Six Generations Of Legal Advocacy
Andrew Lannon
- Founder
Practice Areas
- Business/Commercial Litigation
- City, County & Local Government Law
- Construction Litigation
- Stormwater Litigation
- Zoning, Planning and Land Use
Biography
My great grandfather, Eugene Malone, started a law firm in Central Illinois which my father, Richard James "Jim" Lannon, Jr., managed prior to being appointed Judge on the 13th Judicial Circuit, in and for LaSalle County, Illinois. My Aunt, M. Catherine Lannon, was the head of the Administrative Law Division of the Florida Attorney General's Office for 33 years after clerking at the 1st DCA. My cousin, Laura C. Lannon, served as a prosecutor for Cook County, Illinois (i.e., the Chicago metropolitan area) prior to her untimely and unfortunate death. You could say that being an attorney is in my blood.
Born in LaSalle, Illinois in 1974, my family moved to Dedham, Massachusetts when my parents divorced in 1984. I attended school in Massachusetts from 4th grade to my senior year of college, having graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester in 1996. For the next 4 years, I worked as a sales representative for BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation in Tucker, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Being a sales representative prepared me for being an attorney, for it is far more difficult to sell a product or service to an unwilling buyer than it is to demonstrate to a jury or a judge why your client's position in the lawsuit is meritorious, or why your client deserves to win, and why your client deserves to be compensated (i.e., paid damages).
I attended law school at The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. from 2000 to 2003. During this time, I was invited onto the Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy (this journal is reserved for students in the top 10% of their class) and (2) Moot Court. My Comment, "Let Him Die with Dignity or Hope for a Cure, the Consequences of Modern Medicine", was printed in the Winter 2002 edition. I have also held the prestigious honor of serving as the Note and Comment Editor for the Journal.
After graduation from law school, I clerked for The Honorable Peggy A. Quince at the Florida Supreme Court for 2 years. I then worked at the 8th largest law firm in the world at the time in its Central Florida Litigation Practice Group handling commercial litigation and appeals. I left that Am Law 100 firm to work at an intellectual property litigation boutique before serving as the Deputy City Attorney in Palm Bay, Florida for 2.5 years. When the City Attorney was terminated, I was promoted to City Attorney, a position that I held for 7 years. In 2018, I joined the 10th largest law firm in Orlando and worked in its Commercial Practice Group before starting my own firm.
Education
- Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
- J.D. - 2003
- Honors: Moot Court Associate
- College of the Holy Cross
- B.A. - 1996
- Honors: 1 of 6 Catholic Ivy League Universities in USA
- Major: Classics (Latin, Greek, History and Archaeology)
Bar Admissions
- Florida, 2003
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Florida
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Florida
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Florida
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
Honors
- Florida Super Lawyers, 2021-2024
- Avvo® 10.0 Superb Rating, 2018 - Present
- AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, 2012-Present
- Martindale-Hubbell® Client Champion Platinum , 2022-Present
- Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite, 2012-2022
Classes and Seminars
- Appellate Practice (2201726N), St. Lucie Bar Association, March 4, 2022.
- Judge of 2019 Southeast AMTA Mock Trial Tournament, February 2019.
- Chair: Sunshine Law, Public Records & Ethics for Public Officers and Employees (2603R), April 2018.
- A Local Government Practitioner’s Guide to Understanding Ethics Laws and Navigating Your Clients Through Stormy Seas (2603R), Sunshine Law, Public Records & Ethics for Public Officers and Employees, April 2018.
- Ethics Training for Elected Municipal Officers, Florida League of Cities, Inc. and Treasure Coast League of Cities, Inc., Indian River Junior College, Fort Pierce, FL, April 2018.
- Ethics Training for Opa-Locka Public Employees per Executive Order of Governor Rick Scott, Opa-Locka City Hall, March 2018.
- Ethics Training for Elected Municipal Officers, Florida League of Cities, Inc. and Volusia League of Cities, Inc., Edgewater City Hall, February 2018.
