David Margol: Looking Through the Client Lens

Margol was born and raised in the Jacksonville area. He moved away to attend the University of Florida where he earned his degree in business administration. He earned an MBA from the University of San Diego and a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law.

Margol says growing up in the area where he practices law offers real advantages not only for him as an attorney, but also for his clients. He cites as an example the time when a client needed a substantial reduction in a large outstanding balance with a medical provider. After being contacted by his client about the issue, Margol discovered that he and the provider were acquaintances from high school. A simple conversation between two friends got the client’s balance reduced.

“That’s a small example, but you never know when a contact from your past or someone in your current network will be in a position to help you help your client out of a challenging situation. Growing up here helped me establish a large network. It’s also beneficial to know the history and geography of the area. Being familiar with the location where a traffic collision occurred, the neighborhood and its development, really helps in resolving cases,” Margol says.

One of the significant and ongoing influences in Margol’s life is his father, a semi-retired trial attorney practicing in the Jacksonville area. He remembers walking into the courtroom as a kid to watch his father at work. “It was inspiring,” he says.

Regardless of that influence, he did not grow up thinking of becoming an attorney. After completing his MBA, he began a career working for a large, publicly-traded firm where he handled commercial real estate. The need for a change arrived literally out of the dark as he was driving home from work one evening. Suddenly, he realized he needed to make a significant change. “I don’t know if it was an ‘aha’ moment, but it was certainly a transitional moment,” he says.