In 2003, barely two years into practice as an assistant public defender in Orange County, Florida, Gavin faced a defining moment. A judge demanded he breach attorney-client privilege by testifying against a client. Defiance risked jail, but Gavin stood firm. Spotlighted in the Orlando Business Journal, his stance drew support from colleagues and the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. When the matter resolved, the judge spoke with Gavin and said he would have jailed Gavin —whose unflinching reply was, "I would have gone." This baptism by fire cemented his lifelong commitment to fierce, principled advocacy.
