Mark Matthew O'Mara

Mark M. O’Mara has been a fixture in the Central Florida legal community since 1982.  He started his career as a prosecutor for the State Attorney’s office in Seminole County, then crossed to the other side of the courtroom and has served as a defense attorney ever since.  Mark is one of the very few lawyers in Florida who is Board Certified in both Criminal Trial Law and Marital and Family Law, and he is certified in Collaborative Law and is a Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator and Circuit Civil Mediator. He has practiced in both state and federal courts throughout the nation, often co-counseling for trials and civil rights matters. As a trial consultant, Mark helps other lawyers perform at their peak in trials with complicated legal issues, particularly those under intense media scrutiny. He also created Flywheel Mediaworks, Inc. through which he and the team assist other lawyers with media management, jury selection and social media inquiries and monitoring. While leading the high-profile defense of George Zimmerman, Mark received acclaim for his even-handed management of the controversial case.  His on-camera experience during the trial earned him the honor of being a CNN legal analyst.  Since the verdict, Mark has used his voice to contribute to the national conversation about race, guns, self-defense, the media, and the criminal justice system -- and he speaks frequently on these topics.

Moreover, he started a non-profit organization called Justice Outreach, designed to identify and fix problems with the justice system, and he is an advocate for change in state and national laws that lead to the over-prosecution of American citizens, whether it be by unbridled prosecutors or inappropriately applied minimum mandatory sentencing schemes. He also heads up the Talking Race project () where he works with Dr. Jeffrianne Wilder of UNF.

He has recently expanded his practice to include representing client aggrieved by large corporations, from drug and medical device manufacturers to automobile companies in an area of law known as Mass Torts. He and his team utilize the research and trial presentation skills honed over thirty years to hold these companies responsible for their wrongs, and to make them more responsible in their future behavior.

Mr. O’Mara earned his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law in 1982, and received his undergraduate degree from University of Central Florida in 1979.   He  has taught at Harvard Law School; the University of Central Florida; Duquesne University and Adrian College; he has taught seminars for the Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Trial Lawyers, South Carolina Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association, Mass Torts Made Perfect Seminar, Central Florida Family Law American Inn of Court, the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar, the Florida Homicide Investigators Association, the University of Buffalo Mock Court Competition, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Florida Family Law Practice for Paralegals program.  He is Martindale-Hubbell A.V. Preeminent rated, and served as President of the Seminole County Bar Association and as President of the Central Florida Family Law American Inn of Court. He has most recently been selected as a member of the NTL Round Table, the top 100 most Influential Trial Lawyers in America and was selected as the NTL Criminal Trial Lawyer of the Year.