Michael Kest

Michael Kest is the owner and manager of Kest Law, PLLC. Although he is a  Florida native, he began his career as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the  Hawai’i County Prosecutor’s Office, where he gained valuable trial experience. Michael has been rated by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star since 2014. He was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2006 and The Hawai’i Bar in 2007. MIchael is also admitted to practice in the Federal Courts in both Hawai`i and the Middle District of Florida. Michael served as a vice president of the Hawai’i County Bar Association while working as a prosocuter in Hilo. He also worked in a legal clinic to provide pro-bono/volunteer legal services to those in need in Honolulu. While serving as a prosecutor, Michael was recognized by both the Honolulu Star Bulletin and the Hawai`i Tribune Herald.

Since returning to Florida, Michael has been involved with the George C. Young First Central Florida Inn of Courts, the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), the Teen Alternantives Board, the OCBA & Ninth Circuit Professionalism Committee, and the Business Law Committee of the the OCBA. Michael also served as Chair of the Professionalism Committee for two years, is the Vice Chair of the Teen Court Advisory Board, and is Chair of the OCBA Technology Committee. 

In addition, Michael serves on the Small Blessings Pre-School Board at his church and coaches his kids in soccer and football. Michael received his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2006 and was a member of the National Championship Trial Team and the Regional Championship Trial Team, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Michael was president of the Maritime Law Society and was selected to serve as an ambassador to Stetson Law School. He was the recipient of the Hearne Environmental Law Award and was included in the 2005-2006 Who’s Who of American Law Students directory. Michael received his undergraduate degree at Florida State University where he played football and served on the Student Advisory and Conduct Boards. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2000. In addition to practicing law, Michael is an experienced SCUBA instructor with over 2500 dives. After going through the Academic Diving Program at Florida State, he served as a Dive-master in West Palm Beach in 2001 and became a NAUI Instructor in 2002. Also, in 2002, he began working at Disney for the DiveQuest program. While living in Hawaii, Michael worked at the Diving Safety Office at the University of Hawaii at Manoa training scientific divers. He continues to dive-master and teach diving when he is not practicing law. In 2006, after graduating from law school, Michael married his high school sweetheart, passed the Florida Bar, and moved to Hawai`i where he took and passed the Hawai`i bar. Michael and his wife, Amber, have three children ages seven, four, and one.

News

Sex offender in jail again

Orange County makes public records “molehill” into a “mountain”

Public records ‘molehill’ turns into $118,000 bill for taxpayers.

Opinions

Frank Gay vs. Association Casualty Insurance Company, 103 So.3d 1028 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012)

Dyal vs. Dyal, 5D17-848 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017)