Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Recinos.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Saigon, Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War. My dad was with the United States Air Force so my mom, dad and I were lucky enough to be airlifted out of Saigon on a military transport shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975. I still remember seeing a soldier manning a machine gun pointed out a window on the aircraft. He was protecting us from possible enemy fire. We ended up living in Columbus, Ohio with my dad’s sister for a few months. Neither my mom nor I spoke any English.
Towards the end of 1975, my dad got a job as a civilian contractor working on helicopters for Bell Helicopters in Isfahan, Iran so we moved there until 1978. Things started getting dangerous for Americans in Iran so we left in 1978. Less than a year later, Americans were taken hostage in Iran from 1979 to 1981.
In 1978, we moved to Taif, Saudi Arabia and lived in this mountain town until 1980. In 1980, my dad got a job with Saudi Arabian Airlines so we moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia until 1983. I went to school at Parents’ Cooperative School in Jeddah and we lived in a huge compound with 10,000 or more other Americans. It was our own private town with baseball fields, tennis courts and swimming pools. It was protected by walls and soldiers with weapons at the gates. I had a great time playing baseball, going swimming and riding bikes with my friends. We left in 1983 and briefly moved to South Florida near my mom’s family.
In 1983, we then moved to Valencia, Venezuela where my dad worked on F-16 fighter jets for General Dynamics. Venezuela was such a beautiful country with a great climate and such lovely people. I had the best time in Venezuela making friends, studying, playing soccer and softball.
Unfortunately, we left in 1984 and moved permanently to South Florida where I graduated with honors from Coral Springs High School and also graduated with honors from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. I had a great time at UF, going to school, working, playing sports and making friends. I was then lucky enough to attend a Top 20 Law School at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. While at the University of Iowa, I was able to study abroad with the London Law Consortium in London, England also study abroad with Temple University Law School in Rome, Italy. To this day, Rome remains my favorite city in the world and I would love to live there again one day in the future.
Since graduation, I have worked for the Florida Bar, the Public Defender’s Office, for a personal injury law firm and for a criminal defense firm before starting my own firm. I have been on my own for the past 20 or so years and have enjoyed my practice. By working for myself, I was able to volunteer at my son’s school from kindergarten through 8th grade and also coach his soccer teams for the same years. My love of travel and other cultures led me to taking my son to multiple countries. My son is now in college and about to start a study abroad program in Japan in 2026 to be followed to another study abroad program in Europe afterwards.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course not. There have been good years and there have been lean years. It’s not easy getting clients and it’s not easy getting clients to pay their bills in full. Social media has made it much harder. It seems that the firms with the best social media are not getting the majority of the clients.
Social media has made it almost impossible to say anything truthful or negative to your clients. You can’t be too forceful in asking clients to pay money they owe you or they may post negative comments about you just to avoid paying their bills.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I enjoy going to court. For example, from 2010 to 2020, I was in court the majority of days each week. Foreclosure court was very busy in the early to middle 2010’s. I would be in court about 4 days a week. I represented clients from the initial foreclosure hearing, to special set hearings and finally at final judgment hearings or at bench trials.
What’s next?
In October of 2025, I had last minute surgery and had 2 stents put in my heart. I feel lucky to be alive. As such, I am seeking other opportunities in life. I would to teach, whether here in Florida or overseas. Here. I would like to be an adjunct professor and teach one class per semester in pre-law, law, criminal justice or any law related field at a local college. I would also like to teach English to new English speakers here or overseas in 2026. I want to enjoy life more and enjoy life more instead of just working all the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://recinoslaw.us
- Facebook: Antonio Recinos on facebook
- Twitter: antoniorecinoslawoffices@tiktok.com
Image Credits
It’s my photo.
