Name: David Andrew Fry

Date and place of birth: 10/27/1983, Philadelphia, PA

Campaign website: davidfryforjudge.com

List in reverse chronological order each college, university and law school and indicate, for each, years of attendance.
Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law 2011-2014

Florida Atlantic University, College of Education 2008-2010

Florida International University, International Relations Major 2003-2006

Purdue University, Political Science Major (Transferred to FIU) 2002-2003

List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
2021–Present ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER, Seventeenth Circuit (Broward)

2020 ATTORNEY, Law Office of David A. Fry, PLLC

2018–2020 ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, Wicker Smith, et. Al

2016-2018 ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER, Seventeenth Circuit, & Eighteenth Circuit (Seminole)

2014–2016 ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY, Ninth Judicial Circuit (Orange)

As a lawyer, judge, or both, describe what types of cases you have typically handled?
I have served as an Assistant Public Defender since January 2021.  In this capacity, I have handled all types of criminal cases up to first degree murder cases in which the State is seeking to impose capital punishment.  My practice requires me to regularly appear in mental health court and to work closely with the State’s Adult Forensic Mental Health Facilities operated by the Department of Children and Families.  My trial experience involves criminal charges up to non-capital first degree murder, and also includes charges of drug trafficking, racketeering, sexual battery, burglary, violent offenses, as well as traffic homicide, DUI, misdemeanor offenses and drug possession.

From mid-2018 through 2020, I practiced civil litigation at Wicker Smith, a large, multistate law firm that represents insurance companies or their insureds.  Here, I served as trial counsel on two complex civil matters that were tried to verdict before a jury.  In 2020, I entered into an of counsel relationship as my own law firm where I represented, on referral, homeowners in breach of contract suits against their property insurers.

My previous experience as an Assistant Public Defender was from 2016 through mid-2018.  I represented clients who were accused of misdemeanors and lower level felonies, and I also served as appellate Counsel in the Broward County Public Defender’s Office where I handled direct appeals as well as writs and contempt hearings.

In 2014, I began my legal career at the State Attorney’s Office in Orange County, first as a Certified Legal Intern and then as a sworn Assistant State Attorney.  Here I handled misdemeanors and later became a traffic prosecution specialist that focused on the admissibility of breath test evidence in DUI cases.

If you are an attorney, how many cases have you tried in the past five years? Of those cases, how many were tried before juries to verdicts and how many were tried before a judge?
Over the past five years, I have tried 13 cases to verdict in front of a jury, plus one case that was tried before a judge in which a not guilty by reason of insanity defense was sought.

If you are a judge, how many jury trials have you presided over that resulted in verdicts and judgments?
N/A

Have you been a party to a lawsuit, including bankruptcy or foreclosure? If so, provide details, including case style, jurisdiction and details of disposition.
No, I have never been party to a legal matter.

Have you been charged or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, including adjudications of guilt withheld? If so, provide charges, dates of conviction and terms of sentence.
No, I have never been arrested or charged with any crime.

If a judge: Have you ever been disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court or investigated by the Judicial Qualifications Commission. If an attorney: Have you ever been disciplined, even privately, as a result of a Florida Bar investigation? (If so, provide details.)
N/A

List three cases in which you were lead or co-counsel and why they are significant.
State of Florida v. Claude White, Broward Case:  16006682CF10A

Trial occurred in 2023.  Multi Co-Defendant Racketeering trial that lasted nearly three months.  Client was the owner of a community pharmacy who was accused of being part of a criminal enterprise.  Dismissal was secured mid trial.

State of Florida v. Jamie Allende, Broward Case:  24004885CF10A

Resolved in 2025.  Successfully developed mitigation in First Degree Murder case to resolve with client being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

State of Florida v. Terry McKirchy, Broward Case:  21005999CF10A

Resolved in 2024.  Client was accused of First Degree Murder following the death of an individual for whom she babysat in 1984 and had previously admitted to committing child abuse and attempted murder against in a prior criminal proceeding for which she had completed a sentence.  Was able to work with the State to secure their discretion and agreement to have the client plea to reduced manslaughter charges.

