Charles E. Willmott: Expertise, Experience and Excellence

“I learned early that I work best when I can control all aspects of the case because I am at heart an entrepreneur.” He had interned in law school with the State Attorney’s Office in Ft. Lauderdale, which he says was good experience, but he felt a strong calling to open his own office.

He moved to Jacksonville and opened his own office literally the first day out of law school and passed the Florida Bar examination. The first three months were challenging, but soon business picked up dramatically – a trend that continued through the years.

Family was one of the reasons he chose Jacksonville. Willmott and his father renovated a small office on Market Street close to the courthouse in Jacksonville. “All I had was me, a computer and a telephone, but it was a start. It never occurred to me that brand new lawyers don’t just open their own office and make it, but I was determined,” he says.

He has retained that independence and that entrepreneurial spirit. “It’s just me. I don’t have any associates, I always tell people that when you hire me, you get me. I don’t pawn you off on a different, less experienced lawyer. When you come to me, you get 30 years of experience. When you call, I call you back within 24 hours. If you have a concern or a question, you get answers directly from me and you get them fast.”

Willmott believes that one of the reasons clients speak so highly of his work goes beyond just his record of success. People respond to his honesty. During the first contact with a client, he makes a point to tell them his honest estimate of how a judge may rule in their case. Those estimates are accurate most of the time.

“I tell people right up front, ‘I’m not here to take your money. I’m here to try to produce the result that you want. And here’s what your exposure is.’ And I think, sometimes people are at first a bit startled at my openness, but they quickly realize and appreciate the fact that I’m not going to candy coat their situation. They really come to appreciate that honesty. At the same time, I tell people that I give them the same advice that I would give my own brother or sister and that everything I tell them is meant to help them with their case. If I don’t think I can help a client, I am not going to take their money. I work for them and my only goal is to present their case effectively and with every bit of my knowledge, experience and passion.”