J. David Ellzey Jr.
Bio
J. David Ellzey Jr. is a licensed Florida attorney practicing primarily in family law. He is a husband and father of three, trial attorney, collaborative divorce practitioner, public servant, community advocate, guardian ad litem, and retired United States Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG).
Mr. Ellzey was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2008 and is a member of the Florida Bar’s Family Law section. He currently serves as the Secretary of the Volusia County Bar Association, having previously served on the Seventh Judicial Circuit Timeshare Guidelines Committee.
He volunteers as Guardian ad Litem in family law cases. He has been awarded as a Guardian of Justice by Community Legal Services of Mid Florida, a Public Service Fellow at the Florida International University College of Law, a Capture the Flag winner at the Public Defender’s Office, with the Client’s Choice Award and top rating of 10.0 by Avvo, and is Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Mr. Ellzey attended the University of Florida and graduated from the Telecommunication-News Program from the College of Journalism & Communications and attended law school at Florida International University College of Law in Miami, where worked in the Juvenile Justice Education Clinic.
Mr. Ellzey is a native Floridian and military veteran. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1996 as a weather forecaster. In 2001 he transitioned to the Florida Air National Guard where he was activated for Operation Noble Eagle and again in 2004 for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In 2013, he received a commission as Judge Advocate General (JAG) and retired in 2020 as Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve.
As an attorney, he developed a strong trial background in criminal defense and courtroom presence as an Assistant Public Defender with the Honorable James S. Purdy, where he defended criminal cases in Volusia County and Circuit Courts, handling hundreds of felony cases, obtaining numerous awards for “Not Guilty” jury trial verdicts.
His background as a Public Defender and continuing work as a family law attorney gives him the opportunity to understand and help clients who are experiencing extremely stressful and emotional events when the stakes are the highest. This helps him to have the compassion and experience to help guide others through divorce, child custody matters, or any family law issue. This also lays a solid foundation to know how to work with opposing counsel to solve a family's problems and achieve favorable results. In cases where an agreement is not possible, he relies on his experience and training to be a trial attorney who aggressively represents clients’ interests in the courtroom.
His personal experience as a child of divorce and as a father builds an innate understanding of clients’ perspectives that are often missing in lawyers. He uses that to shape his personal touch on the practice of law, guiding his clients’ goals and develop a cohesive strategy to achieve their objectives. He thrives in a courtroom setting and excels at client rapport, advocacy, trial presentation, and negotiation. In addition to making strong technical and legal arguments, Mr. Ellzey has developed a reputation for maintaining objectivity while making commonsense arguments that truly resonate.