If you have provided any significant pro bono legal services in the past 10 years, please provide details.
I have not provided pro bono legal services outside of my practice at the Public Defender’s Office.  However, I volunteer my time with Laundry Love, a charity operated through St. Marks Epispocal Church in Oakland Park that provides laundry services to needy individuals and families.  I have also served as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, as well as volunteered as a mock trial coach with Saint Thomas Aquinas’ High School’s legal studies program.

List current memberships in civic, fraternal, legal or social organizations.
Broward County Bar Association, Broward Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers, Sierra Club

If you are or were an officer or director or engaged in management of any business enterprise other than a law practice, list its name and business activity, your duties and whether you intend to resign upon your election.
I have no outside business interests.

Why are you running for this office?
I deeply believe in public service. The overwhelming majority of my legal career has been in public service, I have worked in many roles with all types of people that make up the general public. I have come to enjoy working with people and assisting them navigate the stressful situations that arise in Court, as well as representing my clients to seek solutions in our specialty courts, through negotiated resolutions, or by advocating at a trial.

Further, as a litigation attorney, I love being in a courtroom. I have become accustomed to working long hours in court, and at times I have been counted on to maintain order as the senior Assistant Public Defender within a particular courtroom. I am comfortable with the moving parts of a courtroom, and I am proud of the work that I do here.

If you have sought appointment as a judge through a Judicial Nominating Commission, provide details, including year(s) and results.
No.

Why should voters elect you instead of your opponent(s)?
I am a well-rounded litigation attorney who has served as trial counsel in over 70 jury trials that reached verdict.  I have tried cases as a criminal prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney, and a civil litigator.  As a criminal defense attorney, I have served as lead trial counsel on cases up to first degree murder, and as a civil attorney I have served as trial counsel in matters involving a claim of damages in excess of one million dollars.  Further, a substantial portion of my practice now entails Mental Health Court.  Additionally, I have experience in handling criminal appeals on behalf of the Public Defender’s Office.

While still in law school, I served as a Certified Legal Intern (CLI) at the State Attorney’s Office in Orange County, and I was sworn in as an Assistant State Attorney there as soon as I passed the Bar in 2014.  I later returned home to Broward County where I served as an Assistant Public Defender and handled both trial and appellate cases.  Thereafter, I accepted a position as an associate attorney at the law firm of Wicker Smith, where I represented insurance companies or insureds in civil litigation matters.  I returned to the Public Defender’s Office in early 2021 where I am assigned to the Major Crimes unit and represent indigent criminal defendants who are accused of the most serious offenses, including those in which the death penalty is sought.

Prior to attending law school, I was a history and civics teacher at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami.  My undergraduate degree is from Florida International University (FIU), and I have a Master’s Degree in Education from Florida Atlantic University (FAU).  I graduated law school from Nova Southeastern University in 2014.  I first moved to Broward County when I began high school in 1998, and I am a product of Broward County Public Schools, graduating from Western High School in Davie in 2002.

What in your life experience best qualifies you to serve as a judge?
The single most important experience of my legal career was when my son was born during my first year of law school.  My priorities quickly became focused on providing for his needs.  The lived experience of raising a child while going back to school, changing careers, and practicing in an entry level position serve as a constant reminder that despite the official character of our court system, it is a very human institution in which individuals should not be prejudged.

What are three major challenges facing the justice system in Florida?
High case load – A high case load creates a “deli counter” atmosphere where members of the community, including families, next of kin, and victims, who are involved in a criminal case are often felt brushed off, not heard, and without an understanding of the process.  To the detriment of parties, Judges with a high case count may miss important details about the parties appearing before them.

Improved funding and access for specialty courts and related services – In the context of the criminal divisions, high caseloads are ameliorated with the efforts of the State Attorney and Public Defender’s Offices to move cases into specialty courts like Drug Court, Veterans’ Court, or Mental Health Court.  Court administration can assist by triaging matters that qualify for a specialty Court, which will ease the burden of a division judge.

The need for better funded intervention programs – Improved funding for intervention programs within our schools and communities will improve the social well-being of the community in general, requiring less judicial interventions in dependency, criminal, and family divisions.  Moreover, well-funded intervention services would serve as a partner to the Courts by offering background information about the parties in family law, dependency, and criminal division cases while offering meaningful alternatives for parents in dependency proceedings as well as non-incarcerative sanctions in criminal court.