Biography
Mr. Butler handles complex civil litigation matters, focusing primarily on cases of legal malpractice, professional liability, personal injury, product defects, and general civil and commercial litigation.
Mr. Butler has also distinguished himself as one of the very few attorneys to hold dual board certifications in both Business Litigation and Appellate Practice, a distinction held by less than 5 attorneys out of the more than 110,000 members of The Florida Bar. As a business litigation specialist, Mr. Butler is an expert in dealing with legal problems that arise from commercial and business relationships including litigation of controversies and evaluating, handling, and resolving these controversies, such as cases involving legal malpractice, professional liability, contract disputes, consumer protection law, and a broad spectrum of complex civil disputes. Moreover, as an appellate specialist, Mr. Butler is an expert at the type of legal research, analysis, and advocacy that is foundational to effective appellate representation, as well as recognizing and evaluating potential issues and remedies that may arise in the context of litigation, prior to the initiation of the appellate process.
Mr. Butler is a well-recognized state leader in the legal profession. He is a member of The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, where he serves on the Disciplinary Review Committee, the Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics, and the Board Certification Appeals Committee. The Disciplinary Review Committee oversees the prosecution and appeals for disciplinary violations by Florida lawyers, recommends policy on lawyer regulation and discipline matters, and reviews and makes recommendations on disciplinary actions that require review of the Board of Governors. The Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics performs preliminary review of advisory ethics opinions appealed to the Board of Governors from the Professional Ethics Committee and advisory advertising opinions appealed to the Board from the Standing Committee on Advertising.
In his appellate practice, Mr. Butler has handled appeals throughout Florida and in Federal court. His cases involve a wide-range of substantive areas of the law, including appeals involving final judgments, non-final orders, and petitions seeking extraordinary writs. In 2018, Mr. Butler received the special distinction of being admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his spare time, Mr. Butler enjoys time with his wife and son, and reading about Roman history. Mr. Butler was born in Chicago, IL and is a life-long Cubs fan, UCF Knight, and Florida Gator.
Awards & Honors
Since 2016, Mr. Butler has maintained the prestigious AV Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell. An AV® certification mark indicates that his peers rank him at the highest level of professional ethics and legal ability.
In 2022, Mr. Butler was selected by Florida Trend Magazine as a Legal Elite “Up and Comer” in the field of Civil Trial. He was one of only 97 attorneys in Florida who generated the most votes in a special category for attorneys under the age of 40 who have exhibited leadership in the law and their community.
From 2019 through present, Mr. Butler has been selected for inclusion as a “Rising Star” by Florida Super Lawyers as a top-rated civil litigation attorney. Less than 2.5% of lawyers in the state are selected as Rising Stars. Attorneys receiving this distinction have been recognized as among the leading lawyers in the state in their practice areas. Mr. Butler has repeatedly been selected by SRQ Magazine as an “Elite Top Attorney” in the field of Appellate Law.
At the local level, Mr. Butler served as President of the Sarasota County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers’ Division, after serving for several years on the Board as a director. He also served on the Sarasota County Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and on the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee, Section C, including as Chair. In 2013, Mr. Butler was inducted into the inaugural class of The Florida Bar Leadership Academy.
- A/V Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell (2016-Present)
- Elite Top Attorney, SRQ Magazine (2020 , 2021, 2022)
- Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2019 – 2024)
- 10/10 Rating on Avvo.com
- Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award (2020)
- Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar
- “Up and Comer” by Florida Trend Magazine (2022)
- Vice Chair of the Florida Bar Review Committee on Professional Ethics (2024-2025)
