Donald J. Kilfin

Don has been practicing Criminal Law for over 10 years. He served as an assistant state attorney for six years which promulgated a thorough understanding of the criminal justice system and, more specifically, the inner workings of the State Attorney' Office.  As prosecutor, Don was assigned to cases that ranged in severity from minor traffic infractions to first degree murder where the State was seeking the death penalty.   

As a Partner at Hessinger and Kilfin Law, Don has dedicated himself to vigorously and ethically representing clients in the courtrooms of Tampa Bay by utilizing many of the skills he spent years honing as a prosecutor.  Don understands that being an effective advocate requires an extensive familiarity with both substantive and procedural laws, an ability to develop creative solutions for legal issues that are specific to the individual client, and the immeasurable value of persuasive communication skills, both oral and written.

The years Don spent building thousands of criminal cases, from pre-charge investigation to resolution, make him uniquely qualified to evaluate the merits of the State's case against a particular client.  Don is almost always able to identify potential weaknesses in the State's case and other mitigating factors which he uses as leverage to negotiate the best possible result on behalf of his clients.  Sometimes, the result may the filing of a "no-information" which means that the case is dropped before formal charges are ever filed.  In other cases, the best possible result may be the filing of a less serious felony or misdemeanor so as to avoid minimum mandatory sentences under Florida's 10-20 Life statutes, a mandatory guideline sentence, or a sex offender designation.  When necessary, Don is also willing and able to challenge the State's case at trial. Don has over 60 jury trials all on criminal cases.

Specific areas of criminal defense practice:

• Homicide / Murder/ Manslaughter
• Aggravated Battery / Felony Battery / Battery / Aggravated Assault / Assault
• Robbery / Burglary / Kidnapping / Arson / Criminal Mischief / Home Invasion
• DUI / Felony DUI / DUI Manslaughter / DWLSR
• Sex Crimes / Rape / Sexual Battery / Lewd and Lascivious
• Drug charges / Trafficking / Drug Houses / Drug Possession / Drug Sales / Cultivation & Manufacture
• Domestic Violence / Domestic Battery / Violation of Injunctions / Depriving use of 911 / Stalking
• Juvenile Offenses / Juvenile Diversion
• Pre-trial Intervention / Domestic Violence Diversion
• Weapons Charges / 10-20-Life / PRR / HFO / HVFO / Career Criminal Cases
• Child Abuse / Aggravated Child Abuse / Child Neglect
• Grand Theft / Petit Theft / Shoplifting / Scheme to Defraud
• White Collar Crimes / Fraud / Embezzlement / Insurance Fraud
• Internet Crimes
• Violations of Probation and Community Control
• Bond Hearings / Reconsideration of Sentence Hearings

Litigation Percentage:

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

• Florida, 2000
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida, 2007
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 2007
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 2007

Education:

• Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2000 J.D. Honors: Honor Roll Honors: National Dean's List
• Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 1996 B.A. Honors: Honors Program

Classes/Seminars Taught:

• Adjunct Professor, St. Petersburg College, 2003 - 2006

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• Clearwater Bar Association, 2007
• Pinellas County State Attorney's Office, 2000 - 2006 Member
• Domestic Violence Unit Lead Trial Attorney
• Domestic Violence Unit Felony Prosecutor
• North. Middle, & Southern Districts of Florida, 2007 - Present

Past Employment Positions:

• Police Academy at St. Petersburg College, Adjunct Instructor
• Spector, Gadon & Rosen, Associate, 2006 - 2008
• State Attorney's Office, Assistant State Attorney, 2000 - 2006

Pro Bono Activities:

• Instructor, First Dan Black Belt, World Taekwondo Federation