Swope Rodante

Dale Swope is Board Certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in Civil Trials which requires actual trial experience, extra levels of Continuing Legal Education, special testing and peer review by other lawyers and judges. He has held Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating (AV) for more than 20 years, and has been listed as a “Legal Elite” in insurance law by Florida Trend Magazine.

He is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America”, as well as “ Who’s Who in American Law” and “Who’s Who in the South”.

Mr. Swope is a Tampa native, and a graduate of Hillsborough High School and the University of South Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida Law School, in 1978, and within a year founded the law firm that is now Swope, Rodante P.A.

He served for two years as President of the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers, served for six years as a director of the Florida Justice Association (formerly known as the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers), has been a director of the Southern Trial Lawyers since 1998 and a trustee of the politically active Florida Lawyer’s Action Group since 1999.

He has been asked to deliver seminar presentations to other lawyers on dozens of occasions for groups such as the Florida Justice Association, the Florida Bar, and the Hillsborough County Bar Association. With other members of the firm, he has authored peer-reviewed chapters in books published by the Florida Bar on the subject of Insurance and Insurance Bad Faith, and has published a regular column in Journal of the Florida Association for Justice every month for over seven years.

Mr. Swope works on cases involving Catastrophic Personal Injury, Wrongful Death and Insurance Bad Faith Claims.

Distinctions

• Board Certified by the Florida Bar as a Civil Trial Specialist:
  A certification requiring a favorable showing of actual trial experience, positive reports from other lawyers and judges familiar with his abilities, and requiring the successful completion of a comprehensive examination testing knowledge of civil trial law. Certification also requires continuing legal education specifically in this field, significantly more than what is required of all lawyers.
• Listed in Martindale-Hubble with an AV rating.*
  Martindale-Hubble does not make an independent evaluation of lawyers but relies exclusively on confidential opinions expressed by sampling selected members of the Bar and judiciary familiar with the lawyer.
  
• Recipient of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, 1988: Given to only one lawyer each year, and is based upon significant accomplishments achieved during the Bar year. He was the second person ever to receive this award from the Hillsborough County Bar Association.
• Organizer and Committee Chairman for the United States Constitution Bicentennial Celebration, 1987-1988: A project which earned the “Most Significant Project by a Young Lawyers Section” award from the Florida Bar, Young Lawyers Section in 1988.
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Hillsborough County Young Lawyers Section, 1988-1989.
• Recipient of American Jurisprudent Award in Contracts and in Negotiations.
• Member of International Moot Court Team.
• Founder and initial Chairman of the Hillsborough County Solo Practitioners Committee, 1991, 1992.
• Original Incorporator of the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association
• Super Lawyers 2006 (only 5% of Florida Lawyers are selected)
• Best Lawyers in America (2008-09)

Professional & Community Involvement

Dale Swope has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1992 and has an “AV” rating with Martindale-Hubbell. He is listed in both Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” and in “The Best Lawyers in America.”

Mr. Swope earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 from the University of South Florida and was awarded his Juris Doctorate in 1978 from the University of Florida.

Mr. Swope was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1978. He is also admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

He is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a founding member of the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association where he served as President in 2000 and 2002. He is a FLAG Trustee, a former member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Justice Association (formerly known as the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers) and currently the co-chair of the Association’s CLE committee. He has also served as Director of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Swope is a nationally recognized speaker on insurance bad faith. He has been a member of the Florida Justice Association (formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers) since 1987. He is an EAGLE Program Founder and has been the recipient of the “Silver EAGLE Award”, the “Gold EAGLE Award” for leadership and most recently, the “Crystal EAGLE Award” for lifetime giving. He was the second person ever to receive the Mickey Smiley Award for Mentorship from the Young Lawyers section of the Association.

Mr. Swope is the author for a monthly column in the Journal of the Florida Justice Association called “Tips for the Auto Practitioner.”

Other affiliations include the Hillsborough County United States Constitution Bicentennial Committee, Founder and initial Chairman, 1987-1988; Ybor Chamber of Commerce, President of the Ybor City Museum Society, President of Save Tampa History, LLC. Mr. Swope has been recognized by many of these organizations for his outstanding efforts. He was awarded the Champion for Children Award in 2005 for his work with Voices for Children, a Guardian Ad Litem program. During the 2006 Pizzo Award ceremony, Mr. Swope was awarded the Vicente Martinez-Ybor Award for promoting the vision and economic development of Ybor City by the Ybor City Museum Society.

Publications & Presentations

“Automotive Law Legislative Changes and Case Law Update” Seminar, Speaker at the Florida Justice Association Conference (June 2007)

“Nuts and Bolts of a Bad Faith Case,” Speaker at Insurance Bad Faith Seminar for Florida Justice Association (March 2007)

“New Approached to Damages,” Speaker at Association of Trial Lawyers of America Conference (Feb. 2007)

“Bad Faith: Getting to the Heart of the Matter at Mediation” Speaker at Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar (Dec. 2006)

“Tips for Proving the Bad Faith Case,” Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar Presentation (Sept. 2006)

Al J. Cone Trial Seminar for the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (August 2006)

Hillsborough County Bar Association State Court Trial Seminar (June 2006)

FDLA Conference Seminar Presentation (June 2006)

Medical Malpractice Seminar for Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Conference (April 2006)

“The Seven Cardinal Sins Committed by Trial Lawyers” Speaker at Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar (Feb. 2006)

Continuing Legal Education Seminars

“The Beginning of an Insurance Bad Faith Case,” 2005 Annual Education Seminar sponsored by Tampa Bay Paralegal Association, September 23, 2005

“Keeping Faith in Bad Faith – Berges v. Infinity Insurance Co.,” 2005 Annual Convention – General Session: Advanced Trial Skills Seminar, Speaker, June 1, 2005

“Annual Legislative Case Law Update,” sponsored by Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, May, 1992

“Advanced Trial Advocacy Training,” sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, March, 1990.