Brent Steinberg is a Florida Bar board-certified appellate specialist – a distinction achieved by only 217 of the more than 100,000 members of the Florida Bar. He handles catastrophic injury, insurance bad faith, legal malpractice and insurance coverage cases throughout Florida and Georgia, at both the trial and appellate levels.
Mr. Steinberg began his employment with Swope, Rodante P.A. as a law clerk in 2009, joined the firm full time after graduating law school in 2010, and became a partner in 2018.
He has served as lead appellate counsel in cases at the Florida Supreme Court, all six of Florida’s District Courts of Appeal, the Georgia Supreme Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In 2022, he argued and won two important insurance bad faith appeals at the Eleventh Circuit.
Mr. Steinberg has also served as trial counsel in several multimillion-dollar cases, including a $30.1 million traumatic brain injury case – the 6th highest personal injury verdict in Florida in 2019.
Mr. Steinberg successfully defended that verdict in the Florida Supreme Court in 2023. Mr. Steinberg is a proud double Gator, earning his Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010. While at UF Law, he was a member of the Florida Law Review, in which he was published, and he received six “Book Awards” for the highest-class grade.
Mr. Steinberg has an AV rating (the highest possible) by Martindale-Hubbell, the oldest reviewing agency in the country. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers Magazine, The National Trial Lawyers, and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He has also received multiple awards from the Florida Justice Association (“FJA”), including the 2023 S. Victor Tipton award for superior achievement in legal writing.
In 2023, Mr. Steinberg was appointed to the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, where he evaluates and recommends proposed changes to the Rules to the Supreme Court of Florida. He also presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Justice Association and is an elected officer of the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association.
Mr. Steinberg frequently represents the interests of insurance consumers and accident victims against Big Insurance and other special interest groups in Tallahassee. He presently serves as Chair of the FJA’s Legislative Committee on Auto Insurance and Insurance Bad Faith. Over the past 8 years, Mr. Steinberg has volunteered thousands of hours drafting bills, authoring white papers and lobbying state legislators on a multitude of insurance and civil justice issues.
He is a frequent lecturer on insurance and tort issues and authored a chapter titled “Autonomous Vehicles and Transportation Network Companies” in Florida Automobile Insurance Law, published by the Florida Bar in 2020 and 2022. He also authors a bi-monthly column in the FJA Journal titled “Tips for Auto Practitioners.”
His greatest achievement, however, is being married to his amazing wife, Tara, and father to their two young children.
Professional Distinctions
- Florida Bar: Board Certified – Appellate Practice, 2022-Present.
- AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2023-Present
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Personal Injury Litigation-plaintiffs, 2022-Present.
- Litigation-Insurance, 2022-Present.
- Insurance Law, 2023-Present.
- The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40, 2019-Present.
- Fellow, National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 2020-Present.
- Named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine, 2018-Present.
- Superb Rated Attorney, AVVO, 2017-Present.
- Member of the Florida Law Review, 2008-2010.
- Teaching Assistant for Legal Research and Writing and Appellate Advocacy at the UF College of Law, 2008-2009.
Community Involvement
- Member of the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, 2023-present.
- Eagle Member of the Florida Justice Association.
- Board of Directors, 2017-2018, 2021-present.
- Executive Committee, 2022-2023.
- Co-Chair, HB 837 Appellate Committee, 2023-present.
- Chair, Auto Insurance/Bad Faith Legislative Committee, 2021-present.
- Chair, Auto Insurance Legislative Committee, 2016-2021.
- Member of American Association for Justice.
- Member of the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association.
- Program Director, 2024.
- Board of Directors, 2021-2023.
- Member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.
Publications
- Author of “Tips for Auto Practitioners”, a bi-monthly column in the Journal of the Florida Justice Association, May 2017 – June 2018, January 2021-present.
- Contributor to the FJA Reading File, a weekly online digest of the most relevant articles, news, and case law updates for members of the Florida Justice Association, 2017-2022.
- “Emerging Automotive Technologies and Transportation Network Companies,” Florida Automobile Insurance Law, published by The Florida Bar (2022).
