Lawyers in Fort Walton Beach, Florida — Cotton & Gates
Cotton & Gates, Attorneys at Law, has represented Okaloosa County clients since 1982. We’re a small firm by design: three attorneys handling a wide range of legal matters with personal attention you don’t get from regional or franchise practices. Our office is at 3 Plew Avenue in Shalimar — about ten minutes from downtown Fort Walton Beach, Destin, and the Okaloosa County courthouse. Whether you need representation for a criminal charge, a divorce, a personal injury claim, or estate planning, you’ll be working directly with the attorney handling your case. For a free initial consultation, call 850-651-9900.
Practice Areas
Our practice covers the legal matters that affect Okaloosa County families and individuals most often:
- Criminal Defense. Representation for misdemeanor and felony charges in Okaloosa County: DUI, drug crimes, battery and assault, burglary and robbery, property crimes, juvenile cases, sex offenses, probation violations, and record expungement.
- Family Law. Divorce, child custody and time-sharing, child support, alimony, equitable distribution, paternity, modifications, and prenuptial / postnuptial agreements. We handle straightforward uncontested cases and contentious litigation — including military divorce considerations specific to Eglin and Hurlburt families.
- Personal Injury. Representation for victims of car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, slip-and-fall and premises liability, dog bite injuries, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury. Contingency fee — you don’t pay unless we recover.
- Wills, Trusts & Probate. Estate planning, including wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, and health care surrogates. Probate administration in Okaloosa County for personal representatives. Lady Bird deeds for Florida homeowners.
- Real Estate Law. Real estate transactions, title work, contract review, conveyance documents, and real estate litigation. Coordination with our estate planning practice for clients combining property planning and real-estate matters.
- Military & Civil Service Matters. Legal services tailored to active-duty service members, retirees, federal civilian employees, and their families.
Our Attorneys
Byron Cotton — Real Estate, Estate Planning, and Probate
Byron leads our real estate, estate planning, and probate practice. His work combines transactional precision (closings, drafting, conveyance documents) with the longer-arc planning required for wills, trusts, and family-asset structuring. For clients dealing with both an estate-planning question and a real-estate question — for example, restructuring how a homestead is titled to avoid probate — Byron handles both sides under one roof. Read Byron’s full bio.
Michael R. Gates — Personal Injury, Auto Accidents, and Trial Defense
Mike has been representing clients across the Florida Panhandle since 1982 — over 40 years of trial experience. His practice centers on personal injury and auto accidents, where he applies decades of experience negotiating with insurance companies and trying cases when settlement falls short. Mike handles cases from initial investigation through, when needed, jury trial in Okaloosa County Circuit Court. Read Michael’s full bio.
Cassie M. Reed — Criminal Defense and Family Law
Cassie leads our criminal defense and family law practice. A former prosecutor with over a decade of trial experience, Cassie brings to defense work the same preparation, courtroom presence, and case-strategy thinking that the prosecution brings to its side. In family law, she handles divorce, custody, and support matters with the trial-readiness that produces better settlements. Read Cassie’s full bio.
Why Hire a Local Fort Walton Beach Law Firm
“Local” is more than a marketing word in this practice. The Okaloosa County courthouse, the local judges, the local prosecutors and opposing counsel, the way certain procedural decisions actually play out — all of it is specific to this venue. Out-of-area firms either don’t know that, or they have to spend time figuring it out at your expense.
Some specific advantages to working with a local firm:
- Direct access to your attorney. When you call, you reach the lawyer handling your case. We’re not a high-volume operation hiding behind paralegals and intake staff.
- Office in Shalimar, ten minutes from FWB. In-person meetings happen in our office, not over Zoom. For criminal cases involving jail visits, family law cases requiring document review, or estate planning sessions where it helps to sit with documents, that proximity matters.
- Decades of local court experience. Mike’s been practicing in Okaloosa County since 1982. Familiar judges, familiar opposing counsel, familiar court staff.
- Free initial consultation. We meet, you tell us about your situation, we explain how the law applies, and we tell you honestly whether you have a case worth pursuing and what it’ll cost.
