Archives: Attorney

Jay Bartlett is a founding shareholder of the firm and concentrates his practice in the areas of water law, environmental law, property rights, eminent domain, and general real estate matters. In addition to his work in Florida, Mr. Bartlett practiced in the areas of water law and related environmental litigation in Colorado for eight years. He has represented landowners, developers, and governmental entities in the development and protection of water supply and delivery systems, environmental permitting and defense of various agency enforcement matters against local, state, and federal agencies. Mr. Bartlett has also represented owners of wastewater treatment plants in permitting and enforcement actions.

Education

University of Colorado School of Law, J.D., 1985
University of Florida, B.S. (Accounting with Honors), 1982
University of Florida, A.A. (Liberal Arts and Sciences, with High Honors), 1980

Bar + Court Admissions

Florida
Colorado
Georgia

Awards + Recognitions

AV Rated Martindale-Hubbell
Selected by his peers for inclusion in the 25th Edition of the Best Lawyers in America 2019
Named Super Lawyer in Super Lawyers Magazine 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018
Named a Top Attorney in Florida in the Wall Street Journal, 2011
Named Lawyer of Distinction, 2019, 2020
Named a Top Attorney by SuperLawyers.com, 2007, 2010, 2011

Professional + Community Involvement

Hillsborough County Bar Association
The Florida Bar, Environmental and Land Use Law Section
Colorado Bar Association

Publications/Speeches

Property Interests Subject to Condemnation, AEDP Quarterly meeting (January 2000).
Taking of Subdivision Access Rights, Journal of the Association of the Eminent Domain Professionals (Spring 1999).
Condemnation Blight, AEDP Quarterly Meeting (June 1999).

Education

Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 2003
University of South Florida, B.S. (Business Administration), 2000

Bar + Court Admissions

Florida

U.S. District Courts, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit

Awards + Recognitions

2025 TBBJ’s Power 100 – Recognizes Tampa Bay’s most influential business leaders
2020 Lawyer of the Year – Litigation – Tampa (as published in Best Lawyers)
Super Lawyer Rising Star. 2011, 2013 – 2017
William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award, 2003
Award of Distinction for Research Assistant, 2003
Stetson Law Review, Recent Developments Editor
Cecil C. and Augusta M. Bailey Endowed Scholarship Fund Recipient
Florida Bar’s City, County and Local Government Law Section Student Award, 2003
Stetson Law Review, Outstanding Associate Award, 2002

Publications + Speeches

Recent Developments, Barley v. South Florida Water Management District, 32 STETSON LAW REVIEW 561 (2003)
Recent Developments, SMM Properties, Incorporated v. City of North Lauderdale, 31 STETSON LAW REVIEW 509 (2002)

Notable Cases

DecisionHR USA, Inc. v. William Mills, III, et al, 341 So.3d 448 (Fla. 2d DCA 2022).
Toucan Partners, LLC v. Hernando County,  2014 WL 3036937 (11th Cir. 2014)
State of Florida v. Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC, 126 So. 3d 1095 (Fla. 4th DCA 2012)
Schwarz v. City of Treasure Island, 544 F.3d 1201 (11th Cir. 2008)
Morrispring Natural Water Corp. v. Levy County, 978 So. 2d 162 (Fla. 1st DCA 2008)
Matthews et al. v. City of Maitland, 923 So. 2d 591 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006)
Maggy Hurchalla v. Lake Point Phase I, LLC and
Lake Point Phase II, LLC, 278 So.3d 58 (Fla 4th DCA 2019)
Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC v. Johnson, 264 So. 3d 336 (Fla 1st DCA 2019)
Maggy Hurchalla et. al. v. Homeowners Choice Property and Casualty Insurance Company Inc, 281 So. 3d 510 (Fla 4th DCA 2019)

Verdicts and Settlements

Successful recovery (pre-suit) on behalf of victim of employment and gender discrimination by City of Tampa Councilman Orlando Gudes. Before initiating litigation, obtained maximum amount under Florida Sovereign Immunity Statute and signed apology letter from City of Tampa’s Mayor, Ms. Jane Castor.

