Our roots in Sanford go back generations. So does our family’s commitment to the Central Florida community.
Attorney James A. “Jim” Barks was born to Orville and Georgia Barks. Orville came from Herculaneum, Missouri, while Georgia grew up in Columbus, Georgia. Orville and Georgia came to Sanford in the early 1940s, where they began to raise their first child.
During World War II, Orville served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army Medical Corps. During his service overseas, Orville was captured and held as a prisoner of war for 27 months until being liberated.
After returning to the States, Orville and Georgia had three more children. Early on, Georgia was an English teacher in Sanford. Later, Georgia continued as a full-time homemaker, raising all four boys. Orville served as a general practitioner and anesthesiologist at Seminole Memorial Hospital in Sanford for about 30 years.
After graduating from Seminole High School, Jim Barks attended the University of Florida for his undergraduate studies, and continued on at UF for law school. Jim’s son Stuart also grew up in Central Florida, attending Lake Mary High School, then following in his father’s footsteps by attending the University of Florida for his undergraduate and law degrees.
Continuing the Barks family’s legacy, Jim and Stuart worked together as attorneys at the Barks Law Firm office in Sanford, providing dedicated legal representation to clients throughout the Central Florida area.
Jim retired on December 31, 2022, completing a 44 year distinguished legacy.
Born in Sanford Florida, Jim Barks attended the University of Florida. After receiving his B.A., Jim served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army, Adjutant General’s Corps from 1971-1973. After that, Jim attended law school at the University of Florida and graduated in 1975, a member of the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.
Jim was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1975, where he served as an attorney in the Orlando firm Steed & Collins until 1978, after which time he joined the team at Shinholser, Logan & Moncrief.
Equipped with over a decade of experience in the legal field, Jim opened the James A. Barks office in 1986 in his hometown of Sanford, Florida. This opening marked the start of our firm’s 30-year service to the individuals and businesses in the Central Florida region.
During this period, Jim has served as president of the Seminole County Bar Association (1984), chairman of the 18th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee (1994-95), and chairman of the 18th Judicial Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee “A” (2001-02). In 2010, Jim was named among Orlando’s Top Lawyers in Orlando Home & Leisure.
In addition to his experience in the legal community, Jim served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Sanford (1990-91), board member on the Central Florida Regional Hospital Board of Trustees (Member, 2004-09; Chairman, 2007), board member on The Foundation for Seminole State College of Florida Board of Directors (2010-11), and continues to serve as an elder at Markham Woods Presbyterian Church in Lake Mary, Florida.