Christopher D. Donovan
Shareholder, Practice Group Manager, Appellate
Naples
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road
Suite 401
Naples, FL 34108
P 239.213.3865
F 239.261.3659
P 239.213.3865 | F 239.261.3659
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road
Suite 401
Naples, FL 34108
P 239.213.3865
F 239.261.3659
P 239.213.3865 | F 239.261.3659
Overview
Chris is one of only two attorneys in Collier, Lee, and Charlotte County to have the honor of being Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. His practice focuses exclusively on appellate and original-jurisdiction proceedings in both state and federal court.
With over 18 years of appellate experience, Chris has handled over 200 different appellate matters involving a broad range of legal areas, including commercial, real estate, admiralty, employment, probate and trusts, family, constitutional, and administrative law. He also represents a wide range of industries, including local governments, businesses, developers, banks, and community associations.
Before joining Roetzel, Chris served as a staff attorney for the Second District Court of Appeals, and he interned for the Florida Supreme Court. At Roetzel, he has handled appeals before the Supreme Court of the United States, the federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Florida Supreme Court, and all of the Florida District Courts of Appeal.
Experience
- Represented nonprofit organization as amicus curiae in high-profile appeal concerning the Sunshine Law
- Defended HOA's judgment for unpaid assessments on bankruptcy appeal
- Successfully reversed $8 million deficiency judgment against guarantors based on a conflicts-of-law issue
- Successfully defended municipality on first- and second-tier certiorari review following an untimely FLUEDRA proceeding
- Successfully defended a business’ injunction prohibiting a former employee from violating a non-compete and stealing trade secrets
- Reversed a judgment that improperly relieved guarantors of repaying over $600,000 in outstanding debt
- Prevailed on appeal against a hospital that had negligently administered a recalled drug during surgery by arguing that the case arose under product-liability theories instead of medical malpractice
- Reversed sizable judgment against a commercial condominium association that a unit owner should not have received because the claim was barred by the statute of limitations
- Reversed the denial of a $1.6 million deficiency judgment owed to a bank despite the absence of a trial transcript
- Protected a school board's ability to keep educational records confidential under Florida’s Sunshine Laws
- Overturned the denial of a developer's building permit
- Reversed an order preventing a creditor from discovering a judgment debtors' assets
- Overturned a discovery order compelling production of privileged documents
- Successfully defended on appeal a federal judgment exonerating a city accused of civil-rights violations under § 1983 multiple times
- Prevailed in a probate appeal involving issues of standing and undue influence
Services
Education
-
Stetson University College of Law,
J.D.
- cum laude
- Stetson Law Review, Editor
- Stetson University, B.A.
Credentials
Bar Admissions
- Florida
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
Certifications
- Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization
Clerkships
- Staff Attorney, Florida Second District Court of Appeal
Recognitions
- Named among Chambers USA's "Leaders in their Field" for Litigation: Appellate, Florida (2023)
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Appellate Practice (2022-2024)
- AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Selected as a "Florida Super Lawyer" by Florida Super Lawyers magazine (2018-2023)
- Selected as Naples Illustrated "Top Lawyer" - Appellate Practice (2019-2023)
- Selected as a "Legal Elite" in Appellate Practice by Florida Trend magazine (2018-2021)
- Selected as a "Florida Rising Star" by Florida Super Lawyers magazine (2010-2011, 2014-2017)
- Selected as a “Legal Elite Up & Comer” by Florida Trendmagazine (2016)
Affiliations
Professional Affiliations
- American Inns of Court Member, Michael R.N. McDonnell Inn
- President (2018-2019)
- President Elect (2017-18)
- Former Secretary (2016-17)
- Former Program Director (2015-17)
- Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section
- Chair (2020-2021)
- Chair Elect (2019-2020)
- Vice Chair/Treasurer (2018-2019)
- Executive Council Member (2014-Present)
- Chair of the CLE Committee (2016-2018)
- Co-Chair of the Telephonic CLE Committee (2014-16)
- Delegates Reserve Committee Member (2023-Present)
- Collier County Bar Association
- President Elect (2023-Present)
- Treasurer (2022-2023)
- Secretary (2021-2022)
- Board of Directors (2018-2021)
