"I have worked with large firms and boutique practices across thirty years of litigation. Ellsworth & Vance is the only firm I trust when the record is closed and the only opportunity left is the argument."
General CounselRegional Healthcare System
Ellsworth & Vance, Est. 1997
Precision at every level of review.
We are a boutique appellate and advisory firm engaged by counsel and clients who need exacting legal analysis, principled advocacy, and results that stand.
01
Practice Areas
The matters we
The matters we
handle best.
Our work is concentrated, not scattered. Six disciplines where deep expertise and procedural command make a measurable difference at the highest levels of law.
-
01
Appellate Advocacy
State and federal appeals from trial judgments, interlocutory orders, and administrative rulings, argued with precision, written to last.
-
02
Complex Litigation
Multi-party commercial disputes, class actions, and bet-the-company matters where the stakes demand exceptional command of facts and law.
-
03
Constitutional Law
First Amendment, due process, equal protection, and structural constitutional challenges at both the state and federal appellate levels.
-
04
Regulatory & Administrative
Agency rulemaking, enforcement proceedings, and judicial review of regulatory action across healthcare, energy, financial services, and land use.
-
05
Advisory & Strategic Counsel
Pre-litigation assessment, issue preservation, merits analysis, and briefing support for trial counsel seeking appellate perspective before the record closes.
-
06
Arbitration & ADR
Institutional and ad hoc arbitration, AAA and JAMS proceedings, and confirmation or vacatur of arbitral awards in state and federal court.
Our approach
Every brief begins with a single question: what does this court need to understand?
We write to persuade, not to fill pages. Our arguments are structured around the standard of review, the weaknesses in the opposing position, and the holding that serves our client's long-term interests, not just the immediate appeal.
02
About the Firm
Twenty-seven years of appellate depth.
Ellsworth & Vance was founded on a conviction that appellate work is a distinct discipline, one that rewards restraint, precision, and a thorough understanding of how courts actually decide.
Our attorneys have argued before the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit, and three federal district courts of appeal. We serve as appellate counsel to Fortune 500 companies, regional businesses, and individual clients engaged in matters of constitutional consequence. We also serve as co-counsel and consulting appellate advisors to trial firms across the Southeast.
We are small by design. Every engagement receives direct partner attention. We do not hand cases to associates and walk away, our clients retain us, and our clients hear from us.
200+
Appellate arguments
27
Years in practice
94%
Favorable outcomes
on appeal
on appeal
03
Representative Matters
The work speaks.
A selection of notable appellate and advisory engagements. Client identities and confidential details have been omitted or generalized where required.
-
01
Healthcare Regulatory Challenge
Eleventh Circuit · Administrative law · APA challenge to agency rulemaking
Outcome Agency rule vacated -
02
Commercial Contract Dispute
Florida 1st DCA · Complex commercial · $42M judgment on appeal
Outcome Judgment affirmed -
03
First Amendment, Prior Restraint
Florida Supreme Court · Constitutional · Injunction against publication
Outcome Injunction dissolved -
04
Class Action Arbitration
AAA / Eleventh Circuit · Mass arbitration · 11,000 putative class members
Outcome Class decertified -
05
Energy Regulatory Proceeding
FERC / Federal Circuit · Rate-setting dispute · Multi-state utility
Outcome Rates reinstated
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts and applicable law. Some results listed reflect work by current attorneys at prior firms.
04
Client Perspectives
In the words of those we represent.
"Their brief was the single best piece of legal writing I've seen submitted in twenty years on the bench. It changed how we framed the issue entirely."
Retired Circuit JudgeReferring Co-Counsel, via letter
"We engaged Ellsworth & Vance to review our trial counsel's strategy before jury selection. Their pre-trial advisory work preserved every issue that mattered when we needed it on appeal."
Chief Legal OfficerFinancial Services Company
05
Insights
View all articles
From the firm.
Preserving the record: what trial counsel must do before verdict
The most common reason an appeal fails has nothing to do with the merits, it is because the issue was never preserved. Here is what to do while you still can.
Read article
The narrowing of Chevron deference and what it means for regulated industries
The recent Supreme Court term reshaped how federal courts review agency interpretation. What regulated businesses need to know now.
Read article
Drafting arbitration clauses that hold, five provisions courts routinely strike
Many arbitration agreements fail at the clause itself. These five drafting errors cost clients the ability to enforce the agreements they signed.
Read article
06
Free Consultation
Tell us about your matter.
Share a few details and an attorney will respond within one business day. All inquiries are confidential. Submitting this form does not create an attorney, client relationship.
- Call
- (813) 555-0190
- inquiry@ellsworthandvance.com
- Office
- One Harbour Place, Suite 1800
Tampa, FL 33602 - Hours
- Mon to Fri · 8:30am, 6:00pm