Partner, Maderal Byrne & Furst PLLC
John is a trial lawyer who handles every case with a view towards winning at trial. As both a former federal prosecutor and federal appellate law clerk, John brings both a cerebral and practical approach to case development and strategy. Given his philosophy and experience, it is no surprise that high-profile clients have trusted him with their cases, including a former head of state, a prominent NCAA head basketball coach, and high-level city and federal officials.
John represents plaintiffs in cases involving serious injury, death, or consumer fraud. He also represents defendants in select white-collar criminal matters.
Prior to co-founding Maderal Byrne & Furst PLLC, he was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. During his time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, John charged over 60 cases, including numerous fraud cases. He took 16 of these cases to trial, serving as first chair ten times and second chair six times. During his time as a prosecutor, he developed an extensive knowledge of federal law, including federal statutory law, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
John also has extensive federal appellate experience. In addition to having argued appeals before multiple United States Courts of Appeal, he served as the law clerk to Judge Jeffrey R. Howard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Prior to his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, John practiced with Ropes & Gray LLP, where he focused on internal investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, and complex commercial disputes.
Managing Partner, Trial Division, Briscoe Ortiz Zuluaga, PLLC
Eric Gressman is the Senior Litigator at BOZ Legal, and he serves as the Managing Partner of the Trial Division of Briscoe Ortiz Zuluaga, PLLC. Eric’s trial practice is varied and includes jury trials in defense of Medical Malpractice claims, personal injury defense, civil rights suits, White Collar Criminal Defense, employment claims, and Third as well as First Party Property Insurance Defense. Eric has developed expertise in trial practice through taking over 500 cases to jury and bench trials. Eric also has handled, as lead counsel, over 100 appeals to the Third District Court of Appeals, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
During his career, Eric has successfully handled numerous cases in state and federal courts. Eric is a member in good standing of Florida and the Washington, D.C. Bars. Eric was admitted to the D.C. Bar based on a very high score on the Multi-State Bar Exam. Eric is a member in good standing of the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.
Eric also received in 1990 and in 2017 awards from the Miami-Dade County Attorney for exemplary and distinguished service to Miami-Dade County and its County Attorney’s Office. Eric is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law and at the University of Miami’s Paralegal Program. Eric has taught courses in Legal Writing, Trial Practice, Advanced Appellate Advocacy, Torts, Contracts, and the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Eric has lectured for law firms and for CLE sponsored events regarding trial practice.
Eric earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan where he graduated with the highest honors. Eric earned numerous academic scholarships based on his grade point average and test scores. Eric was accepted into the Honors Program and the Accelerated Bachelors and Graduate Program at the University of Michigan and at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was the administrative note editor of a law review. Eric published law review articles in law journals at the University of Michigan Law School and at George Washington University Law School. During law school, Eric was permitted to try DUI cases. Eric went on to work for the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office where he took over 400 cases to trial by juries during 36 years where he defended Miami-Dade County and Jackson Memorial Hospital in civil suits. Eric rose to the level of County Attorney’s Chief of the Torts Division, where he supervised 12 Assistant County Attorneys and over 1,000 personal injury and civil rights cases. Eric is now pleased to continue his role to work with and help the bright, young attorneys at BOZ Legal. Eric currently represents the City of Coral Gables and the City of North Miami, doctors and nurses as well as numerous insurance companies. Eric also volunteers for the Guardian Ad Litem Program and CABA pro bono program to defend the rights of children and to represent indigent parents in divorce proceedings.
Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP
Daniel Nordby is a partner in the Tallahassee office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the Appellate Practice Group. His practice focuses on high-profile, high stakes matters of law and public policy, particularly in the areas of constitutional, appellate and administrative law.
Over the course of his career, Daniel has developed extensive experience in the area of government and administrative law. He is a Past Chair of the Florida Bar’s Administrative Law Section and has served on the Section’s Executive Council for more than a decade. Daniel has represented clients in some of Florida’s largest competitive procurements and has served as counsel of record in a variety of administrative and judicial proceedings involving the application of constitutional and administrative law principles. He has personally presented oral argument on multiple occasions before the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on high-profile matters of constitutional law. A representative list of Daniel’s reported opinions in the state and federal courts is available here.
Daniel draws on his prior service in the public sector when representing businesses, individuals and governmental clients on their most challenging legal issues. As General Counsel to then-Governor Rick Scott from 2017-2019, Daniel provided oversight and strategic direction for all major litigation involving Florida’s executive branch agencies and advised Governor Scott on the appointment of more than 100 judges to Florida’s trial and appellate courts. Daniel’s career also includes service as General Counsel to the Florida House of Representatives, General Counsel to Florida’s Secretary of State, Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Department of Education, and Staff Attorney to the Florida Legislature’s Joint Administrative Procedures Committee.
Daniel continues his public service as a gubernatorial appointee to the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. After serving on the Commission from 2012-2018 as a direct appointee of Governor Scott, Daniel was appointed by Governor DeSantis in July 2019 to a third term. He currently serves as Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission.
