CHARLES F. ROBINSON is a Board Certified Elder Law Attorney in Clearwater, Florida, who specializes in elder law. He is a futurist with special focus on the future of the legal profession. Charlie has spoken to many professional organizations all over the United States and Canada on future trends in the professional world.  In his law practice he specializes in Elder Law including asset protection planning (Medicaid), incapacity planning, probate, and fiduciary services (trust and estate administration).

Education
Charlie received his AA Degree from St. Petersburg Junior College and his BA and JD degrees from the University of Florida.

Professional Accreditations

• Association of Professional Futurist

• Certified Trainer in Joel Barker’s Implications Wheel

• Florida Bar Board Certified Elder Law Attorney

• Accredited Attorney for Veteran Benefits Planning

• Certified as a Civil Circuit Court Mediator by the Florida Supreme Court

• Certified Court-Appointed Arbitrator by the Florida Supreme Court

Honors and Awards

• Appointed by Governor Crist to the Department of Elder Affairs Advisory Council 2009

• Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council

• 2006 Recipient of The Florida Bar Elder Law Section Charlotte Brayer Public Service Award

• Recipient of the “Outstanding Member” award from The Florida Bar Elder Law

• Section as a member of the Medicaid Task Force

• Recipient of the “Outstanding Member” award from The Florida Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

• Fellow and past board member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)

• A-v Martindale-Hubble rated

• Member of Legal Elite as named by Florida Trend

• Named in Top Attorneys in Florida by Super Lawyers.com

• Recipient of Advocare Trust Inc. Annual Chairman’s Award

• Named one of eight small firm Lawyers of the Year by Lawyers Weekly USA

• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and The Florida Bar Foundation

• 1998 recipient of the Judge E. Earl Zehmer Award from The Florida Bar for contributions to legal technology

• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Florida Bar Foundation.

Martindale Hubbell
Read about Charlie in Martindale Hubbell

Futurist Presentations

• “Future of Law” Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Sarasota Bar November 17, 2010

• “Future of Law” for the Minnesota Bar on August 8, 2005

• “Future of Law” for the New Hampshire Bar on September 23, 2005

• “Future of Law Practice for the Wisconsin Bar on August 12, 2006

• "The Future Is Now" for the New Hampshire Bar Leadership Conference in North Hampton, NH, on September 23 and 24, 2005.

• "How Solo and Small Firm Practitioners Can and Must Seize the Future" for Minnesota Continuing Legal Education's Solo and Small Firm Practitioners CLE in Duluth, MN, on August 8, 2005.

• "The Future of the Legal Profession and CLE" for The Association for Continuing Legal Education in Washington, DC, on August 2, 2005.

• “The Future Is Now” for the Illinois State Bar Association in Chicago, IL, December 2004.

• “Trends vs. Cycles” at the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section joint meeting with the Virginia Bar in Williamsburg, VA, December 2004.

• “Trends vs. Cycles” at the Sarasota Bar Installation Dinner in Sarasota, FL,  September 2004.

• “Finding the Future” for the Connecticut Bar Retreat in New Haven, CT,  September 2004.

• "The Future Is Now" for the Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention, Lexington, KY, June 2004.

• "How Solo and Small Firms Can Seize the Future" for the Indiana Solo & Small Firm Conference, Lafayette, IN, June 2004.

• "Ethics Issues for Today's Real Estate Practitioner" for the 40th Annual Fund Assembly, Orlando, FL, May 2004.

• "The Future of Law Practice" for the Columbus Bar Association Special Interest Group, Columbus, OH, February 2004.

• "The Future of Law Practice" to the Massachusetts Bar Association Annual Conference 2004, Boston, MA, January 2004.

• "Finding the Future of the Estate Planning Practice: Trends versus Cycles" for the Florida Legal Education Association Seminar Estate Planning in the Real World 2003, Tampa, FL, October 2003.

• "The Future of the Practice of Law" to the National Association of Bar Executives, National Conference of Bar Presidents, and National Conference of Bar Foundations at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, August 2003.

