Robert A. Goodwin III

Mr Goodwin very clearly explained the probate process to me in the beginning. From there to the end, his associates walked me through every step with compassion and professionalism, always keeping me informed and seeking to make the experience as convenient for me as possible. I would not hesitate to... refer his services to anyone.

Throughout a long and difficult case, Trey remained focused and gave me excellent advice. He did a great job of getting us ready for trial and was terrific in the courtroom. He out-lawyered two excellent attorneys who worked for the opposing side. I continue to call him for advice on various matter...s and he is always responsive.

I was referred to this Law Firm by another local well know Law Firm. I consulted with and hired this Law Firm and Attorney. I found myself needing representation in a Probate case in dealing with the sale of a house and land that was owned by 3 family members. My case involves a one third owner , ano...ther surviving heir and a missing heir that is presumed dead at this point. The Mr. Goodwin P.A. and his entire staff have been friendly and very easy to work with. I have no complaints or regrets in hiring and working with this Law Firm and Attorney. I will admit that I don't usually like dealing with Law Firms or Attorneys. Dealing with Law Firms, Attorneys, and Lawsuits in general are not usually an enjoyable experience for most people to say the least. I have nothing negative to say about my experience. Everything has been totally positive!

Our interactions with this firm were quite disappointing. We paid an initial consultation fee of $290 for Mr. Goodwin to provide “preliminary guidance” (their emphasis) for establishing an LLC in Florida to hold our Florida property. After a discussion of the requisite steps, we left the meeting not ...feeling comfortable with the matter, but still intending to move forward. At no point during the consultation were any downsides of creating an LLC brought up. Over the next couple of days I was emailed twice by a paralegal from the firm asking us to select a registered agent so she could begin work setting up the LLC. During this same time, our Georgia estate attorney contacted me wanting to know if Mr. Goodwin had warned us of the impact of creating an LLC on our non-homestead 10% ad valorem real property tax cap, which would be followed by a higher base for annual assessments. He stated there was a recent Florida 3rd DCA opinion addressing this issue. I called the Okaloosa tax office and they confirmed that if we placed our property into an LLC then the base tax rate readjusts and it would potentially cost us thousands of dollars. In my view, this is precisely the type of information which should be brought up during a paid initial consultation session. Another indicator of a lack of attention to detail on the part of the Goodwin firm is they placed the wrong home address on our documents. We had not lived at the address they used in over four years, and we had never given it to the firm. Even on a subsequent bill of $275, apparently for the paralegal’s time, they again used the wrong address. We decided not to continue our relationship with the Goodwin law firm.