Lead counsel on successful appeal involving case of first impression under Florida’s APEX doctrine in corporate context. In response to the recent amendment by the Florida Supreme Court, obtain a favorable appellate decision outlining the factors necessary to engage in deposition discovery of high-ranking corporate officers.

Successful resolution of Public Records Dispute with Former City of Tampa Councilman John Dingfelder. After initiating litigation against Mr. Dingfelder, the case settled resulting in Mr. Dingfelder’s official resignation from public office as a City Councilman and the issuance of a signed apology letter for engaging in behavior contrary to the Florida Public Records Act.

$25,000,000 settlement on behalf of national multi-family owner against private country club for engaging in malicious prosecution in a civil action.

Successful class action defense (on merits and class certification) in Louisiana on behalf of financial services company.  In addition to successful defense of claims, obtained a public apology letter from the Southern Poverty Law Center for initiating litigation against the Firm’s client.

$425,000 recovery against the City of Tampa for unlawful discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.

$4,400,000 jury verdict on behalf of mining business against the environmental activist, Maggy Hurchalla. Affirmed on appeal.

Final judgment following a week-long trial in favor of International supplement manufacturer on federal and state trademark infringement claims, tortious interference claims, and Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practice claims. Successful finding on counterclaim for the deceptive practice of medicine.

Final judgment in favor of company against Martin County for violating the Florida Public Records Act. Three county commissioners were subsequently indicted by a grand jury for violating public records laws.

Successful arbitration resulting in entry of final judgment on behalf of Pinellas County business declaring ownership rights to the private beach against the State of Florida’s Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

$750,000 recovery (zoning entitlements and damages) on behalf of sober living residence against City of Bunnell for discrimination claims in the United States District Court under the federal Fair Housing Act.

$3,500,000 recovery ($2,400,000 cash and $1,100,000 in development entitlements) following jury verdict on behalf of rehabilitation facility against local government for intentional discrimination under Federal Fair Housing Act.

$10,418,000 state court jury verdict on behalf of landowner against the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

$18,500,000 recovery on behalf of natural gas company against the State of Florida.

Federal court jury verdict finding intentional discrimination against Hernando County under Federal Fair Housing Act.

$475,000 recovery on behalf of local medical clinic against billing company for breach of contract.

$82,697,567 state court jury verdict on behalf of natural gas company against the state of Florida. Verdict affirmed on appeal.

$3,725,000 settlement following a federal jury verdict on behalf of alcohol rehabilitation clinic against the City of Treasure Island.

$110,000 total recovery following a state court jury verdict for wrongful demolition of home by City of Tampa.

Successful defense of approximately $50,000,000 vested rights and taking claim following a four day trial on behalf of Northern Florida local government.

For over 20 years, Jeff Hinds has focused his practice on eminent domain, condemnation, and related issues.

Mr. Hinds has been lead counsel on hundreds of eminent domain matters on a wide array of projects and has extensive experience litigating inverse condemnation actions as well. He has acted as special condemnation counsel to several Florida counties, municipalities and school boards and has also represented a variety of natural gas and petroleum products transmission companies. His experience includes pre-condemnation planning, negotiation, mediation, settlement, trial and appeal on behalf of condemning authorities, private property owners, and business owners. He has lectured and been published in the field of condemnation law and has been profiled in the “Career Spotlight” section of the University of Florida College of Law’s FlaLaw Magazine. Mr. Hinds has been selected as an Eminent Domain Super Lawyer by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine since 2011 and has been included in US News & World Report’s The Best Lawyers in America for the past 11 years. Mr. Hinds was recently reappointed to serve on the Eminent Domain Committee of the Florida Bar.

Mr. Hinds received his B.A., M.A., and J.D. Degrees from the University of Florida. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1994, and also maintains licensure in the District of Columbia and Texas.

