Mr. Fine was born in New York, New York and was raised in the northeast, where he studied sociology at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He then graduated with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1976. In law school, he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class. Mr. Fine was admitted into the Florida Bar in 1976, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in 1977, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida in 1991, and the United States Court of Appeals 11th Circuit in 1982. Upon graduation, Mr. Fine practiced as an Assistant Public Defender in the Third Judicial Circuit office in Lake City from 1976-1977. He then worked as an Assistant Public Defender in the Gainesville office of the Public Defender from 1977-1980. In 1980, he founded the firm, which is now known as Fine, Farkash, & Parlapiano, P.A., where he wanted to exclusively represent victims of personal injury in claims against negligent parties. Mr. Fine is a highly experienced personal injury attorney and is recognized for his commitment to the law. He holds Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating* (AV) and was a Grievance Committee Chairman for the Eighth Judicial Circuit for 2006-2008. He coached a trial team for the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1994 and has taught as an adjunct faculty in the trial practice course at the law school since 1983.

James Michael Sawyer hails from South Florida but has been a resident of Gainesville off and on since the 1970’s when he moved here to attend the University of Florida for his Bachelor’s Degree. Mike began a martial arts career as a teenager in Miami, which continued while he attended UF and went on to become one of the world’s foremost promoters and authorities on sport martial arts. He is the co-founder of many prestigious martial art associations including the North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) and the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), as well as an on-air expert analyst for ESPN and other sports channels.