Mark Matthew O'Mara (born February 8, 1956) is an

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criminal defense lawyer in

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, known for being the attorney for

George Zimmerman George Michael Zimmerman (born October 5, 1983) is an American man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black boy, in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. On July 13, 2013, he was acquitted of second-degree murder in '' Flori ...

. He is a former prosecutor. O'Mara is a legal analyst for

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Early life and education

Mark O'Mara is one of five siblings in a

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family of Irish descent. He was raised in Rosedale, Queens, New York City. His father, John Joseph O'Mara, was a World War II veteran, shot down over Germany and spent the better part of a year in a POW camp, until liberated by the Soviets. His father came back to

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and married his fiancée, Anna "Nancy" McAteer. John Joseph O'Mara joined the New York Fire Department, where he rose to Battalion Chief. He was also President of the Fire Officers Union before he retired and moved to

, bringing his wife and youngest son Mark, with him. O'Mara is a 1979 graduate of the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

, where he was involved in the

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fraternity, and Student Government. He was elected as student body president, and graduated and received his J.D. degree from the

Florida State University College of Law Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part of ...

in 1982. In 2004 Mark married Jennifer "Jen" Goldstein O'Mara.

Career

O'Mara was an Assistant State Attorney with the Seminole County State Attorney Office from 1982 to 1984. Mark M. O’Mara started his career as a prosecutor for the State Attorney's office in Seminole County then began his private practice, joining forces with other local attorneys before beginning his own firm.. Mark is one of only a few lawyers in Florida who are Board Certified in both Criminal Trial Law and Marital and Family Law; he is also certified in Collaborative Law and is a Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator and Circuit Civil Mediator. He has practiced in both state and federal courts throughout the nation, often co-counseling for complex trials and civil rights matters. He has recently expanded his practice to include representing clients aggrieved by large corporations, from drug and medical device manufacturers to automobile companies in an area of law known as Mass Torts. He and his team utilize the research and trial presentation skills honed over thirty-six years to hold these companies responsible for their wrongs, and to make them more responsible in their future behavior. O'Mara was a legal analyst for WKMG Channel 6, an Orlando, Florida television station. After the Zimmerman case was over, he was hired as a legal analyst by CNN, a position he has held for over two years.

George Zimmerman trial

O'Mara gained national attention while serving as the defense attorney for

, who was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. In September 2013, after a domestic altercation between George and Shellie Zimmerman, O'Mara said he was continuing to represent George Zimmerman in a defamation lawsuit against

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but was not representing him in the "domestic altercation case or his impending divorce case."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Omara, Mark 1956 births Living people Florida lawyers University of Central Florida alumni Florida State University College of Law alumni People from Rosedale, Queens American jurists American prosecutors People from Orlando, Florida American people of Irish descent Catholics from New York (state) Catholics from Florida