Morris Law Firm, P.A.

A practice built around criminal defense

Criminal defense is the only kind of law this firm takes on. Morris Law Firm, P.A. opened on February 8, 2008, and works out of an office in St. Petersburg, Florida. It represents people charged with crimes across Pinellas County. In my opinion, a single focus like this tells a prospective client something useful before the first call.

A firm that keeps to one field sees the same courts, the same prosecutors and the same procedures week after week. That repetition builds working knowledge of how local cases move through the system. For someone weighing who to hire on short notice, that steady pattern is worth knowing. The firm has worked this way since the day it opened.

The charges the firm handles

The list of practice areas covers most of what a state criminal court sees. It includes DUI, drug charges, domestic violence, theft crimes and violent crimes. It also covers white collar crimes, sex crimes, juvenile offenses and traffic offenses. Alongside these, the firm handles the sealing and expungement of criminal records.

DUI and drug cases fill a large share of Florida criminal dockets. Domestic violence and theft matters carry their own procedures and deadlines. White collar and sex crime charges often involve longer investigations and heavier stakes. One firm that lists all of these can meet a client wherever a charge happens to land.

Sealing and expungement sit a little apart from the rest of the list. That work helps a person clear an old record once the law allows it. Keeping it in house means a former client can come back for it after a case closes. It also rounds out what the firm can offer once the courtroom part is behind someone.

The attorneys named on the site

Two lawyers appear on the firm's public pages, and both have profiles a reader can check. Melinda Morris leads the firm. Seth Shapiro is a partner who works a defined area of criminal law. Together they cover the firm's day-to-day defense work.

Melinda Morris

Melinda Morris is the managing partner. She was an Assistant State Attorney in Clearwater, Florida, before she moved into defense work. In that role she handled thousands of criminal cases. Her work at the firm now stays within criminal defense.

As a reviewer, I find a former prosecutor on a defense team worth noting. A lawyer who once charged cases has seen how the state builds and prepares them. That vantage point can help when a client needs to know what the other side is likely to do next. It is a background the firm states openly.

Seth Shapiro

Seth Shapiro is a partner at the firm. He represents clients facing felony and misdemeanor charges, with a focus on white collar cases. He also handles the sealing and expungement of criminal records and traffic offenses for clients in the Tampa Bay area. He earned his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law, where he graduated cum laude.

Where the firm works

The firm serves St. Petersburg and other parts of Pinellas County. Named communities include Belleair, Clearwater, Gulfport, Indian Shores and Kenneth City. The list continues with Largo, Pinellas Park, Tarpon Springs and Treasure Island. Clients across this part of the Tampa Bay area can reach the same office.

A regional footprint like this keeps the work close to a set of courts the firm knows. Cases from these communities tend to run through Pinellas County courtrooms. Familiar ground can help a lawyer read a docket and set expectations early. It also keeps travel and scheduling manageable for the people involved.

Details a client can confirm

Several facts about the firm sit in plain view on its own website. The founding date of February 8, 2008 is stated there. The managing partner's background as a former prosecutor is stated directly. Both named attorneys carry profiles that a reader can open and read.

These are the kinds of details that let someone check a claim before making a call. A stated founding year gives a sense of how long the firm has run. A named law school and a former public role give a client something concrete to weigh. As facts go, they are modest, and each one can be verified.

Each of these points comes straight from the firm's own pages. A reader can confirm them independently before deciding to get in touch.

Around-the-clock availability

The firm says its attorneys are on call at any hour of the day. For a person arrested late at night or over a weekend, quick access to a lawyer carries real weight. In my opinion, that availability suits a criminal defense practice, where the first hours after an arrest can shape a case. The firm has held this single practice focus since it opened in February 2008.