Tad A. Yates is admitted to practice law in the state courts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Florida in 1991 and from the University of Florida College of Law in 1994. He has served as the Chairman of the Criminal Law Committee of the Orange County, Florida Bar Association. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the First Central Florida American Inns of Court and has served as that organizations program chair. He is the current President of the Orange County Bar Association.  He previously served as Vice-President of that organization.  He is a past secretary and member of the Board of Trustees of the Orange County Bar Association's Legal Aid Society.  In 2004, Mr. Yates was awarded the Young Lawyer Professionalism Award by the Orange County Bar Association. He is a member of The Florida Bar, the National and Florida Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

In addition to representing clients in the criminal trial court, Mr. Yates has also authored many appellate briefs and has represented inmates at various stages of post-conviction proceedings.