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2 attorneys selected for judgeships

One comes from the world of criminal law; the other is one of Florida's few board-certified tax attorneys. They start Jan. 3.

By COLLEEN JENKINS
Published December 20, 2005

In terms of experience, Gov. Jeb Bush probably couldn't have picked two more different attorneys to fill Pasco's new circuit judgeships.

Thane Covert has spent his career prosecuting criminals. Walter "Skip" Schafer Jr. has spent his in the heady world of probate, business and tax law.

"It's a nice balance," said Sallie Skipper, a member of the commission that found both men worthy of the governor's consideration.

Word of their appointments came late Friday. With a Jan. 3 start date, each will have little time to wrap up his current work.

Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge Joe Bulone had this advice for Covert, his former colleague in the State Attorney's Office, on making a quick getaway: "Write memos on all the big stuff, and then just go."

Covert, 48, currently is lead or co-chairman on about eight pending murder cases in Pinellas County. He also prosecutes child abusers and supervises five attorneys in a division with 1,400 to 1,500 felony cases.

He began as a clerk for the office while studying at Stetson University College of Law, then joined full time in 1987. Before that, he worked as a law enforcement officer with the Clearwater and Treasure Island police departments.

In 2002, Covert helped win a murder conviction against the teenager who killed Pasco County Health Department assistant director Richard Hosking.

"I've always felt that public service is a calling," said Covert, who has been a finalist for a judgeship four times. A judgeship, he said, is "one of the highest forms of public service that a lawyer can do."

Bulone, who once served as Covert's boss before being named a judge in January, said the father of two and husband of almost 28 years brings two important traits to the bench.

"He's a really good guy and a fair person," Bulone said, "and that's really the most important thing for being a judge."

Schafer, 58, is in private practice in Pinellas County, though Pasco voters might remember him from a circuit judgeship race last year. He lost in the primary after spending $130,000 of his own money on the campaign.

He is a board-certified tax attorney, one of fewer than 300 in Florida. He earned his law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

Since 1996, he has been a member of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Civil Service Board, which hears appeals on internal discipline cases.

"He seems to be a very patient, calm individual," Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats said. "He's very congenial."

Skipper said she previously had received unsolicited calls about how "highly ethical" Schafer was as an attorney.

Schafer, a divorced father of three, was on a long-planned holiday cruise Monday with his family and could not be reached. But during his interview with the Judicial Nominating Commission in October, he said he possessed a judicial temperament, "something they can't teach you in judges school."

"I'm going to treat you with courtesy and respect," he said then.

Both Schafer and Covert are Republicans, though judgeships are nonpartisan offices.

No decision had been made on Monday about which assignment each man will get. One judge will hear foreclosure and general civil cases in New Port Richey; the other will handle family and juvenile court dockets in east and west Pasco.

--Colleen Jenkins covers courts in west Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6236 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6236. Her e-mail address is cjenkins@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 20, 2005, 01:50:22]