Education

University of Florida College of Law, J.D.  (awarded concurrent with Master of Arts), 1994
University of Florida, M.A., 1994
University of Florida, B.A.,1990

Bar + Court Admissions

Florida
Texas
District of Columbia
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, 11th Circuit and 9th Circuit

Awards + Recognitions

• Selected by US News & World Report for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
• Selected as an Eminent Domain Super Lawyer by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
• Selected as one of Tampa Bay’s Top Lawyers by Tampa Bay Magazine since 2013.
• Received 2016 Florida Planning and Zoning Association Outstanding Study/Plan Award for contribution to the Lee County Greater Pine Island Community Plan Update.
• Profiled in the “Career Spotlight” section of the University of Florida College of Law’s FlaLaw Magazine, Fall 2007.
• Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Team, Vice Chairman.
• ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, Team Coach.
• J. Braxton Craven, Jr. Moot Court Competition, Team Coach.
• Zimmerman, Shuffield, Kiser & Sutcliffe Moot Court Cup Competition, Finalist.
• Research Assistant, Professor Joseph W. Little.
• Phi Beta Kappa.
• University of Florida, College of Law, President’s Honor Roll (4.0 GPA) & Dean’s List.
• Phi Kappa Phi.
• Alpha Lambda Chi (Criminology and Law Honor Society), President.
• Golden Key National Honor Society.
• University of Florida Speech & Debate Team (NDT Policy Squad).

Publication + Speeches

• More Than a Thump, a Sniff and a Squeeze: If You Think Choosing A Melon is Difficult, Try Sussing Out Whether A Regulatory Takings Claim Is Ripe. Florida Association of County Attorneys 2018 Continuing Legal Education Program (November 2018)
• The Bert J. Harris, Jr. Private Property Rights Protection Act: The Statute that Ate My Budget. Florida Association of County Attorneys 2018 Continuing Legal Education Program (June 2018)
• The 2014 Inverse Condemnation Avoidance and Defense Notebook: An Updated Field Guide to Identification and Amelioration of Physical Invasion Inverse Condemnation Claims, Florida Association of County Attorneys 2014 Continuing Legal Education Program (June 2014)
• The Ins and Outs of Access Law: A Case Study of the Green Tree Shopping Center in Sunshine County, Florida, Association of Eminent Domain Professionals General Meeting (September 2012)
• The Inverse Condemnation Avoidance and Defence Notebook: A Field Guide to Identification and Amelioration of Physical Invasion Inverse Condemnation Claims, Florida Municipal Attorneys’ Association 30th Annual Seminar (July 2011)
• Inverse Condemnation Boot Camp. Hillsborough County Bar Association Eminent Domain Committee CLE Lecture Series (February 2011)
• Emergent Issues in Inverse Condemnation –  Careless Contractors, Abolishing Access and Periodic Ponding, CLE International Eminent Domain Institute, 14th Annual Conference (October 2010)
• “Make thee an Ark…” and Other Sure Signs Your Property Has Been Condemned by Inundation, CLE International Eminent Domain Institute, 14th Annual Conference (October 2010)
• Can Contractors’ Carelessness Constitute Condemnation?, CLE International Eminent Domain Institute, 14th Annual Conference (October 2010)
• A Patriot’s Dilemma: Homeland Security, Pipeline Safety, and a Land Owner’s “Right to Know’, Florida Energy Pipeline Association Summer Conference (July 2010)
• Does Florida’s Inverse Condemnation Jurisprudence Leave Flooded Property Owners High and Dry?, Hillsborough Lawyer Magazine (June 2010)
• Corridor Valuation: The Long and Short of It, Florida Energy Pipeline Association Summer Conference (July 2009)
• You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Written Offer, Hillsborough County Bar Association Lawyer Magazine (March 2009)
• Once a Highway, Always a Highway?, The Curious Case of Pasco v. City of Oldsmar, Hillsborough County Bar Association Lawyer Magazine (October 2007)
• Appraisal Testimony After Armadillo: Out of the Frye Pan?, Hillsborough County Bar Association Lawyer Magazine (December 2005)
• Cutting Edge Jurisprudence: When a Structure Encroaches Upon Property Proposed to be Taken by Eminent Domain, Hillsborough – County Bar Association Lawyer Magazine (April 2002)