Daniel is also involved with several non-profit and community groups. He is a graduate of Leadership Florida (Connect VI), a member of Florida Blue Key, a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leaders Network, and a member of the James Madison Institute’s Inaugural Class of Leaders Fellows. Daniel is on the Steering Committee of the Tallahassee Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies and is a Past President of both its Tallahassee Lawyers Chapter and University of Florida Student Chapter. Daniel is an Eagle Scout and attends St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee.
Daniel is a “triple-Gator” with three degrees from the University of Florida: a J.D. (with high honors), a B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science, and a B.A. in Classical Studies. He has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” and has been named to the roster of Florida Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine in the categories of “Government & Administrative Law,” “Best Government & Non-Profit Attorneys,” and ”Best Up & Coming Attorneys.”
Florida Office Managing Attorney, Institute for Justice
Justin Pearson is the Institute’s Florida Office Managing Attorney. He also coordinates aspects of the Institute’s national economic liberty efforts and personally directs IJ’s National Street Vending Initiative. Justin has devoted his career to vindicating the constitutional rights of small-business owners, and he has victoriously litigated on their behalf in trial and appellate courts across the nation.
Justin often wins in novel ways. He was the lead counsel in a federal appellate court victory vindicating the right of a Florida dairy creamery to tell the truth on its labels, which was the first victorious First Amendment challenge to a food standard of identity in U.S. history. His win against Little Rock’s ban on taxi competition was based on a provision in the Arkansas Constitution that had not been successfully relied upon in over half a century. And his victory against Fort Pierce’s food truck ban included the first preliminary injunction ever issued in this type of challenge anywhere in the nation.
In addition to litigation, Justin has testified to Florida Senate and House committees dozens of times, and provisions suggested by Justin have been enacted into law. The successful bills that Justin has actively supported include Florida’s 2021 cottage food, home-based business, and local occupational licensing reforms, Florida’s historic 2020 occupational licensing reform (which repealed the most occupational licensing barriers in U.S. history), Florida’s 2019 repeal of the certificate of need requirement for hospitals, Florida’s 2019 Fresh Start reform making it easier for individuals with criminal records to obtain employment, and Florida’s 2016 overhaul of its civil forfeiture laws.
Justin’s work has appeared in countless media outlets, and Justin has spoken to scores of law schools and attorney organizations across the nation. The law schools that have hosted Justin’s talks include Yale, the University of Chicago, Duke, NYU, Notre Dame, and the University of Michigan, among many others.
Prior to joining IJ, Justin founded and managed his own law practice to advocate for small-business owners, and Justin’s law practice was successful for many years before he made the decision to join IJ in 2012 to better fight against government power gone awry.
Justin received his law degree with honors from the University of Miami in 2002, where he was the Research and Writing Editor for, and was published in, the University of Miami Business Law Review. Justin received his undergraduate degree in business management from North Carolina State University. Justin has been honored by the Daily Business Review and Law.com for being one of South Florida’s “Most Effective Lawyers.”
Partner and Co-Chair, Public Policy Group, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP
Mark Behrens co-chairs Shook's Washington, DC-based Public Policy Practice Group and is a leading national expert on civil justice issues with over thirty years of experience. A substantial part of his practice is working to improve the civil litigation environment through state and federal legislation; in the courts through amicus curiae briefs; through legal scholarship and judicial education; and in the court of public opinion.
Mark is actively involved in civil justice reform efforts at the federal and state levels. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and most state legislatures on behalf of business and civil justice organizations. Mark also has an active amicus brief practice specializing in tort liability and civil justice issues. He has authored or co-authored over 150 amicus briefs in cases before the United States Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts on behalf of business, civil justice, and defense lawyer organizations. In addition, Mark routinely files comments on behalf of business, civil justice, and defense lawyer organizations regarding potential changes to federal and state court rules. He chairs the International Association of Defense Counsel’s (IADC) Civil Justice Response Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ).
Mark is a member of the American Law Institute (ALI). He received his J.D. in 1990 from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was a member of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1987.
Partner and Co-Chair, Public Policy Group, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP
Mark Behrens co-chairs Shook's Washington, DC-based Public Policy Practice Group and is a leading national expert on civil justice issues with over thirty years of experience. A substantial part of his practice is working to improve the civil litigation environment through state and federal legislation; in the courts through amicus curiae briefs; through legal scholarship and judicial education; and in the court of public opinion.
Mark is actively involved in civil justice reform efforts at the federal and state levels. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and most state legislatures on behalf of business and civil justice organizations. Mark also has an active amicus brief practice specializing in tort liability and civil justice issues. He has authored or co-authored over 150 amicus briefs in cases before the United States Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts on behalf of business, civil justice, and defense lawyer organizations. In addition, Mark routinely files comments on behalf of business, civil justice, and defense lawyer organizations regarding potential changes to federal and state court rules. He chairs the International Association of Defense Counsel’s (IADC) Civil Justice Response Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ).
Mark is a member of the American Law Institute (ALI). He received his J.D. in 1990 from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was a member of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1987.
Panel 3: The Conservative Plaintiff's Bar
2024 Florida Young Lawyers Summit
Coral Gables, FLPhiladelphia Tort Litigation: Forum Shopping and Venue Reform
Mark A. Behrens
The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy initiatives. Any expressions...
Philadelphia Tort Litigation: Forum Shopping and Venue Reform
Mark A. Behrens
The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy initiatives. Any expressions...