Embattled former Jacksonville public defender Matt Shirk disbarred
Matt Shirk
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Jacksonville public defender Matt Shirk has been disbarred.
Shirk was a public defender for the 4th Judicial Circuit from 2009 to 2017. The circuit is made up of Duval, Nassau and Clay counties.
A grand jury looked into allegations that he circumvented normal practices to hire three young women, that he consumed or served alcohol in a city building and that he revealed privileged client information to a documentary crew.
MORE: Wasteful spending & freebies: How Matt Shirk left office | READ IT: Florida Auditor General’s report | Fired employee sues Public Defender Matt Shirk, claims sexual harassment
He did not face criminal charges but the grand jury called for his resignation.
Shirk didn’t resign but was later suspended from practicing law for one year .
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.
About the Author Travis Gibson headshot
Executive Reporter who has lived in Jacksonville for over 30 years and helps reporters develop meaningful and impactful community stories.
Tracking a rainy weekend of possibly disruptive storms ▶ 0:54
Tracking a rainy weekend of possibly disruptive storms
Jacksonville mother, 2 young children homeless after apartment fire ▶ 0:43
Jacksonville mother, 2 young children homeless after apartment fire
Ep. 5: Breakup blues? Practical mental health tools to help you bounce back ▶ 1:03
Ep. 5: Breakup blues? Practical mental health tools to help you bounce back
News4JAX wraps up its 2025 Toy Drive ▶ 1:01
News4JAX wraps up its 2025 Toy Drive
St. Johns County man charged with DUI after golf cart crash that fatally injured his wife ▶ 0:19
St. Johns County man charged with DUI after golf cart crash that fatally injured his wife
New fire station coming to Clay County for the first time in over 25 years ▶ 0:43
New fire station coming to Clay County for the first time in over 25 years
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes ▶ 0:59
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County ▶ 0:55
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive! ▶ 0:24
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive!
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him ▶ 0:21
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast ▶ 2:28
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’ ▶ 0:40
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚 ▶ 1:33
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting ▶ 1:15
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor! ▶ 0:58
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor!
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon ▶ 0:53
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died ▶ 1:32
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year ▶ 0:38
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4 ▶ 0:47
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds ▶ 0:48
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms ▶ 0:33
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation ▶ 0:37
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message ▶ 0:54
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia ▶ 0:34
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags? ▶ 0:54
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags?
Previous photo Next photo 