James C. Rinaman, Jr. was Marks Gray’s longest tenured attorney. Mr. Rinaman’s career began in 1960 and he served as an attorney with the firm for 56 years. He retired from Marks Gray in 2016.
Mr. Rinaman distinguished himself as a trial advocate, community leader, military officer, and servant of the bar.
Mr. Rinaman was counsel for the Duval County Legislative Delegation in 1965 and 1967 and for the president of the Florida Senate, John E. Mathews, in 1969.
In 1966, Mr. Rinaman served on the Local Government Study Commission of Duval County as chair of its public utilities task force and as a member of the charter drafting committee for Jacksonville Consolidated Government. In 1967, he was chief counsel for the delegation for passage of the charter. Mr. Rinaman was general counsel for the Consolidated City of Jacksonville under Mayor Hans G. Tanzler, Jr. from 1969 to 1971 and was a member of the board of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority from 1971 until 1980.
Mr. Rinaman was a founding member and later president of Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. and Leadership Jacksonville, Inc. In 1983, he was chairman of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and he also served as president of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville, the March of Dimes and the Northeast Florida chapter of the American Red Cross.
Mr. Rinaman earned his bachelor’s degree in 1955 from the University of Florida and received his L.L.B. in 1960. At Marks Gray, Mr. Rinaman’s practice focused on business, insurance, administrative and governmental law, commercial litigation, products liability defense, professional malpractice and other tort claims. He was a Florida board certified civil trial lawyer and civil mediator and was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for personal injury and commercial litigation. He was a Fellow of the America College of Trial Lawyers.
Throughout his career, Mr. Rinaman was committed to service to the bar. He served as president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, The Florida Bar, the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, and the Association of Defense Trial Lawyers. He was a founding member and chair of Lawyers for Civil Justice, Inc. and the Florida Volunteer Lawyers Resource Center.
Rinaman received many awards for his leadership in the bar, including The Florida Bar President’s Award (1985), the American Judicature Society Herbert Harley Award, and The Florida Bar Foundation Medal of Honor for chairing the1987 Florida Bar Special Committee on representation of death sentenced inmates in post-conviction collateral proceedings, and creating a Volunteer Lawyer Association, funded by the state with a full-time staff to support the volunteer lawyers.
In 2005 Mr. Rinaman served as Chairman of the Duval County Courthouse Architectural Review Committee which was appointed by city council ordinance
Mr. Rinaman was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1955 until 1957 and served with the Florida Army National Guard from 1957 until he retired as a Brigadier General in 1992. His military awards included the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Florida Cross.
Mr. Rinaman and his wife Gloria were married on August 9, 1958, and have four grown children, James III, Mark, Christine and Karen.
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