• "Status of Ancillary Business for the Real Property Probate Trust Law Committee of Hillsborough County, Tampa, FL, May 2003.

• “A View to the Future” for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys 2003 Symposium, Miami, FL, May 2003.

• "How Practice of Law Has Been Affected by Technology" for the Second Annual St. Petersburg/Clearwater Bar Technology Seminar and Vendor Fair, Safety Harbor, FL, April 2003.

• "Future of Law" for Stetson Law School Law Practice Management Class, St. Petersburg, FL, March 2003.

• "Future of the Legal Profession" for The Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court, Sarasota, FL, March  2003.

• "So You Want to Do Ancillary Business" and "Elder Law Perspective on Ancillary Business" for the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Ancillary Business Seminar at the Florida Bar Mid-Year meeting, Miami, FL, January 2003.

• "Alphabet Soup" for the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section Probate Round Table meeting, St. Augustine, FL, November  2002.

• “Alphabet Soup-MJP, MDP, ABP, SA- What Does It Mean For Your Practice?” for FLEA The Probate Team 2002 Probate Code Revisions Seminar,  Orlando, FL,  October 2002.

• "A View to the Future," a panel discussion for The Florida Bar Elder Law Section Retreat, Jacksonville, FL, July 2002.

• "Ancillary Business Opportunities for the Elder Law Practitioner" for the Florida Bar at the Mid-year Meeting, Ancillary Business Seminar sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division and the Special Commission on Multidisciplinary Practice and Ancillary Business, January 2002.

• "Seize the Future III, Preview: Innovation as Revolution" for the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section meeting at the Salishan Lodge, Oregon, October 2001.

• "On the Future of the Legal Profession" at Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina, October 2001.

• "The Future of the Legal Profession on the Internet" at Stetson Law School for the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section's CLE program, May 2001.

• "MDP and the Impact on the Legal Profession" and "So Now What?" at the State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Convention at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, May 2001.

• "Innovation as Revolution," a panel on "The Bar Association's Role in Shaping the Future" and a panel on "How to Adapt to the Challenges of the New Competition" for the New York State Bar Association's General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section's Shaping the Future of the Legal Marketplace Seminar at the Crowne Plaza Manhattan, April 2001.

• "The Future of the Profession: Stampede to Extinction?" for the Monroe County Bar Seminar at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, New York, March 2001.

• The Future of the Legal Profession at the Annual Meeting of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law Section, New York City, January 2001.

• State Bar of Wisconsin's Seize the Future Conference, "So, Now What Do We Do?" and participated in a panel discussion on the Future of the Legal Profession, Madison, Wisconsin, December 2000.

• North Carolina State Bar Council on the Future of the Legal Profession, Raleigh, North Carolina, October 2000.

• "Issues of Interest to Young Lawyers" and "MDP: That Train Has Left the Station" to the Indianapolis Bar - Bench/Bar Conference, in Bloomington, Indiana, July 2000.

• "It's Time to Reinvent Ourselves - Multidisciplinary Practice in Elder Law" at the Pennsylvania Bar Elder Law Institute, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, July 2000.

• "Seize the Future: What Can Lawyers Expect in the New Century?" for the Maine State Bar meeting, Bar Harbor, Maine, June 2000.

• "Practicing Law in the 21st Century" at the American Bar Association's Committee on Group and Prepaid Legal Services, Vancouver, Canada, June 2000.

• At the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section Convention on Multidisciplinary Practice, Orlando, Florida, May 2000.

• The Future of the Legal Profession to the Hillsborough County Tax Section, Tampa, Florida, May 2000.

• Future of the Legal Profession to the Utah State Bar Commission at Pack Creek Ranch, Moab, Utah, May 2000.

• Practicing Law in the 21st Century at the Oklahoma Bar Association Symposium 2000, Oklahoma City, April 2000.

• American Bar Association State and Local Bar Presidents Leadership Conference on the Future of the Legal Profession, Chicago, Illinois, March 2000.

• Speech to the Executive Committee of the Florida Law Network on Ancillary Services, Tampa, Florida, February 2000.

