TJ Grimaldi

TJ Grimaldi was born in Tampa, Florida, on October 30, 1976. He was raised in Tampa where he attended school. He graduated from Berkeley Preparatory School in 1995, and then attended the University of Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1999, completing his degree in Economics with a minor in History and Speech. While at the University of Florida he was inducted into Omicron Delta Espsilon, an honors society, for his excellence in his major field of study. Throughout, he worked in many different positions at Columbia Bank in Ybor City, owned and operated by the Grimaldi family for nearly a century. 

After graduation from the University of Florida, Grimaldi worked as a Sales Associate and Assistant Marketing Manager for RP Scherer in St. Petersburg, Florida, beginning in 2000. After leaving RP Scherer he began teaching at Berkeley. From 2001 to 2002 he taught government and economics to high school students, coached high school football, and was the head coach for the middle division boys soccer team.

In 2002 he enrolled at the New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated on the dean’s list earning his juris doctorate in 2005. Upon graduation he became an associate at the Law Office of Ralph E. Fernandez, P.A. He has belonged or belongs to a number of professional associations and has been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Florida and the United State District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Prior to leaving Ralph E. Fernandez, P.A., Grimaldi had approximately seven hundred and fifty open files that he handled from intake through to settlement, and therefore is accustomed to a heavy caseload. He was responsible for preparing everything necessary to prosecute all clients’ personal injury cases, including setting up claims; reviewing medical records; writing demands; drafting complaints; taking depositions; mediating claims; negotiating settlements; and, preparing and responding to discovery. During his six years with Ralph E. Fernandez, P.A., he handled a large variety of personal injury cases including slip and falls; standard rear-end collisions; and, wrongful death cases. He was additionally responsible for the firm’s pro bono defense of both mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt cases and was routinely in court for both civil and criminal hearings.

Grimaldi was an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity during his years at the University of Florida.