Lone Mountain College (BS in music 1975); University of San Francisco (JD 1981); University of San Francisco Law Review.
Assistant Pinellas County Attorney and counsel for the Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services Authority 1982 through 1988; Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education; sustaining member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Eagles Member of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; member of the United States Maritime Law Association; member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum as the result of a $5.5 million jury verdict obtained for a client in 1996.
Mr. Saunders won his first jury trial in 1980 while still in law school as a Special Deputy Public Defender with the San Francisco California Public Defender’s Office. While in California he also worked for the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, California, representing farm workers in their struggle for fair housing rights, and published an article in the University of San Francisco Law Review on strategies for bringing claims against local governments for fair housing rights.
As counsel for Pinellas County, he litigated clams in federal courts, challenging the constitutional validity of various county ordinances and anti-trust clams brought against the county by environmental polluters. He advised the County and litigated cases concerning medical standards of care for the emergency medical services system and advised and represented the Sheriff concerning liability claims. He also advised the Community Development Dept. for Pinellas County on and drafted human rights ordinances to prevent discrimination.
From 1993 to present, he has been an active board member and is currently president of Alpha “A Beginning”, Inc., a nonprofit residential program for homeless women who are pregnant or have small children. Alpha provides a residential facility and community outreach program to assist women in gaining parenting and employment skills.
Recently, Mr. Saunders was elected Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Operation PAR, a countywide substance abuse treatment and prevention program for both adults and children.
