; the former leader of the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang; Former South American Managing Partner for KPMG Peat Marwick; and the Parents of Terri Schiavo.

George E. Tragos is also a family man with deep roots in his community and his Christian faith. He considers diligently representing his clients and defending the rights bestowed to us by the Constitution as the most fulfilling part of his career. This he also views as the most honorable part of his career.

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Education

• JD 1974, Florida State University;
• BA 1971, Florida State University

Admitted

• 1974 Florida; 1975 U.S. Ct. App. (11th Cir);
• 1991 District of Columbia; 1995 U.S. Tax Ct.

Professional Honors

• Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law by the Florida Bar (less than 5% of all lawyers)
• "AV" Rated by Martindale-Hubble (highest possible ranking)
• Selected by fellow attorneys to be included in "The Best Lawyers in America"

Employment History

• Criminal Division Chief 1983-85, United States Attorney's Office
• Middle District of Florida Former Felony Division Chief State Attorney's Office
• Former Lead Trial Assistant, Dept. of Justice, President's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
• Former Commissioner to the West German Government

Professional Associations

• The Florida Bar, Criminal Procedure Rules Committee (Chairman)
• The Florida Bar Rules & Evidence Committee (past Chair)
• The Florida Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers (past President)
• Clearwater Bar Assn. (past President)
• The Florida Bar, Criminal Law Section (past Chair)
• 6th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Committee (former member)
• Herbert G. Goldburgh American Inns of Court (Past President)