Howard Iken
Good morning.
Michael McGinn
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Good morning.
Howard Iken
You’re Mike McGinn, aren’t you?
Michael McGinn
Yes, I am.
Howard Iken
And what is your position at Ayo & Iken?
Michael McGinn
I’m an attorney here at Ayo & Iken.
Howard Iken
And what area of practice are you in?
Michael McGinn
Primarily family law, but I also handle criminal cases as well.
Howard Iken
How long have you been practicing, Mike?
Michael McGinn
I’ve been practicing since September of 2000.
Howard Iken
Do you like practicing law?
Michael McGinn
Yes, I enjoy it. I enjoy helping people. I find it very rewarding.
Howard Iken
Okay, and specifically, do you enjoy family law?
Michael McGinn
I do. I like helping people who are going through some of the worst times in their lives, help them through that, and getting them to a better place.
Howard Iken
How about criminal law? Do you enjoy that?
Michael McGinn
I do enjoy that as well. I started out actually as a prosecutor in Polk County, so I do like doing the defense side now.
Howard Iken
All right, so as a prosecutor, you put bad people in jail, or at least you tried, is that correct?
Michael McGinn
Yes.
Howard Iken
Now you’re on the exact opposite side of that.
Michael McGinn
Yes, I am.
Howard Iken
How does that feel?
Michael McGinn
It’s different, but you have a duty to your client just as I did with the prosecutor. My client was the state and now it’s the defendant. And again, I enjoy helping people. Not everyone’s a terrible person. Sometimes they just get themselves in bad situations or make bad decisions and need a second chance.
Howard Iken
When someone’s looking around for an attorney, why do you think they should retain you?
Michael McGinn
Again, my experience. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I know most of the judges throughout the Tampa Bay area, including Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee. I know a lot of the attorneys in the family law bar here. I understand and I keep up to date on the law. We’ve had a lot of current changes in Florida law, especially with alimony timesharing and father’s rights. So I think I can put all those things to work for a client.
Howard Iken
There are people out there who, when they think of attorneys, they think it’s an easy job. All you do is speak now and then, the money rolls in in huge amounts, and you go home relaxed and happy at the end of every day. Is that the truth?
Michael McGinn
No. There are days when you’re happy and things go well, but you also deal with a lot of stress. The clients are stressed. You’re stressed because you want to make sure you get a good outcome for them. I take things home all the time. I take work home. I also am maybe sitting there watching TV or just relaxing and I’m thinking about a client, what I need to do, and what’s the best course of action going forward. Happens on the weekends as well. So we try to have a relaxed time and enjoy ourselves, but there’s always something in the back of my mind, worrying about a client and how I can help them.
Howard Iken
Sounds like it’s almost a 24-hour-a-day job, at least mentally. Any truth to that?
Michael McGinn
I believe it is, and I try to get back to clients, even if they respond to me at night or on the weekends, if they’re emailing me, I try to get them a response, or at least acknowledge that they’ve emailed me and say, “Hey, I’ll try to take care of that or I’ll get to that on Monday when I get back in the office.” And I think clients appreciate that.
Howard Iken
What is the most difficult, uphill, complicated battle you’ve ever waged in a court or a case?
Michael McGinn
Probably when I was a prosecutor, I had a case where there was a sexual battery. It involved a young woman. She was, I believe, 21 years old and she went through a lot, and preparing her to testify in court was a lot for her. But we were able to do it and secure a conviction.
Howard Iken
Do you get along with your clients?
Michael McGinn
I do. I generally do. They’re generally very good people. They’re just going through a rough time in their lives and that’s what we’re here for, to help them get through that.
Howard Iken
How about criminal defense clients? You ever represented anyone you know is guilty?
Michael McGinn
Yeah, I have. And even though you may think they’re guilty or you may know they’re guilty, again, most of the people we represent aren’t terrible people. You do have those incidents where you’re going to have someone who’s accused of a very violent crime and may not be a good person. But generally, the folks we represent or I represent are good people who just made a poor choice in life and they need some help and a second chance.
Howard Iken
And what geographic areas do you normally accept cases in?
Michael McGinn
I accept cases in Hillsborough, Pinellas County, Polk County, Pasco County, Manatee and Sarasota County.
Howard Iken
Big variety of courts and judges, huh?
Michael McGinn
Yes, it is. That makes it challenging, but it also makes it interesting. I find it a challenge to work with different judges and different attorneys, and so it all helps you with the experience that you gain from doing that.
Howard Iken
You mentioned you know a lot of judges, you know a lot of attorneys in the region. Does it matter when you walk into a courtroom if the judge likes you or not?
Michael McGinn
Oh definitely, and that goes back to reputation. If a judge knows you and that you’ve been in front of them, and they can take your word for it, they know how you present things, you present things in an organized and timely manner, the judge is more likely going to… They may not rule for you, but they’ll give you a fair shot and I think they take you more seriously. They take your arguments more seriously. So it helps.