Matthew J. Ausley and his team represent clients in Divorce, Custody, and
Family Law.
As Good Life Legal's founder, Matt brings nearly two decades of business experience to the team, and employs a common-sense, business-like attitude in his law practice. Matt has helped hundreds of clients to solve their legal issues and get back to living the Good Life.
As an entrepreneur, Matt has owned and managed three businesses; a pressure washing company, a collection agency, and now the law firm.
Matt’s career started as a manager of a finance company branch with a $10 million loan portfolio and over 800 customers. Next, he accepted a position with Sage pursuing advanced collections. In those endeavors, Matt earned several promotions and multiple awards for excellence in sales and leadership.
While in law school, Matt interned at Holland & Knight and with the Hon. Joel B. Toomey, a Federal Magistrate Judge. Matt also served as a Student Ambassador for the school and a Research Assistant to Professor Peter Marchetti, for Contracts and Bankruptcy.
Matt graduated cum laude with a certificate for legal research and writing and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2015.
On a personal note, Matt has a wonderful wife, Kristin, and two young boys. Matt chairs Safe Connections, a non-profit serving local children, and is a former chair the Niceville and the Fort Walton young professional organizations. Matt is an active member of Crosspoint Church, the Okaloosa and Walton County Bar Associations, and the Fort Walton & Niceville Chambers of Commerce. He enjoys hobby mechanics, working in his yard, and reading.
- Florida Coastal School of Law
- J.D. (2014) | Law
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- Honors: cum laude
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- Asbury College
- B.A. (2004) | Business Management
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- Owner
- Good Life Legal
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- Partner
- Anchors Smith Grimsley, PLC
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- Attorney
- The Critzer Law Firm
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- Intern
- U.S. District Court
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- Intern
- Holland & Knight
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- Above and Beyond Service
- FCSL Student Ambassadors
- Walton County Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- The Florida Bar # 0117362
- Member
- - Current
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- Okaloosa Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- Florida
- The Florida Bar
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- Credit Cards Accepted
- Contingent Fees
- Family Law
- Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Same Sex Family Law
- Divorce
- Contested Divorce, Military Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce
- English
- Q. I purchased a used car a month and a half ago. The check engine lite is on and it leaks oil. Can I return it?
- A: The state of Florida has a “Lemon Law” which may apply in your situation. Essentially, you will deal directly with the car’s manufacture to have your car fixed or get your money back. You can find out more information on the process by going to the website of the Florida Office of the Attorney General. It is important that you continue to make your payments during the process if you want to protect your credit. You should also consider retaining an attorney to represent you in the process. It is possible to make a Lemon Law claim as a DIY project if you are very organized, willing to put significant time into researching and understanding the process, and can stay focused on following up and not missing any of the critical steps required to succeed with your claim. Good luck.
- Q. What are your tips for buying a used car in Florida?
- A: When buying a used car, one of the best things you can do is take the car to an independent mechanic and have them conduct a thorough inspection of the vehicle, BEFORE YOU PURCHASE. Used cars are almost always sold in an “as is” condition. That means you get the car in whatever condition it is in, no warranty or guarantee. You can expect to pay $150 or so for a good inspection. However, this information is very valuable if it saves you from purchasing something with discoverable issues. You can also use that information to negotiate for a lower price. Even if you could negotiate a warranty on a used car, it would be very difficult to enforce that against an individual person. So, when someone says a car is in mint condition, that statement is meaningless. Have the vehicle inspected before you buy. That is the best way to minimize risk.
- Q. We loaned $5500 to a bus assoc on 10/20/14 w/principal to be paid in full 4/20/15. They defaulted, what is our recourse
- A: The first part is relatively straight forward and simple. You need to hire an attorney to file suit for breach of contract and obtain a money judgment against the company and the individuals if you had personal guarantees. Hopefully, your Note contained an attorney’s fee provision, so you can get your fees for obtaining the judgment. Once you have a money judgment things get a bit more complicated. Your attorney will have to begin the process of post-judgment collection. Usually, an attorney will conduct some discovery and identify key assets upon which you can levy. Once assets have been identified, your attorney will ask the sheriff to assist in obtaining them and selling them. If the company has bank accounts, your attorney can garnish those. Sometimes, these collections are quick and easy, sometimes they are difficult. But an experienced attorney will guide you through the process and should be able to tell you, fairly early on, how likely you are to recover fully. Good luck!