- Ethics Training for Elected Municipal Officers, Florida League of Cities, Inc. and Volusia League of Cities, Inc., DeBary City Hall, February 2018
- Local Government Lobbying Regulations – Look Who’s Talking, Florida Association of County Attorneys Midyear CLE Program, November 2017.
- Brevard Business Professionals Law Panel, Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce, Buena Vida Estates, West Melbourne, Florida, September 2017.
- What Lies Beneath? Latent Defects in Pipe Construction: A 6-Year Story of Construction Litigation Told from the Trenches (2313R), Florida Bar’s City, County and Local Government Law Section’s 40th Annual Local Government Law in Florida, May 2017.
- Judge of BCBA-sponsored High School Mock Trial Competition, February 2017
- Where There’s Smoke . . . Use of Non-Ad Valorem Assessments for Fire Service (2052R), Florida Bar’s City, County and Local Government Law Section’s 39th Annual Local Government Law in Florida, May 6, 2016.
- When It’s Time to Move on. . . Negotiating Severance Agreement Packages for Public Employees, 41st Annual Public Employment Labor Relations Forum (1995R), October 23, 2015.
- Ethics Training for Elected Municipal Officers, Florida League of Cities, Inc., Belleview City Hall, June 15, 2015.
- Preserving Attorney Fee Issues and Ethical Considerations Representing Local Governments and Local Government Officials, Florida Bar’s City, County and Local Government Law Section’s 38th Annual Local Government Law in Florida (1863R), May 9, 2015.
- Transitioning to a Stand-Alone Self-Insurance Program, Florida Bar’s City, County and Local Government Law Section’s 38th Annual Local Government Law in Florida (1863R), May 8, 2015.
- Issues in Property Law, Vassar B. Carlton American Inn of Court, October 1, 2014.
- Electronic Evidence: E-mail, Text & Social Media, Vassar B. Carlton American Inn of Court, February 6, 2013.
Published Works
- “Let Him Die with Dignity or Hope for a Cure, the Consequences of Modern Medicine”, Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy, Winter, 2002
- Patricia D. Smith and Andrew P. Lannon, Local Regulation of Medical Marijuana in Florida, Florida Bar Journal, November 2017, Vol. 91, No. 9.
- Andrew P. Lannon, Peter J. Sweeney, Jr., Patricia D. Smith, Jill E. Jacobs and Wendy L. Fisher, Risk[y] Business: Transitioning to a Stand-Alone Self-Insurance Program, 46 Stetson L. Rev. 563 (2017).
- Rosalia Contreras and Andrew P. Lannon, Legislating Local Liberties: Human Rights Ordinances Across Florida, Florida Bar’s City, County and Local Government Law Section’s The Agenda, Spring 2016, Vol. XXXVI, No. 2.
Professional Associations
- Florida Bar's Board of Legal Specialization & Education (BLSE), 2024 to 2030
- Florida Bar's Business Litigation Board Certification Committee, 2018-2024, Chair, 2022-2023 and Vice Chair 2020-2022
- Executive Council of the City, County and Local Government Law Section, 2015-2018, Professionalism and Ethics Committee Chair, 2016-2018 and Secretary/Treasurer, 2017-2018
Past Positions
- City of Palm Bay, Florida, 2008-2018, City Attorney, 2011-2018, Deputy City Attorney II, 2008-2011
- Stump, Callahan, Dietrich & Spears, P.A., 2007-2008, Associate
- Holland & Knight LLP, 2005-2007, Associate
- Florida Supreme Court, 2003-2005, Staff Attorney to The Honorable Peggy A. Quince
- Bellsouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation (BAPCO), 1997-2000, Directory Telephone Sales Representative
Specialties and Certifications
- Board Certified Specialist in Business Litigation, The Florida Bar, 2015
- Board Certified Specialist in City, County & Local Government Law, The Florida Bar, 2013
Litigation
- 100%