Professional + Community Involvement

Florida Bar Eminent Domain Committee
Hillsborough County Bar Association
Clearwater Bar Association
Florida Law Week, Volunteer
Florida Municipal Attorneys Association

Colin Thompson partners with and counsels clients through all stages of disputes: working to efficiently avoid and resolve disputes pre-suit; trying to judges and juries those disputes that cannot be otherwise resolved; and, presenting, defending against, and arguing appeals. Disputes he works to help his clients resolve routinely involve breaches of contract, property rights, construction defects, real estate transactions, franchise issues, and other matters. Colin’s practice also includes defending companies against putative consumer and employee class actions involving claims of deceptive and unfair trade practices, statutory violations, product liability, and mass torts.

 

Colin is an experienced and effective trial attorney.  He came to Bartlett, Loeb, Hinds & Thompson after practicing for over 12 years in the Tampa and Miami offices of one of the largest law firms in the world, of which he served as the Litigation Training Partner for the Florida offices. He has first-chaired significant jury and non-jury trials, represented clients in arbitration hearings, and represented clients in and argued appeals before Florida district courts of appeal and the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Colin’s jury-trial experience includes a variety of complex business disputes and consumer class actions. At the appellate level, Colin has obtained for clients affirmance of trial court orders and verdicts, and reversals of trial court class certification orders. Appellate decisions he helped his clients obtain have clarified and placed limits on class claims asserted under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and have been cited by commentators, litigants and courts throughout the country in support of tighter bounds on claims brought under states’ “Little FTC Acts.”

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Education

University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D. 2003 (cum laude)
University of Florida Fisher School of Accounting, M.S. 2003
University of Florida, B.S., (Accounting) B.S. 1999
University of Florida Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)
Florida Blue Key, President, Fall, 2002
Florida Blue Key Treasurer, Spring, 2002

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Bar + Court Admissions

Florida

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida

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Awards + Recognitions

Colin has been rated AV-Preeminent, the highest rating attainable, by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. In reviewing him, clients describe Colin as a “hard-working, ethical, cost-conscience litigator” who “works relentlessly on your behalf.”​

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association

  • Co-Chair, Emerging Issues Subgroup of the Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee (2015-present)

  • Co-Chair, Web Editors Subgroup of the Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee (2015-present)

• The Florida Bar

• Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

• James Maddison Institute, Tampa Bay Board of Advisors (2015-present)

Publications

• Author, “Sixth Circuit Approves Certification of Classes to Pursue Plaintiffs’ ‘Snake Oil’ Theory of Liability,” News and Developments, Class Actions & Derivative Suits Committee website, a publication of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (September 21, 2015)

• Author, “Seventh Circuit Rejects Third Circuit’s ‘Heightened’ Ascertainability Analysis,” News and Developments, Class Actions & Derivative Suits Committee website, a publication of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (August 18, 2015)

• Author, “The Circuits Clash Over Class Action Ascertainbility,” Law 360.com (August 7, 2015)

• Author, “Eleventh Circuit Rules in Karhu v. Vital Pharmaceuticals,” News and Developments, Class Actions & Derivative Suits Committee website, a publication of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (July 17, 2015)

• Author, “Eleventh Circuit Doesn’t Coral Small-Dollar Class Actions,” com (Expert Analysis, June 24, 2015)

• Co-author, ”After Concepcion, Is Your ‘New’ Arbitration Agreement Still Enforceable?” Class Actions & Derivative Suits Newsletter (Winter 2015, Vol. 25, No. 2), a publication of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation (with Amy Reagan)

• Co-author, ”Recent Developments Affecting Corporate Counsel,” Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Law Journal (Fall 2010)

 

Presentations + Seminars

• Faculty Presenter: “Hit Me Again!” It’s Class Actions 21, I mean 2-0-1, Discovery in Class Actions, American Bar Association 20th Annual National Institute on Class Actions (October 2016).

