Scott Livingston

For over twenty-five years, Scott A. Livingston has provided litigation representation to a diverse client base, ranging from individuals to some of the nation’s largest banking institutions. While focusing his practice on complex commercial litigation, he has successfully represented clients in litigation in other areas such as business, banking, construction, contract, dependency, employment, family law, probate, and trust. He has been fortunate to represent clients not only throughout Florida’s state and federal courts, but through pro hac vice appearances throughout the country, including California, Georgia, New York, and Texas.

Through the unique experiences which have formed his life and career, Mr. Livingston has developed knowledge and skills which aid him in resolving matters to the benefit of his clients whether it is by means of pre-suit negotiation or resort to the court system, and, ultimately, trial. Mr. Livingston believes that the decision to enter into litigation should never be taken lightly, but that once the decision is made it is crucial to proceed in a precise, surgical manner. He despises scattershot litigation, in which counsel throw out everything they can think of while billing clients top dollar for merely recycling discovery forms from prior cases. Instead, Mr. Livingston strives to utilize his experience and training to identify and target the key points of fact and law which are the most likely to lead to a successful outcome in each unique case. Mr. Livingston learned early in his career that the key to a successful resolution is convincing your adversary that (1) you are ready for trial and (2) crazy enough to want to go to trial.

Mr. Livingston is proud that throughout his life and career, words such as tenacious, zealous, and passionate have been repeatedly used to describe his representation of his clients. Oft-described as a bulldog, he believes that the best results can only be achieved by working collaboratively with his clients to achieve the goals they set rather than the ones he dictates. Such an approach has resulted in Mr. Livingston’s recognition as a Platinum Client Champion by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the highest award achievable for client service.

Mr. Livingston is also proud to be an “AV” rated attorney, the highest rating achievable for legal ability and ethics by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, which is the facilitator of the peer review process that rates attorneys. The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and Judiciary. In essence, it reflects what other attorneys think of the lawyers so rated.

Mr. Livingston believes that his years at the University of Miami School of Law formed the foundation for the attorney he has become. In his first year of law school, Mr. Livingston and his partner won the first-year moot court competition, and the hook of litigation was firmly set. That same first year, Mr. Livingston and the same partner also represented the School of Law in the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition at Pace University in New York. Following these early experiences, Mr. Livingston would go on to serve on the University of Miami Moot Court Board, eventually accepting the office of Vice President in charge of the school’s negotiation competition. Mr. Livingston also served on the editorial board of the University of Miami Business Law Review, rising to the position of Editor-in-Chief in his final year of law school.

While he would graduate law school with the distinction of cum laude, Mr. Livingston believes his greatest learning happened in the internships he was able to serve through the School of Law.Throughout his second year of law school, he served as an intern for United States Chief Magistrate Judge Ted E. Bandstra, helping research and write opinions in cases involving issues such as complex commercial, civil rights, intellectual property, and securities law.Then, in the summer following his second year of law school, Mr. Livingston served as a certified legal intern for the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial District in Orlando, Florida. During that summer, he prosecuted over twenty jury trials. It is not many attorneys who are lucky enough to have sat the first chair in over twenty trials before their third year of law school.