- Transparent fees. Personal injury cases on contingency. Criminal defense and family law cases on flat fees or hourly with a clear retainer agreement and no surprise charges.
Communities We Serve
Our office is in Shalimar (just east of Fort Walton Beach), and our practice extends throughout Okaloosa County:
- Fort Walton Beach — about 10 minutes from our office
- Shalimar — our home community
- Destin — about 15 minutes east
- Niceville — about 15 minutes north
- Valparaiso — adjacent to Niceville
- Crestview — about 25 minutes north (Okaloosa County seat)
- Mary Esther — about 15 minutes west of Fort Walton Beach
- Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field — service members and their families across both bases
Every legal matter depends on its specific facts, applicable law, and circumstances of the parties.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need a lawyer?
The honest answer is: not always. For some matters — minor traffic infractions, routine paperwork, very small claims — you can often handle things on your own. For criminal charges, family law disputes, personal injury claims, real estate transactions over a few thousand dollars, or any situation where you’re being sued or being investigated, consulting an attorney can help you understand your options. The initial consultation is free and tells you whether your situation rises to the level of needing representation.
What does a free consultation include?
About an hour with the attorney whose practice area covers your situation. You explain what’s going on; they ask questions; they explain your options under Florida law; they tell you honestly whether the case warrants representation. If yes, we discuss fees and next steps. If no, you leave knowing where you stand. No obligation.
How much do your services cost?
It depends on the matter. Personal injury cases are contingency-fee — no fee unless we recover. Estate planning is flat-fee — quoted at the initial meeting. Family law and criminal defense vary based on the case complexity and whether matters are contested, and we’ll give you a realistic estimate at the consultation. We don’t take retainers for cases that don’t warrant the expense.
Do you handle cases throughout the Florida Panhandle?
Our primary practice is Okaloosa County (Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, Destin, Niceville, Crestview, and surrounding communities). We handle cases that overflow into nearby counties (Walton, Santa Rosa, parts of Okaloosa) when the circumstances call for it. We don’t take Pensacola-area cases as a primary venue — for those, you’re better served by a Pensacola firm with that as their home court.
I’m active-duty military stationed at Eglin or Hurlburt. Do you handle military cases?
Yes. Many of our clients are connected to Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, or one of the contractors in the area. We handle military divorces (including pension division and SBP issues), military estate planning (TSP and SGLI considerations, state-of-residency questions), and the legal protections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Military cases often have specific federal-law considerations on top of the Florida-law issues — we have experience with both layers.
What if my case is in a different practice area than what’s listed?
Call us. If we don’t handle your specific matter, we’ll tell you, and we’ll do our best to refer you to a local attorney who does. Three small-firm attorneys can’t cover every legal area, and we won’t pretend otherwise.
What’s the best way to schedule a consultation?
The fastest is to call 850-651-9900 during business hours and we can usually schedule the same week. The online contact form works too — we typically respond within one business day. For criminal matters with someone in jail, we accept collect calls from Okaloosa County jail.
Free Consultation With a Fort Walton Beach Lawyer
Cotton & Gates is at 3 Plew Avenue in Shalimar, FL 32579. We offer free initial consultations across all our practice areas. Call 850-651-9900 or contact us online to schedule.
Serving Fort Walton Beach and All of Okaloosa County
Looking for a Fort Walton Beach attorney near you? Cotton & Gates serves Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Niceville, Crestview, Shalimar, and the surrounding Okaloosa County communities. Most clients reach our Shalimar office in 15 minutes or less from anywhere in Okaloosa County.
Personal Injury Sub-Practices
For specific personal-injury case types, we maintain detailed practice pages: Fort Walton Beach Dog Bite Attorneys and Fort Walton Beach Slip and Fall Attorneys.
Serving Destin and Walton County
Most of our Destin clients find us through our Destin Attorneys page, which covers our DUI, probate, estate planning, real estate, family law, and personal injury services for Destin residents and businesses.
DUI-related: If you or a family member has a DUI charge in Okaloosa County, our Florida hardship license guide walks through the 7 steps to apply for a restricted license so you can keep driving to work and school during the suspension period.
The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Hiring an attorney is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.