Skip Campbell
Encyclopedia
Walter G. "Skip" Campbell (born November 12, 1948) was a member of the Florida Senate
from Tamarac, Florida
. He was the Democratic
candidate for Florida
Attorney General
in 2006. Campbell is currently a candidate for the Florida Senate
, hoping to unseat Republican Senator Jeff Atwater.
, New York
, an Irish neighborhood in the Rockaways of Queens County, New York. When Skip was twelve, his family moved to Florida.
A graduate of Broward County schools, Campbell earned his A.A. from St. John Vianney Seminary
in 1968 and his Bachelor of Arts
and Juris Doctor
degrees from the University of Florida
in 1970 and 1973 respectively.
Following law school, Campbell began his career with a defense firm in Miami. He then joined with fellow attorney Jon Krupnick in Broward County. In 1975, they began the law firm of Krupnick & Campbell.
Campbell was board-certified as a civil trial lawyer by The Florida Bar Association in 1983. He is also a licensed helicopter pilot and a member of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. Campbell is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, the United States Supreme Court, and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Academically, Skip has served as an adjunct professor of law at Nova Southeastern University
's Shepard Broad Law Center and has been a review editor for Matthew Bender Publishing Company. He has also hosted the popular television show "You and the Law."
During his career he has been a leader within the law profession. He has served as President of the Broward County Bar Association, President of the Broward County Trial Lawyers' Association, and President of the Federal Bar Association of Broward County. He an elected member of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar Association from 1988 through 1996, and was the recipient of The Florida Bar's Meritorious Service Award.
Campbell was also a Founding Fellow and member of the Board of Governors of the Southern Trial Lawyers, a Diplomat of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, a sustaining member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, a Founding Sponsor of the Civil Justice Foundation and a Founding Member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.
In 1996, Campbell was elected to the Florida Senate, where he represents the western portions of central and northern Broward County. He has sponsored and supported numerous bills in the areas of crime fighting, education, consumer rights and safety, and the protection of the quality of health care. Campbell was reelected to the Senate in 2000 and 2004, and was elected Minority Whip in 1998. He currently serves on seven committees:
Campbell remains active in the local community. He has served as local chairman of the Broward Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society, as a board member for Kids in Distress, and on the Legal Advocates Committee of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He has been actively involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation and the Emerald Society. Campbell has received numerous awards for his civic, professional, and legislative efforts including the Hope Award of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Distinguished Community Service Award of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League of Coral Springs/Parkland, the VALOR award from the American Diabetes Association, and the Outstanding Senator Award from the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.
Campbell and his wife, the former Lynn Satin of Miami Beach, Florida
, live in Broward County. They have two children.
In the general election, Skip Campbell squared off against former Congressman Bill McCollum
, and Campbell ultimately lost to McCollum.
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
from Tamarac, Florida
Tamarac, Florida
Tamarac is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,427. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census....
. He was the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate for Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
in 2006. Campbell is currently a candidate for the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
, hoping to unseat Republican Senator Jeff Atwater.
Background
Skip Campbell was born in Rockaway BeachRockaway Beach, Queens
Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the South Shore of Long Island. The neighborhood is bounded by Arverne to the east and Rockaway Park to the west...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, an Irish neighborhood in the Rockaways of Queens County, New York. When Skip was twelve, his family moved to Florida.
A graduate of Broward County schools, Campbell earned his A.A. from St. John Vianney Seminary
St. John Vianney Seminary
St. John Vianney Seminary is a Roman Catholic college seminary located on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. The seminary's mission is "to provide basic training today for tomorrow's Catholic priests." Seminarians undergo a four-year program of spiritual conferences...
in 1968 and his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degrees from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1970 and 1973 respectively.
Following law school, Campbell began his career with a defense firm in Miami. He then joined with fellow attorney Jon Krupnick in Broward County. In 1975, they began the law firm of Krupnick & Campbell.
Campbell was board-certified as a civil trial lawyer by The Florida Bar Association in 1983. He is also a licensed helicopter pilot and a member of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. Campbell is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, the United States Supreme Court, and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Academically, Skip has served as an adjunct professor of law at Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University, commonly referred to as NSU or Nova, is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, research university located in Broward County, Florida, with its main campus in the town of Davie...
's Shepard Broad Law Center and has been a review editor for Matthew Bender Publishing Company. He has also hosted the popular television show "You and the Law."
During his career he has been a leader within the law profession. He has served as President of the Broward County Bar Association, President of the Broward County Trial Lawyers' Association, and President of the Federal Bar Association of Broward County. He an elected member of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar Association from 1988 through 1996, and was the recipient of The Florida Bar's Meritorious Service Award.
Campbell was also a Founding Fellow and member of the Board of Governors of the Southern Trial Lawyers, a Diplomat of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, a sustaining member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, a Founding Sponsor of the Civil Justice Foundation and a Founding Member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.
In 1996, Campbell was elected to the Florida Senate, where he represents the western portions of central and northern Broward County. He has sponsored and supported numerous bills in the areas of crime fighting, education, consumer rights and safety, and the protection of the quality of health care. Campbell was reelected to the Senate in 2000 and 2004, and was elected Minority Whip in 1998. He currently serves on seven committees:
- Children and Families, Chair
- Government Efficiency Appropriations, Vice Chair
- Banking and Insurance
- Judiciary
- Rules and Calendar
- Ways and Means
- Select Committee on Medicaid Reform
Campbell remains active in the local community. He has served as local chairman of the Broward Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
Society, as a board member for Kids in Distress, and on the Legal Advocates Committee of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He has been actively involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation and the Emerald Society. Campbell has received numerous awards for his civic, professional, and legislative efforts including the Hope Award of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Distinguished Community Service Award of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League of Coral Springs/Parkland, the VALOR award from the American Diabetes Association, and the Outstanding Senator Award from the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.
Campbell and his wife, the former Lynn Satin of Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, live in Broward County. They have two children.
Campaign for Attorney General, 2006
In August 2005, Skip Campbell announced that he would run for Attorney General of Florida. Campbell was opposed by Broward County attorney Merrilee Ehrlich in the Democratic primary. Though some newspapers speculated that Ehrlich's candidacy was an orchestrated effort by Campbell to raise his name recognition and to improve his chances in a general election, he denied encouraging Ehrlich to run. On September 7, 2006, Campbell defeated Ehrlich to become the Democratic nominee for Attorney General.In the general election, Skip Campbell squared off against former Congressman Bill McCollum
Bill McCollum
Ira William "Bill" McCollum, Jr. is a former Florida Attorney General. A Republican, he was Florida's 36th attorney general, taking office in 2007...
, and Campbell ultimately lost to McCollum.