• Visiting Instructor, “Impact Litigation, Class Action and Social Change”, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico (November 2015)

• Presenter, ”Post-Concepcion Developments in the Enforcement of Arbitration and Class Waiver Provisions,” Bridgeport National Class Action Conference, Miami, Florida, February 6, 2015

• Visiting Instructor, “Impact Litigation, Class Action and Social Change”, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico (November 2014)

• Visiting Instructor, “Impact Litigation, Class Action, and Social Change”, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City, Mexico (November 2014)

Select Past Cases + Decisions

• Porsche Cars North America, Inc. v. Diamond et al., 140 So. 3d 1090 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014), review denied by, 2014 WL 7005011 (Fla. 2014) (decertifying class seeking to assert claims for violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and Unjust Enrichment)

• The city of St. Petersburg v. Total Containment, Inc., et al., 2010. 265 F.R.D. 630 (S.D. Fla. 2010) (denying plaintiffs’ motion to certify classes seeking over $5 billion in damages)

• Kia Motors America Corp. v. Butler, 985 So. 2d 1133 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008), review denied by, 999 So.2d 644 (Fla. Dec 16, 2008) (decertifying class seeking to assert claims for violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act)

• Castellanos v. Pfizer, Inc., et al., Case No. 07-60646-CIV, 2008 WL 2323876 (S.D. Fla. 2008) (dismissing RICO and conspiracy claims)

Cynthia focuses both her law and mediation practices in all areas of litigation, including complex commercial litigation, class action suits and property rights matters. She also handles municipal law and all areas of real estate development.

 

Cynthia represents public and private corporations as well as individuals. Her clients include major public corporations and some of the country’s largest privately held corporations, municipalities, public officials, individuals, trusts and families. Her mediation practice is primarily focused on complex case litigation. In addition, Cynthia was a member of the faculty at the College of Advanced Judicial Studies on the topic of mediation.

 

Cynthia served as a Circuit Court Judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses St. Lucie County, Martin County, Indian River County and Okeechobee County.  During that time, she presided over both the civil and criminal divisions and served as the Administrative Judge for both the civil and appellate divisions. Cynthia was elected by her colleagues to serve as the first female Chief Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit. She also served as an Associate Judge on the 4th District Court of Appeals on a number of occasions and was nominated for consideration by the White House to the Federal District Court in 2003.

 

Cynthia has served as a member of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission since 2014 and has served as the Chair of that Commission. She also previously served on the Judicial Nomination Commission for the 19th Judicial Circuit and was appointed by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to serve on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel.

 

Cynthia is a past President of the Port St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Board of Directors of the Treasure Coast Builders Association, Economic Development Council, United Way, Harbor Community Bank, Association of Retarded Citizens, and the Board of the Children’s Services Council for St. Lucie County and Martin County. Cynthia has also served as chairperson of the St. Lucie County Land Acquisition Committee and a member of the St. Lucie County Comprehensive Plan Review Board, as well as the St. Lucie County Infrastructure Task Force. While Circuit Court Judge, Cynthia served with a select committee to represent the State Court Judges in dealing with the Florida Legislature in advocating the proper enforcement of Amendment 7 of the Florida Constitution.

 

Cynthia graduated in the top 10 percent of her law school class at George Mason University School of Law in 1982 and graduated from James Madison University with an undergraduate degree in Political Science. She has received the highest possible rating in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards from the Peer Review Rating of the Bar and Judiciary in Martindale-Hubbell. She is a member of both the Florida and Virginia Bars.

Allison Doucette is the Firm’s managing shareholder. As a member of the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group, Allison focuses on a broad range of complex commercial litigation matters, and has extensive experience handling all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts throughout Florida and across the country. Allison has been recognized as one of the top 5% of attorneys in Florida in business and civil litigation by Super Lawyers (2024) after previously being designated as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” for more than five years.

