Steven L. "Steve" Brannock

Steven L. Brannock coordinates appellate work in Holland & Knight’s central Florida offices. Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar, his experience includes litigating appellate matters in all five Florida District Courts of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, five federal circuit courts of appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. He has handled appeals in numerous subject areas including antitrust law, admiralty law, commercial disputes, constitutional law, criminal law, death penalty litigation, family law, First Amendment law, franchise law, intellectual property, insurance law, international law, medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability and securities law.

Mr. Brannock also has experience in antitrust law both as a counselor and a litigator. As a counselor, he has advised clients on acquisitions, distribution agreements, joint ventures, employment relations and pricing. He works to prevent antitrust problems for his clients through seminars presented for the client and audits of the client’s antitrust compliance. He has represented numerous national and state trade associations providing them with regular antitrust advice on a wide variety of antitrust issues. As a litigator, Mr. Brannock has both defended and prosecuted antitrust actions, including the defense of national fast food franchisors charged with illegal tie-ins, the defense of a Florida hospital facing conspiracy and monopolization charges, and the defense of a major pharmaceutical company against charges of antitrust conspiracy and monopolization.

Mr. Brannock’s antitrust experience also includes representing clients in the health care industry. He has advised hospitals and physicians concerning antitrust issues relating to staff privileges, acquisitions, joint ventures, and certificate of need applications. He has been involved in staff privilege litigation representing both physicians and hospitals.

Mr. Brannock is active in the Appellate Section of the Florida Bar. He is Chair of the section, a member of its Executive Council, and served as past chair of the Appellate Section Publications Committee and CLE Committee. Mr. Brannock also is a member of the Florida Appellate Rules Committee which advises the Florida Supreme Court on proposed amendments to Florida's Rules of Appellate Procedure. He serves as chair of the Civil Rules Subcommittee of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Brannock is an adjunct professor of appellate practice and procedure at Stetson Law School. He is also a frequent lecturer on appellate topics. He participates annually in the presentation of an advanced appellate certification review course offered for attorneys preparing to take the Appellate Board Certification Examination. In 2005, he served as coordinator and moderator of the Stetson Appellate Workshop, an intensive three-day workshop for appellate practitioners taught by a distinguished faculty of appellate judges.

Mr. Brannock is the author of two chapters on Florida appellate jurisdiction and procedure contained in the American Inns of Court four-volume Guide to Florida Trial and Appeal. He is co-author of the chapter on Supreme Court Procedures and Practices in the Florida Bar's Florida Appellate Practice Guide (Sixth Ed. 2006). Other recent publications include: "Seeking Appellate Review - How to Perfect Your Appeal," 81 Florida Bar Journal 29 (April 2007); "Confronting a PCA: Finding a Path Around a Brick Wall," 23 Stetson Law Review 367 (Winter 2003).

• a prior restraint case concerning a reporter’s right to publish information regarding his testimony before a grand jury, Butterworth v. Smith, 494 U.S. 624 (Fla. 1990) (affirming 9-0 the reporter’s right to publish)
• a complex construction dispute, ADF International, Inc. v. Baker Mellon Stuart Construction, Inc., Case No. 01-10601 (11^th Cir. 2002) (reversing $11,000,000 verdict)
• a death penalty case examining the admissibility of the defendant’s confessions, Smith v. Dugger, 911 F.2d 494 (11th Cir. 1990) (reversing conviction and remanding for new trial)
• a case addressing Florida's jurisdiction over foreign issuers, Borden v. East-European Ins. Co., 921 So. 2d 587 (Fla. 2006)
• a case raising an important issue of Florida Constitutional Law, Fuchs v. Robbins, 818 So. 2d 460 (Fla.2002) (denying standing to public officials attempting to challenge the constitutionality of statutes)
• a complex legal battle over the issuance of an injunction, Provident Management Corp. v. City of Treasure Island, 796 So. 2d 481 (Fla. 2001) (affirming a $2.9 million verdict)
• a family law case raising an important and novel issue concerning the right to "savings" alimony, Mallard v. Mallard, 771 So. 2d 1138 (Fla. 2000)
• bond validation litigation concerning Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, Poe v. Hillsborough County, 695 So. 2d 672 (Fla. 1997) (reversing trial court’s refusal to validate construction bonds)

See also:

• HGI Associates, Inc. v. Wetmore Printing Co., 2007 WL 1654129 (11th Cir. June 8, 2007) (affirming rejection of substantial damages claim)
• Riley Mfg. Co., Inc. v. Anchor Glass Container Corp., 157 F.3d 775 (10^th Cir. 1998)
• Fund for Animals v. Rice, 85 F.3d 535 (11^th Cir. 1996) (rejecting environmental challenges to a Florida project)
• Arabian American Oil Co. v. Scarfone, 939 F.2d 1472 (11^th Cir. 1991) (affirming multi-million dollar damage award)
• Haywood v. State of Florida, 961 So. 2d 995 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007) (overturning 23 year-old conviction based on new DNA evidence)
• Torwest, Inc. v. Killea, 942 So. 2d 1019 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006) (reversing large damages award against developer)
• Beazer Homes Corp. v. Bailey, 940 So. 2d 453 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006) (reversing order refusing to compel arbitration)
• Osceola County v. Best Diversified, Inc., 936 So. 2d 55 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006) (reversing on rehearing multi-million dollar damage award)
• Genuine Parts Co. v. Parsons, 917 So. 2d 419 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006) (granting emergency stay and petition for mandamus)
• City of Gainesville v. State, 2003 WL 22052315, 28 Fla. L. Weekly S665 (Fla. Sept. 4, 2003) (reversing trial court refusal to validate bonds for a new stormwater system)
• In re Advisory Opinion to Governor re: Appointment or Election of Judges, 824 So. 2d 132 (Fla. 2002) (ordering election to proceed)
• Watson Clinic, LLP v. Verzosa, 816 So. 2d 832 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002) (reversing trial court's refusal to award damages)
• General Dynamics Corp. v. Paulucci, 797 So. 2d 18 (Fla. 5^th DCA 2001) (reversing verdict in alleged environmental contamination case)
• Hoechst Celanese Corp. v. Fry, 753 So. 2d 626 (Fla. 5^th DCA 2000) (en banc court unanimously overturns an adverse 3-0 panel decision)