Robert E. Heyman was born in Providence, RI, and grew up in Barrington, RI. He graduated from Barrington High School in 1974, and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Following high school graduation, Mr. Heyman attended Northfield-Mt. Hermon Academy in Northfield, MA and thereafter attended college in St. Petersburg, Florida at Eckerd College. He graduated in 1979 with a B.A. in political science. While at Eckerd College, he played varsity baseball and was a pitcher on the 1977 team which reached the finals of the Division II College World Series.
After graduation, he attended Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he participated as a member of the State Moot Court team.
Following his law school graduation in 1982, Mr. Heyman served for 15 years as an Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida in Pinellas County. While serving as a prosecutor, Mr. Heyman assumed a variety of supervisory positions which culminated in his serving as a Felony Division Director from 1992 until he left the office in 1997. During his career as a prosecutor, Mr. Heyman tried over 100 jury trials, including 25 first degree murder trials as well as cases of bank robbery, drug trafficking, manslaughter, and sexual battery.
In 1997, Mr. Heyman joined the Clearwater firm of Tew, Zinober, Barnes, Zimmet & Unice, PA, where he began to concentrate his practice in the fields of insurance defense and plaintiffs personal injury cases. In 2002, Mr. Heyman became a shareholder in the firm of Zimmet, Unice, Salzman & Heyman, PA, where he narrowed his practice to plaintiffs personal injury and criminal defense cases.
In 2008, Mr. Heyman established The Heyman Law Firm in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he continued to focus his practice in plaintiffs personal injury and criminal trial law.
Mr. Heyman has been awarded an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has appeared as a legal commentator on Court TV and on the MSNBC “Internight” program. In 2012, Mr. Heyman was named one of Florida’s “Top 100″ Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association. He is a member of the Florida Bar (Trial Lawyers Section), the St. Petersburg Bar Association, The Pinellas County Trial Lawyers Association, the Florida Justice Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.
Mr. Heyman and his wife, Lorrie, live in St Petersburg with their 2 daughters. His hobbies include tennis, golf, and music.
Education
- B.A. 1979 – Eckerd College, St Petersburg, Florida
- J.D. 1982 – Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, Florida
Bar Admissions
Affiliations
- Florida Bar Association
- St. Petersburg Bar Association
- Florida Justice Association
- Pinellas County Criminal Defense Attorneys Association