• "Future of the Legal Profession" for the Northeast Florida Estate Planning Council, Jacksonville, Florida, January 2000.

• "The Future of the Legal Profession" for the New Hampshire Bar, Bedford, New Hampshire, January 2000.

• Panel discussion on "Multi-Disciplinary Practice" for the FICPA and Florida Bar State Tax Conference, Orlando, Florida, February 2000.

• "The Elder Law Practice of the 21st Century" for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Institute, Chicago, Illinois, November 1999.

• "Seize the Future II," a panel discussing the future of the legal profession for the American Bar Association, Phoenix, Arizona, November 1999.

• "Seize the Future Telephone Seminar on the Future of the Legal Profession and the Role of the Multi-Disciplinary Practice" for the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section, October 1999.

• "Practicing Law in the 21st Century-a Futurist Perspective" and "Small Firms Winning with Technology" for the ABA Law Practice Management Section and the ABA Legal Technology Section, Miami, Florida, October 1999.

• Testified on "The Future of the Legal Profession" before the American Bar Association Multidisciplinary Committee, February 1999.

• Presentation on "The Future of the Legal Profession" before the Florida Bar All Bar Conference, February 1999.

• Addressed and conducted a workshop for the top 25 attorney title insurance agents for the Attorney Title Guarantee Fund in Florida at their Fund 25 Annual Retreat in 1998.

• Participated as a panelist on a Presidential Showcase program titled "The Ends of the Legal Profession" at the 1998 American Bar Association Annual meeting in Toronto.

Futurist Publications

• "The Future of Elder Law Practice," Elder Law Attorney, New York State Bar Association Elder Law Section, Summer 2004, Vol. 14, No. 3, Pages 10-18.

• "The Future of The Elder Law Practice" NAELA Quarterly, Winter 2004, Vol. 17, Issue 1, pages 20-30.

• "Can Business as Usual Lead You to Extinction?", General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section GPSOLO, April/May 2003, Vol. 20, No. 3, pages 48-52.

• "Our Changing World", St. Petersburg Bar Association Paraclete: The Spirit of Truth, April 2003, pages 4 and 25.

• "What in the World is the Future of the Legal Profession?"

• "Ancillary Business and the All-Bar Conference: The Future of the Profession?" Action. The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, January-March 1999; The Elder Law Advocate-The Florida Bar Elder Law Section newsletter.

• "It's Time to Reinvent Ourselves" The Florida Bar The Elder Law Advocate, Spring 1998.

• "Stampede to Extinction?" The Florida Bar The Elder Law Advocate Fall 1997-Part 1, Winter 1998-Part2; Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Newsletter, Action Line, January/February 1998; Legal Secretaries International, Inc., July 1998 issue.

Futurist Activities

• Testified before the American Bar Association Commission on Multidisciplinary Practice, Los Angeles, California, February 1999.

• Member of American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section "Seize the Future" Committee 1994 to present. This committee is responsible for "Seize the Future" seminar held in Phoenix in 1997 and 1999.

• Member of the Florida Bar Ancillary Business Committee from 1998 to present.

• Member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Futurist Committee.

Practice Management Activities

• Past Member of the American Bar Association Coordinating Commission on Legal Technology

• Served as a member of the American Bar Association Coordinating Commission on Legal Technology 1989-1995

Local Activities

• Suncoast Hospice Foundation member

• Member of the Board of Directors of the local Area Agency on Aging Pinellas-Pasco since 1989; Past President for two years; Past Treasurer

• Past President and past member of Clearwater Breakfast Sertoma Club

• Past Board Member of the Senior Citizens Service Inc.

• Advisor to the Board of Advocare Trust for the developmentally disabled of the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens (UPARC)

• 1984 graduate of Leadership Pinellas

• Member of University of South Florida Suncoast Gerontology Center’s Development Board and the Institute of Aging Development Planning Committee of the University of South Florida

• Member of the Professionalism Committee for the 6th Circuit appointed by the Chief Judge

• Past member of the Community Advisory Board of the Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin