Phil Rothschild

Philip E. Rothschild is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Fort Lauderdale office. He practices in the area of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on federal court issues. Mr. Rothschild has defended numerous consumer finance class actions (before, during and after) the class certification stage, as well as lawsuits involving the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Florida Consumer Collections Practices Act (FCCPA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He has also represented lenders and mortgage servicers in prosecuting foreclosures and defending claims under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). In addition, he has represented several medical providers and their billing companies in class actions involving Florida's personal injury protection (PIP) balance billing provision. Mr. Rothschild has experience handling matters involving many different types of claims from pre-suit through trial, having participated in numerous bench trials in state and federal court, and three federal jury trials between 2018 and 2022.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Rothschild served as a chambers law clerk for 14 years in the offices of three then active judges in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. As a career chambers law clerk, he accumulated a wealth of experience and understanding in numerous areas of civil practice and substantive federal and Florida law, including business torts and contract disputes. With extensive experience assisting federal trial court judges with an assortment of motions in civil cases and observing jury trials, Mr. Rothschild knows the importance of top-quality written and verbal advocacy. He applies this experience to provide effective representation in all litigation matters in state and federal court.

Mr. Rothschild also has experience as a civil enforcement attorney for the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection in Washington, D.C. During his time at the FTC, he investigated violations of federal credit laws and brought enforcement actions in federal court and administrative proceedings. At Holland & Knight, Mr. Rothschild has applied this knowledge to many matters involving myriad federal consumer finance statutes, with many claims dismissed at the pleading stage or obtaining summary judgment. He also successfully defended a class action under the FDCPA that resulted in denial of class certification.

In the legal community, Mr. Rothschild has been actively involved with the Federal Bar Association (FBA) since 2012 and served six years on The Florida Bar's Federal Court Practice Committee from 2016 to 2022. He served as president of the FBA's Broward County Chapter from September 2018 to September 2019 and remains a board member. He served as a vice chair of The Florida Bar's Federal Court Practice Committee from July 2020 through June 2021, and committee chair from July 2021 through June 2022.

In the community, Mr. Rothschild was extensively involved with the Soccer Association of Boca Raton (SABR) from 2009 to 2019, serving as a youth soccer coach, division representative and as SABR secretary for 2018-2019. Starting in July 2019, Mr. Rothschild was elected to the board of trustees of Congregation B’Nai Israel in Boca Raton and was twice elected to a vice president position starting in July 2021. He also is an active participant in the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Ambassadors Program.