Has handled several thousand criminal cases- Has litigated in over one hundred trials on charges ranging from misdemeanors to capital felonies
- Fluent in Spanish, Conversational proficiency in Portuguese
- Eckerd College – St. Petersburg, FL
- Merit Scholarship
- Major: History
- Semester Abroad at University of London
- Georgia State University College of Law – Atlanta, GA
- Full Tuition Fellowship – Atlanta Law School Fellows
- U.S. Department of Justice – Litigation Internship
- Solicitor General, Clayton County – Prosecutorial Internship
- Vice President – Student Trial Lawyers Association
- Office of the Solicitor General, Cobb County GA – Assistant Solicitor General
- Handled hundreds of DUI cases
- Attended GA Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council Training in subjects including:
- DUI
- Domestic Violence
- Child Abuse
- DNA Evidence – Analysis & Presentation
- Gang Activity
- 2001 – 2007: Founded and managed Law Office of Chris Westmoreland in Marietta, GA – Criminal Defense Practice
- Misdemeanor and Felony litigation at all stages including trial
- DUI Defense Seminar
- GA Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Seminar and Training – attended 4 times
- 2007-2008: Pinellas County Public Defender’s Office – Assistant Public Defender
- Misdemeanor and Felony litigation at all stages including trial
- Founded Law Office of Chris Westmoreland, P.A. in Clearwater, FL – Criminal Defense PracticeChris Westmoreland was born in Stanford, CA. He knew by age eleven that he would become a lawyer for the purpose of standing up for the disadvantaged and challenging authority when it was wrong.After graduating from Eckerd College he took a position in the Emergency Department at Crawford W. Long Hospital in downtown Atlanta, GA. Chris assumed different roles in the ER depending on what was immediately needed. This included assisting with emergency medical procedures and coordinating tests and care for the patients. He served as a special liaison during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when CWLH was the primary medical treatment facility for Olympic athletes & dignitaries. His language skills were put to good use as a translator in Spanish & Portuguese.
Chris has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central & South America, including Brazil where he acquired his abilities in Portuguese. He was strongly tempted to stay in Brazil after several months there, but returned to begin law school.
European law studies at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria were a highlight of his legal education. But during a summer internship at the Clayton County Solicitor’s Office he had his first chance to try criminal cases before juries and judges, and was hooked.
Chris worked as a prosecutor in the Office of the Solicitor General in Cobb County, GA, where he represented the state at scores of criminal trials. He was lucky to have his first position as a full-fledged attorney take him to work in the courtroom every day.
In 2001 he launched his own law practice focusing on criminal defense in metro Atlanta. During that time he tried jury cases on charges ranging from DUI to life felonies. He further honed his skills and understanding with regular attendance at seminars in both DUI and criminal defense.
The promise of a life closer to family and the open water convinced Chris to leave his roots and thriving law practice in Atlanta to relocate to the Tampa Bay area. He spent a year as an attorney in the Public Defender’s Office in Pinellas County where he vigorously defended the rights of those accused of both felony and misdemeanor charges, and familiarized himself with the nuances of Florida criminal law.
Chris maintains a balanced lifestyle through spending time with his family, boating and all sorts of physical activity. He is a self-taught guitar player of over twenty years and enjoys playing and listening to music from all over the world. He loves his wife’s cooking.
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