Jeffrey Keiner

Professional Memberships

United States Supreme Court

Florida State and Federal Courts

Tennessee State and Federal Courts

New Hampshire State Courts

Tennessee Bar Member

Western District of Tennessee - Serves as a private judge upon request of the parties

Northern District of Oklahoma Federal Courts

Chair Ninth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Panel, The Florida Bar, Trial Lawyers, IP, Environmental Land Use, Sports Entertainment Sections

American Bar Association, Forum Committee on Construction

American Arbitration Association

American Institute Architects

American College of Barristers

Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Federal Bar Association

College of Master Advocates and Barristers

Experience

Jeff is a very highly respected experienced trial lawyer, as well as a mediator and arbitrator. He has held an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for over 30 years and an AV Preeminent® rating for over 25 years. He is recognized as a best lawyer in his field by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite. He successfully tried one of the longest civil jury trials in Florida history, and other high-profile cases including representation of a music super group and their label in a recording company/management dispute and a landmark Federal Endangered Species Act case involving beach nesting of loggerhead sea turtles. He has handled hundreds of jury, nonjury, arbitration, summary proceeding and administrative matters, including complex commercial litigation, banking, patent, trademark and trade name litigation; estate and high-stakes trust/probate litigation; professional malpractice, construction, environmental claims, including Endangered Species Act, RCRA, CERCLA, power plant and industrial process systems, USFWS and DEP permitting; proceedings before the water management districts; architect and engineer, land use and real estate litigation, water, wastewater and storm water management law, computer software licensing, legal, medical and accounting malpractice, intellectual property and ADA/Fair Housing Act litigation, numerous “bet the company” matters, and large exposure personal injury, products and wrongful death cases.

Jeff also concentrates in the areas of sports and entertainment, intellectual property, patent and copyright litigation and works with tax, corporate and transactional lawyers in review of contracts, licenses, service agreements and computer software licensing.

Jeff obtained his mediator training at Harvard in 1989, and is a certified mediator by the state of Florida, the Florida 5th District Court of Appeal, U.S. District Court and the Middle District of Florida. He is a member of the American Arbitration Association Complex, as well as the Commercial and Energy Sector Arbitration Panels. His jury trial, arbitration and appellate practice encompasses significant cases in all Florida state and federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Practice Areas

Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Environmental and Sustainability Law

Appellate and Trial Support

Insurance Defense

Intellectual Property and Technology

Patent

Personal Injury

Probate

Product Liability and Toxic Tort

Professional Liability Defense

Technology Transactions

Trademark

Transportation

Construction

Entertainment and Sports

Litigation

Food Law

Publications

Podcast, “The Lost Art of Professionalism,” Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Open Ninth, June 17, 2019

Co-author, “What is Betterment?” Advisory Bulletin, Travelers Insurance, January 2018

“May It Please the Mediator: Strategies for Success in the Era of the Vanishing Jury Trial,” Inside the Minds: Emerging Applications for ADR 29 (Aspatore Books, 2010)

Co-author, “Mixed Use Condo Projects – Pitfalls,” April 2005

“Mixed-Use Condominium Projects: Cautionary Tales,” Lorman Construction Newsletter, March 2007

Personal

Jeff is originally from St. Louis, and grew up in Marion, Indiana. He earned his undergraduate degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1968. From 1968 to 1971, he served as a communications officer and deck officer on U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Ault. After leaving the Navy, he went to law school, obtained his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1974, and began practicing law with Akerman, Senterfitt and Eidson in Orlando. Ten years later he became a founding partner with Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Keiner, Wack and Dickson, P.A. In June of 1995, he joined GrayRobinson as head of the firm’s Litigation Department, concentrating on complex commercial, construction, professional liability, environmental and intellectual property litigation, arbitration and mediation. He remained head of the firm’s litigation department for nearly 20 years and is now an executive shareholder. He is a frequent speaker and panelist on a wide range of litigation and professional practice issues, and consults with lawyers, house counsel and clients on matters of litigation tactics, procedure and strategy, and jury selection and trial simulations.

Education

Awards