David M. Hawthorne is a partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Complex Business & Commercial Litigation Practice with first chair trial and arbitration experience. A trial lawyer for more than two decades, Mr. Hawthorne has litigated matters in both federal and state courts throughout Florida and the U.S. His complex commercial litigation practice focuses on construction, real estate, and landlord/tenant litigation. Mr. Hawthorne also has extensive experience in mass/toxic torts, including mold, and asbestos and benzene defense, as well as products liability defense, with a focus on medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Further, Mr. Hawthorne has substantial experience in Aviation Law, as well as Consumer Finance Litigation.

Mr. Hawthorne is a frequent lecturer on both commercial and residential landlord/tenant topics, and represents both commercial and residential landlords and tenants. His construction practice includes representation of developers/owners, design professionals, prime contractors, subcontractors, and materialmen, on areas including design defect, construction lien law, contract disputes, and professional negligence.

Having excelled in Aviation Law and performing an independent study for his Aviation Law Professor, Mr. Hawthorne worked in house for an aviation company prior to entering private practice. Mr. Hawthorne later parlayed that experience to multiple aviation-related matters for his prior firm.

Mr. Hawthorne has also tried and arbitrated a variety of complex commercial cases, has taken and defended hundreds of depositions of both fact and expert witnesses, and oversaw and supervised the defense of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits for multiple companies throughout Florida and in the federal MDL. Finally, Mr. Hawthorne has experience with class action defense in both the toxic tort and consumer litigation context.

Publications

Professional Presentations

• Coldwell Banker, Pinecrest Office, Speaker, “Florida Landlord/Tenant Law,” May 8, 2018
• Lorman Educational Services, Speaker, “Residential Tenant Screening and Selection,” April 2018
• Sterling Education Services Landlord-Tenant Law: From Lease to Eviction, Speaker, “Happening Now in Florida,” August 16, 2016
• Sterling Education Services Landlord-Tenant Law: From Start to Finish, Speaker, “Happening Now in Florida Landlord-Tenant Law,” January 19, 2016
• Sterling Education Services Fundamentals of Landlord-Tenant Law Seminar, Speaker, “Landlord-Tenant Case Law & Legislative Updates,” August 18, 2015
• Sterling Education Services, Inc. Legal Education Blog, Author, Legislative Updates Regarding Landlord- Tenant Law,” July 29, 2015
• Lorman Education Services, Speaker, “Residential Screening and Selection,” February, 2014

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • Florida
• United States District Courts
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• United States Courts of Appeals
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Admissions

Florida

U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

Associations

• The Florida Bar, Member
• Broward County Bar Association, Member
• Russian American Bar Association of Florida, Inaugural “Featured Member”

Awards & Honors

Lorman Educational Services, Distinguished Faculty Member, 2014

Education

University of Miami School of Law

Juris Doctor, 1991

Emory University

Bachelor of Arts, 1988

• Dean's List