Paul Weekley

Growing up in Tampa, Paul attended St. John’s Episcopal Day School, later graduating from Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina. Paul attended Wake Forest University, graduating with a degree in English. After a brief banking career in Atlanta, Paul returned to the Tampa Bay area to attend law school at Stetson University College of Law. While at Stetson, Paul served as a judicial intern with Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He also won first place in the Stetson Mock Trial Competition and the Stetson Closing Arguments Competition.

After graduating from law school, Paul began practicing in Tampa. In 2008, Paul and his partners, Chris Schulte and Jody Valdes, embraced their entrepreneurial spirit and founded WEEKLEY | SCHULTE | VALDES | MURMAN | TONELLI, where Paul grew a thriving practice defending commercial carriers and businesses in claims involving catastrophic injuries.

Paul was admitted to practice in all Florida state courts and the United States District Court for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida. He was a member of the American Bar Association, the Florida Bar, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute. Paul was selected by his peers for membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates and inclusion in Best Lawyers in America. He was also named a Florida Super Lawyer by Florida Super Lawyers magazine and one of Tampa Bay’s Top Lawyers in the area of personal injury by Tampa Bay Magazine.

The best lawyers are the ones who create solutions, knowing that the most effective way to create solutions is not with unbridled aggression and ego, but, rather, with hard work, perseverance, dedication, and respect for others. That is what drove Paul, first, as a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a friend, and, second, as a lawyer. Paul’s devotion to his family and friends was evidenced in the endless hours with his sons coaching their baseball teams, the long runs and road trips with his daughter to her track meets, and the annual invasion of Tampa with his fellow Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla pirates. In his 29 years of practice, Paul gained the respect, admiration, and trust of colleagues on both sides of the bar and was known for his honesty and integrity.

Paul was dealt a challenge greater than any case would ever present when he was diagnosed with ALS. Despite the life-altering impact of the disease, Paul continued to practice and engage actively in the day-to-day operations of the firm. At the same time, he found a greater calling in using his diagnosis to help others like him and those committed to curing ALS – presenting to Congress regarding federal funding for ALS research and presenting to medical students about his experiences with ALS. He knew that hearing from a real patient with a rare disease would help future doctors see the big picture from a patient perspective and ultimately make them better doctors.

Paul is survived by his wife of 31 years, Sherrie; their sons Adam and Carson and their daughter, Ellis; his brother, Augustine Weekley III; and his niece, Abigail Weekley.

If asked, Paul would have said, humbly and without pretense, that he hoped he made an impact on others in every chapter of his life. He did. He was loved very much, and he is missed even more.