- “Autonomous Vehicles and Transportation Network Companies,” Florida Automobile Insurance Law, published by The Florida Bar (2020).
- “The Graves Amendment: Putting To Death Florida’s Strict Vicarious Liability Law”, 62 FLA. L. REV. 795 (2010).
Presentations
- First and Third-Party Bad Faith Post-HB 837, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, 2024.
- Insurance Bad Faith in a Post-HB 837 World, Jacksonville Justice Association Annual Seminar, 2023.
- Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, Florida Justice Association “Masters of Justice” Seminar Chair, 2023.
- After HB 837: Ethically Exploring the Undiscovered Country, The Hillsborough County Bar Association’s 26th Annual Bench Bar Conference, 2023.
- 2023 Raising the Bar Seminar, The Central Florida Trial Lawyers Association (CFTLA), 2023.
- Special Considerations: UM Coverage and Bad Faith Cases Post HB-837, Florida Justice Association Proposal for Settlement Webinar, 2023.
- Deep Dive Into HB 837 – Insurance Bad Faith, Florida Justice Association Annual Convention, 2023.
- HB 837: Insurance Bad Faith Update, 2023.
- Auto Insurance Legislative and Case Law Update, Florida Justice Association Annual Convention, 2022.
- Proposals for Settlement Update, Florida Justice Association Webinar, 2022.
- Ride-Sharing & Car-Sharing Litigation, Florida Justice Association Workhorse Seminar, 2022.
- Auto Negligence Seminar, Florida Justice Association “Masters of Justice” Seminar Chair, 2021.
- PFS Involving Insurance Companies, Florida Justice Association Webinar, 2021.
- Auto Insurance Case Law and Legislative Update, Florida Justice Association Annual Convention, 2021.
- Uber and Lyft Claims; Palm Beach County Justice Association, 2021.
- Auto Insurance Legislative Review and Preview, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, 2021.
- Insurance Coverage Bootcamp, Florida Justice Association Webinar, 2020. Co-Chair and Presenter of Auto Liability Coverage Under Florida’s Financial Responsibility Laws.
- Debtors’ Insurance Bad Faith Claims, Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, 2020; Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association, 2021; Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association, 2021.
- Transportation Network Company (“TNC”) Litigation: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, The Central Florida Trial Lawyers Association, 2020.
- Auto Insurance Case Law and Legislative Update, Florida Justice Association Annual Review Webinar, 2020.
- Civil Remedy Notice Webinar, Florida Justice Association, 2019.
- Six Ways to Lose Your Appeal During Closing Argument, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, 2019.
- Auto Insurance Case Law and Legislative Update, Florida Justice Association Annual Convention, 2019.
- Autonomous Vehicles; A Primer on One of the Biggest Changes to Our Practice in Decades, Florida Justice Association “Masters of Justice” Seminar, 2019.
- Auto Insurance Case Law and Legislative Update, Florida Justice Association Annual Convention, 2017.
Awards
- Florida Justice Association.
- 2023 S. Victor Tipton Award for superior achievement in legal writing.
- 2022 Warrior for Justice Award for expertise and leadership in helping unite the FJA’s collective efforts to seek and secure justice for all.
- 2021 Responsible Roadways Award for “relentless perseverance to protect Florida drivers”.
- 2018 Benjamin Franklin Award for actions in support of the FJA that have spoken louder than words ever could.
- 2018 Roadways to the Future Award for research, drafting and expert testimony on autonomous vehicles legislation.
- 2017 Quarter Horse Award for significant contributions during the legislative session.
- “Book Awards” (for highest grade) in Trial Practice, Legal Research and Writing, Appellate Advocacy, Legal Drafting, Torts, and Advanced Civil Procedure, at UF College of Law, 2007-2010.
- Academic scholarships to attend the Canterbury School of Fort Myers, the University of Florida, and the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
Florida Supreme Court Oral Argument
Brent Steinberg served as lead appellate counsel, successfully defending a verdict of over $30 million through multiple levels of appeal.
Watch the video below of Mr. Steinberg’s oral argument at the Florida Supreme Court in 2023.
Read the Supreme Court opinion here: Florida Supreme Court Opinion – Willoughby.