Mario R. Theodore, Esq. - President and Founder

I established the Law Office of Mario R. Theodore, P.A., in 2008, and began doing business as Fair Price Legal in 2012, because I realized there was a need for affordable and experienced legal representation available in our community.

In my former career in law enforcement, and then as an Assistant Public Defender, I had a first-hand view of what was often the imbalance between wealth and legal outcome. Often, people with less money had no alternative but to accept legal representation that may have been ineffective, while wealthier people often had the ability to afford more experienced and effective legal representation.

Unfortunately, I have also had friends and family who needed legal representation for various matters, and it also seemed that even when large sums of money were spent on legal representation, most attorneys had no empathy or connection with the client, and many lawyers appeared to be dishonest and simply there to exploit people who were desperate. Many of the lawyers I came across seemed to have nothing in common with the people I loved and really did not seem to care about anything other than fees. In my opinion, lawyering is a "people business." If you can't identify and empathize with the people you serve, how can you be effective?

Motivated by these experiences, I made it my mission to bridge the divide. I pursued my legal education with the aim of offering genuine, honest advocacy to those too often overlooked or underserved by the system. My commitment has always been to provide legal services grounded in integrity, relatability, and real compassion—qualities that I felt were missing from many of the attorneys I encountered. I wanted to create a practice that was not only professional but also approachable, where community members could seek help without fear of judgment or exploitation, and where each individual’s circumstances were met with understanding and respect.

Consequently, I decided to become an attorney because I believe “change” begins with individual effort. I attended Columbia College Chicago while working full-time with the sheriff’s department and received my bachelor’s degree with honors in Journalism. Shortly after graduating from Columbia I attended University of Illinois Chicago Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School in Chicago) and obtained my juris doctor degree in 2006.

My family and I moved to Florida shortly after I graduated from law school, and in September of 2006, I started working as a Certified Legal Intern (CLI) for the 19th Circuit Public Defender. As a CLI I represented public defender clients (under the supervision of a licensed attorney) in misdemeanor cases. I also participated in several jury trials prior to becoming a licensed attorney. In April 2007, I became a licensed and practicing Florida attorney and was promoted to felony attorney with the Public Defender's office. As a felony attorney I represented public defender clients facing serious felony charges.

I left the public defender’s office in 2008 and created the Law Office of Mario R. Theodore. As a solo practitioner I continued to strengthen my criminal defense experience while broadening my legal knowledge in Family Law and immigration. I also began representing people in administrative matters before agencies such as the Social Security Administration, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and Veterans Administration. I also helped people facing foreclosure and accepted pro bono cases assisting veterans and others.

In 2012, I decided to do business as Fair Price Legal, to reflect the foundation of why I became an attorney in the first place, which was to provide experienced, passionate, and empathetic legal counsel to the community at a fair price. Around that same time I also refocused the practice to concentrate in Family Law, Immigration, and what I describe as general “Life Planning.”

“Life Planning” covers the range of what I believe is important and foundational in everyone's life, which may be marriage, divorce, custody, real estate (home buying and selling), wills, powers of attorney, immigration, etc.

I am the product of immigrants and have family members whose first language is not English. Therefore, immigration was and is very personal to me. So much so because I assisted my father in becoming an American citizen. I have helped people from around-the-world with immigration issues ranging from simple visa renewals all the way through removal proceedings.

From January 2018 through July 2018, I worked with the Florida Coalition for Domestic Violence providing legal services to survivors of domestic violence located in rural communities in the Florida Panhandle. Then, in October 2018, I shuttered the office to accept a position with the Florida Police Benevolent Association as Assistant General Counsel. At the FLPBA I expanded my knowledge in contract negotiations, labor law, and practicing before administrative agencies.

Although I have worked with and for a few varied entities and gained invaluable experience that I may not have otherwise obtained, helping my community has always been at my core, and I believe is my purpose. So, I reopened Fair Price Legal in August 2021 to continue the tradition of helping the underserved. I am where I need to be.

My reputation is everything, and I want you to consider Fair Price Legal as YOUR law firm!