John R. Hamilton is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and a member of the firm's Appellate and Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practices.
Mr. Hamilton focuses on appellate practice and civil litigation. He gained certification in appellate practice in 1996 from The Florida Bar - a rigorous process requiring, among other things, substantial appellate experience, professional referrals, and testing. He was recertified in appellate practice in 2001 and again in 2006. He has handled hundreds of appeals in a wide variety of substantive areas. He has experience in all of the appellate courts in Florida, many of the federal appellate courts, and the appellate courts of several other states. He has also published and lectured extensively on subjects pertaining to appellate practice.
A native Kentuckian, Mr. Hamilton earned his J.D. degree, with distinction, in 1988 from the University of Kentucky College of Law and his undergraduate degree, with high distinction, from the University of Kentucky.
Mr. Hamilton is a member of The Florida Bar and the Kentucky Bar. He is also admitted to practice in: the United States Supreme Court; the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, District of Columbia, and Federal Circuits; the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida; the United States Court of Federal Claims; and the United States Court of International Trade.
Mr. Hamilton has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system and has been recognized as one of Florida's Legal Elite by Florida Trend™ magazine in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. In addition, he was selected for inclusion in the 2006 - 2011 Florida Super Lawyers® lists. Further, he was the only attorney listed in the "Appellate" category in the 2007 "Best of the Bar" survey by the Orlando Business Journal.
Mr. Hamilton has frequently been recognized for his strong commitment to pro bono work. For example, in 1994, he received the New Attorney Award of Excellence from the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, and he received the annual Award of Excellence from that same organization in 2002. In 2005, he received the Edward C. Smith Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award from the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society, Inc., the highest honor bestowed by that organization. Similarly, in 2007, he received the Judge J.C. "Jake" Stone Distinguished Service Award from the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, that organization's highest honor. That same year, he received the annual Pro Bono Award from the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar. In 2008, he was the recipient of The Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida. Mr. Hamilton has also been a member of the board of trustees for the Legal Aid Society for the Orange County Bar Association from 1995 through 2005, from 2007 through 2010, and from June 2011 to the present. He served as president of that board from 2001 to 2002.
Mr. Hamilton is also an active member of the Bar. He serves on the Florida Appellate Court Rules Committee. He also served on Ninth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee "E" from October 2007 through September 2010, and he was chair of that committee from December 2009 through September 2010. Mr. Hamilton was also a founding member of the Appellate Practice Committee of the Orange County Bar Association, and he currently serves as chair of that committee. Mr. Hamilton is also a member of the Executive Council of the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar.
Recent Publications and Presentations:
· "Checks and Balances: Legislative Proposals to Fundamentally Alter the Judicial Branch," CLE Seminar sponsored by the Orange County Bar Association, Orlando, Florida (June 2011).
· "Federal Appellate Practice," CLE Seminar sponsored by the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar, Miami, Florida (February 2011).
· "Mandamus and Quo Warranto," CLE Seminar sponsored by the Appellate Practice Committee of the Orange County Bar Association, Orlando, Florida (November 2009).
· "Appeals of Post-Judgment Orders," CLE Teleconference sponsored by the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar, Orlando, Florida (September 2009).
· "Appellate Practice for the Guardian ad Litem," CLE Seminar sponsored by The Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Orlando, Florida (May 2009).
· "The Comparatively Rational World of Appellate Attorneys' Fees," Orange County Bar Association's The Briefs (February-March 2009).
· "The Wacky World of Appellate Costs, Orange County Bar Association's The Briefs (December 2008-January 2009).
· "Recovering Appellate Attorney's Fees and Costs-Pitfalls and Pointers," co-presenter, CLE Teleconference sponsored by the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar (April 2008).
· "Federal Appellate Practice," Advanced Appellate Practice and Appellate Certification Review 2008 CLE Program sponsored by the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar, Tampa, Florida (February 2008).
· "Fact Investigation," National Institute for Trial Advocacy CLE Program, Orlando, Florida (February 2008).
· "Judicial Review of Quasi-Judicial Local Governmental Action," Managing the Maze of Administrative Law Appeals CLE Program sponsored by the Appellate Practice Committee of the Orange County Bar Association, Orlando, Florida (February 2008).
(Board Certified Appellate Practice Lawyer, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education)