Matthew Shirk
Encyclopedia
Matthew Aaron Shirk is an American lawyer
currently serving as Public Defender
for Florida
's Fourth Judicial Circuit
. He was elected to the position, which covers Clay
, Duval
, and Nassau
Counties, in 2008.
with a bachelor of science
degree in 1997, and subsequently moved to Jacksonville, Florida
, where he earned a law degree from the Florida Coastal School of Law
in 1999. As a law student he interned at the State Attorney's
office under the supervision of prosecutor Angela Corey
, who was elected State Attorney in 2008. He was admitted to the Florida Bar on April 12, 2000, and then worked for five years as an Assistant Public Defender (APD) in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court
. Shirk left the Public Defender's office and was associated with the Jacksonville law firm of Tassone & Eler for almost two years before opening a private practice with William Durden III in November 2006.
, ran for Public Defender of Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit Court. Some commentators criticized Shirk's lack of homicide experience as well as his pledge not to take a confrontational stance with law enforcement if he were elected, in contrast to the typically adversarial relationship between defense attorneys and law enforcement. However, Shirk stressed that his roll was to manage the office, not necessarily to be the lead attorney. Shirk won the election 51% to 49% with a margin of 14,246 votes. The win was considered an upset, partly because it was the first time a Republican had run for the office since the state of Florida established the position in 1963.
More notably, Shirk is controversial due to his firing of 10 attorneys when taking office, including two who played a pivotal role in the acquittal of an innocent teenager forced to sign a confession by violent police officers. Shirk fired the attorneys on the 8-year anniversary of the acquittal. After winning, Shirk declared he would streamline the office to increase services and reduce costs. The Florida Times-Union
was impressed with Shirk's performance in his first year. In a March 18, 2010 editorial
, the paper praised his cost-cutting measures, such as introducing videoconferencing
to improve staff efficiency and shifting from paper to electronic documents, as well as his community work. According to the Jacksonville Daily Record, Shirks' implementation of videoconferencing saved about $120,000.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
currently serving as Public Defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
for Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's Fourth Judicial Circuit
Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
The Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida is a Circuit Court comprising Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties in northeast Florida.-External links:*...
. He was elected to the position, which covers Clay
Clay County, Florida
Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 190,895. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs, Florida. Clay County is part of the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area.- History :...
, Duval
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, and Nassau
Nassau County, Florida
Nassau County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 57,663. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 69,835. Its county seat is Fernandina Beach, Florida....
Counties, in 2008.
Early life
Shirk graduated from Western Illinois UniversityWestern Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1997, and subsequently moved to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, where he earned a law degree from the Florida Coastal School of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law is a private law school in Jacksonville, Florida. Established in 1996, the school is owned by the for-profit educational investment fund InfiLaw....
in 1999. As a law student he interned at the State Attorney's
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
office under the supervision of prosecutor Angela Corey
Angela Corey
Angela B. Corey is an American lawyer currently serving as the State Attorney in Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Duval, Nassau and Clay counties. The first woman to hold the position, she was elected in 2008....
, who was elected State Attorney in 2008. He was admitted to the Florida Bar on April 12, 2000, and then worked for five years as an Assistant Public Defender (APD) in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court
Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
The Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida is a Circuit Court comprising Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties in northeast Florida.-External links:*...
. Shirk left the Public Defender's office and was associated with the Jacksonville law firm of Tassone & Eler for almost two years before opening a private practice with William Durden III in November 2006.
Public Defender
In 2008 Shirk, a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, ran for Public Defender of Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit Court. Some commentators criticized Shirk's lack of homicide experience as well as his pledge not to take a confrontational stance with law enforcement if he were elected, in contrast to the typically adversarial relationship between defense attorneys and law enforcement. However, Shirk stressed that his roll was to manage the office, not necessarily to be the lead attorney. Shirk won the election 51% to 49% with a margin of 14,246 votes. The win was considered an upset, partly because it was the first time a Republican had run for the office since the state of Florida established the position in 1963.
More notably, Shirk is controversial due to his firing of 10 attorneys when taking office, including two who played a pivotal role in the acquittal of an innocent teenager forced to sign a confession by violent police officers. Shirk fired the attorneys on the 8-year anniversary of the acquittal. After winning, Shirk declared he would streamline the office to increase services and reduce costs. The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union is a major daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the Florida Union in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the Florida Union merged with another Jacksonville paper, the...
was impressed with Shirk's performance in his first year. In a March 18, 2010 editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
, the paper praised his cost-cutting measures, such as introducing videoconferencing
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
to improve staff efficiency and shifting from paper to electronic documents, as well as his community work. According to the Jacksonville Daily Record, Shirks' implementation of videoconferencing saved about $120,000.