David Barksdale graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1988. He received his J.D. from the University of Florida in 1992, with honors, and was appointed to the Order of the Coif. He practiced two years with the Bedell Firm as an associate, then spent four and a half years with the State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, where he was a division chief and a member of the Homicide Team. He returned to the Bedell Firm as a partner in 1999. David is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (White Collar and General Practice Criminal Defense), Florida Trend’s Legal Elite (Hall of Fame), and Super Lawyers (Florida’s Top 100: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019). David and his colleagues Allan Brooke and Ashley Cox wrote “Defending the Prescription Case,” Florida Defender (Winter 2014)
Honors & Awards
- The Florida Bar Board Certification: Criminal Trial Law since 2004
- The Best Lawyers in America (2019) Lawyer of the Year — Criminal Defense: General Practice
- The Best Lawyers in America (2007-present) in the following practice areas: General Practice | White Collar Criminal Defense | Non-White Collar Criminal Defense
- Florida Trend’s Legal Elite (Hall of Fame)
- Florida Super Lawyers (2007-Present | Florida Top 100: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 | Jacksonville Top 25: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV
- Jacksonville Magazine’s Best Lawyers | 2024
- Criminal Defense: General Practice
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar
- Criminal Trial Law
Past Employment Positions
- State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, Division Chief and Homicide Team Member
Professional & Community Associations
- Board of Directors, Sanctuary on 8th Street, Former Chair
- Board of Trustees, Episcopal School of Jacksonville
- Varsity Football PA Announcer, Episcopal School of Jacksonville
- Youth flag football coach, I-9
- Executive Council, Criminal Law Section, The Florida Bar, Former Chair
- Chester Bedell Inn of Court, Emeritus Member
- Rotary (Downtown), 2005-2017
- The Florida Bar Special Committee to Study the Decline in Jury Trials, 2010-2012
- Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, 2006-2012
- State Attorney’s Office Jailed Juvenile Mentor Program, 2006-2008
- Fourth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, 2003-2006
- Board of Directors, Jacksonville Historical Society, 2001-2005
Publications And Presentations
- “Defending the Prescription Case,” Florida Defender (Winter 2014)
- “Trying to Put the Genie Back in the Bottle: Sealing and Expungement for Criminal Cases,” Continuing Legal Education presentation (Oct. 26, 2016)
- “United States v. Booker: The First 10 Years in the Middle District of Florida,” Panelist, Annual Honorable Ralph W. “Buddy” Nimmons, Jr. Federal Practice Seminar (April 20, 2017)
- Gideon v. Wainwright 60th Anniversary, Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association, Panelist (November 6, 2023)
View our other Bedell lawyers that O. David Barksdale works with including, Brian Coughlin and Ashley Cox.