Education

Emory University, B.A., Sociology, 2007
Georgetown University Law Center, 2010

Bar + Court Admissions

Florida
US District Court for the Northern District of Florida
US District Court for the Middle District of Florida
US District Court for the Southern District of Florida
US Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
United States Court of Federal Claims

Professional & Community Involvement

The Florida Bar, Active Member
Hillsborough County Bar Association
Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers
Federal Bar Association
American Bar Association

Chris Dodds has successfully litigated a wide range of business disputes in her 35 years of practice, representing commercial clients on both the plaintiff and defense sides, involving complex and highly sophisticated commercial litigation issues including: contract disputes, business torts, shareholder litigation, partnership disputes, claims of fraud and negligent misrepresentation, environmental issues, natural gas utility and pipeline litigation, franchise litigation, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other types of unfair competition. Ms. Dodds also has successfully handled several appellate matters, including briefing and arguments before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming trial verdicts.

Education

University of Nebraska, B.A. Economics and Political Science, 1982

University of Nebraska, J.D. with distinction, 1986

Bar + Court Admissions

State Bar of Texas (admitted 1988)

State Bar of Missouri (admitted 1986 – Inactive)

Austin Bar Association

U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

United States Supreme Court

Nicholas Gieseler’s legal practice is focused in the fields of environmental law, property rights, and election law. Mr. Gieseler primarily represents property owners who have had their constitutional right to make productive use of their land abridged by government laws and regulations. In addition to protecting his clients’ rights in Florida’s courts, he frequently advocates for property owners in administrative tribunals and by seeking zoning and land use variances from local government authorities.

 

From 2007 to 2010, Nicholas was an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, the nation’s oldest and largest public interest law firm dedicated to limited government and the protection of individual liberties. In 2005 he was named a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, working in the Office of General Counsel for Governor Jeb Bush and advising the governor on judicial appointments and executive powers. In 2006, Mr. Gieseler worked at the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, housed at the Claremont Institute for Statesmanship & Political Philosophy in Claremont, California. His writings have been featured in publications including The Federalist Society’s law journal Engage and the Florida State University College of Law’s Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law.

 

Mr. Gieseler received his B.A. in Political Science in 2003 from the University of Florida, and is a 2007 graduate of the University of Florida’s Levin School of Law.

Steven Gieseler concentrates his practice in the fields of constitutional law, property rights, and election law. Within these practice areas he has authored numerous briefs in the United States Supreme Court, and has handled litigation in state and federal courts across the nation. He has appeared frequently on television, radio, and in print as an opinion columnist, and his cases have been featured in nearly every major American newspaper.

 

Mr. Gieseler is the author of journal articles on topics including the First Amendment, property rights, environmental law, and international relations. His 2004 American Diplomacy article, entitled “Debate on the Democratic Peace: A Review,” has been cited in publications of the U.S. Army and the Heritage Foundation, and is studied at universities around the world. Mr. Gieseler’s 2010 journal article, “Strict Scrutiny and Eminent Domain After Kelo” (co-authored with Nicholas Gieseler), is cited by the Kelo opinion’s author, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in his published 2012 account of the history of the case.

 

From 2005 to 2010 Mr. Gieseler was an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, the nation’s oldest public interest law firm organized to advance principles of limited government and constitutional liberties. When he left PLF in 2010, he was the managing attorney of the Foundation’s Atlantic Center, responsible for oversight of the firm’s Eastern U.S. operations. He previously worked as an attorney at DLA Piper, among the world’s largest law firms.

 

In 2012, Mr. Gieseler was appointed by Governor Rick Scott as a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida’s Nineteenth Circuit. He was appointed to a second four-year term in 2017.

 

Mr. Gieseler is a 2004 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law. In 2001 he received his B.A. in Political Science and Religion from the University of Florida, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and named a National Merit Scholar.

Matthew has spent the last two decades building an impressive winning record as a first-chair trial attorney across diverse practice areas. When not preparing for trial, Matthew dedicates his practice to helping clients resolve a host of contractual, employment, franchise, regulatory, real estate, and intellectual property disputes. 

Matthew earned his Juris Doctor in 2006 from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he served as the Executive Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, as well as a member of the Law Review/Law Journal Write-On Competition Audit Committee.