James “Jim” Martz is a Partner in SSRGA’s Florida office and leads the firm’s Family Law Division, while also handling complex commercial litigation matters. He represents high-net-worth individuals in sophisticated, high-conflict dissolutions of marriage, contested custody disputes, and cases involving substantial assets, business interests, and intricate financial structures.
In addition to his litigation practice, Jim serves as a Private Judge, providing parties in family law and civil litigation matters with an efficient and innovative alternative to the public court system. Through private judging, parties select a neutral decision-maker, maintain control over scheduling, and receive timely, well-reasoned decisions — all while preserving their appellate rights.
Jim joined SSRGA after two decades on the Palm Beach County Circuit Court bench, most recently as a family law judge. During his judicial tenure, he presided over thousands of cases involving dissolution of marriage, probate, guardianship, juvenile dependency and delinquency, mental health court proceedings, complex civil disputes, and criminal cases.
Before his judicial appointment in 2006 by then-Governor Jeb Bush, Jim was a prosecutor in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, where he was recognized as the single point of contact for multi-jurisdictional investigations and prosecutions. His leadership helped secure federal designation for Palm Beach County as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and led to the creation of the county’s Anti-Money Laundering Task Force, which seized millions of dollars in forfeited funds to support law enforcement efforts at the county and federal levels.
Jim began his public service career as a police officer in Santa Monica, California, later continuing his law enforcement career in New York, where he rose through the ranks and retired as an administrative sergeant. He served in specialized assignments, including undercover narcotics and anti-terrorism task force operations, and spearheaded one of the most comprehensive modernization initiatives in the department’s history, implementing advanced automated information systems that became a model for public safety agencies nationwide. Following his career in law enforcement, Jim attended law school and earned his JD in 1995.
In addition to his domestic service, Jim has contributed extensively to international rule-of-law initiatives. His work includes support of the War Crimes Tribunals of the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, anti-corruption and judicial reform projects in the Philippines and Myanmar under U.S. A.I.D. programs, and justice system reform efforts in the Bahamas and Eastern Europe.
In addition to his criminal justice and legal experience, Jim has been a real estate developer and custom home builder in both Florida and New York. He enjoys spending his free time custom-building and restoring cars.