- Trial Law Section Chair (2020-2021)
- Trial Law Section, Board Member (2016-Present)
- Young Lawyer's Section, Former President
- Second District Court of Appeals Liaison (2009-Present)
- Collier County Bar Association Foundation
- President (2023-Present)
- Treasurer (2022-2023)
- Secretary (2021-2022)
- Lee County Bar Association, Member
- ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers, Member
- Federalist Society, Member
Community Affiliations
- Collier County Bar Association Welness Initiative, Peer-to-Peer Program Panel Member (2022-Present)
- Judge at Moot Court Competitions
- Judge at Mock Trial Competitions
- Fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club (2010-2011)
- Member of Turning Point Church
- High School Moot Court Coach
Insights
Alerts
Roetzel & Andress: 2020 Appellate Year in Review (Jan 28, 2021)
The New Year Brings a More Relaxed, Pro-Business Summary-Judgment Standard (Jan 4, 2021)
Coronavirus Business Interruption (Mar 13, 2020)
Roetzel & Andress: 2019 Appellate Year in Review (Jan 27, 2020)
Roetzel & Andress: 2018 Appellate Year in Review (Apr 25, 2019)
Articles
Welcome to the Sixth District Court of Appeal - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (October 2022)
Review of Quasi-Judicial Decisions - Florida Appellate Practice, Chapter 25 (12th ed.) (2022)
Standing in Quasi-Judicial & Administrative Proceedings - FMAA Annual Convention 2021 Notebook (July 2021)
New Year, New Appellate Rules - The Record, Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section’s Online Journal (January 2021)
Review of Quasi-Judicial Decisions - Florida Appellate Practice, Chapter 25 (11th ed.) (2020)
Presentations
“Legal Writing” - Co-speaker - Southwest Florida Federal Bar Association (October 2023)
“Swashbuckling Uncertain Appellate Seas as a Mediator” - Lee County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (May 2023)
“Ethics in Appellate Practice” - Collier County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section’s Annual Ethics Seminar (June 2022)
“Mechanics of Nonfinal Appeals” - Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section’s Nonfinal Appeals (May 2022)
“Standing in Quasi-Judicial and Administrative Proceedings” - Florida Municipal Attorney’s Association (July 2021)
Podcasts
Don’t take that tone with me, Counselor (June 2021)
I am not a Cat! (February 2021)
Merely a Footnote (October 2020)
Argument in Reply (July 2020)
Issues on Appeal Podcast: "Appellate Workflows Part 2" - Guest Speaker (September 2019)
Firm News
Eight Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated (Sep 1, 2023)
Roetzel & Andress Earns Recognition in 2024 Best Lawyers (Aug 17, 2023)
Eight Roetzel Attorneys Named 2023 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars (Jun 26, 2023)
Chambers and Partners Recognizes Five Roetzel Attorneys and One Practice Area in 2023 USA Guide (Jun 1, 2023)
20 Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated (Sep 1, 2022)
Services
Overview
Chris is one of only two attorneys in Collier, Lee, and Charlotte County to have the honor of being Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. His practice focuses exclusively on appellate and original-jurisdiction proceedings in both state and federal court.
With over 18 years of appellate experience, Chris has handled over 200 different appellate matters involving a broad range of legal areas, including commercial, real estate, admiralty, employment, probate and trusts, family, constitutional, and administrative law. He also represents a wide range of industries, including local governments, businesses, developers, banks, and community associations.
Before joining Roetzel, Chris served as a staff attorney for the Second District Court of Appeals, and he interned for the Florida Supreme Court. At Roetzel, he has handled appeals before the Supreme Court of the United States, the federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Florida Supreme Court, and all of the Florida District Courts of Appeal.
Experience
- Represented nonprofit organization as amicus curiae in high-profile appeal concerning the Sunshine Law
- Defended HOA's judgment for unpaid assessments on bankruptcy appeal
- Successfully reversed $8 million deficiency judgment against guarantors based on a conflicts-of-law issue
- Successfully defended municipality on first- and second-tier certiorari review following an untimely FLUEDRA proceeding
- Successfully defended a business’ injunction prohibiting a former employee from violating a non-compete and stealing trade secrets
- Reversed a judgment that improperly relieved guarantors of repaying over $600,000 in outstanding debt
- Prevailed on appeal against a hospital that had negligently administered a recalled drug during surgery by arguing that the case arose under product-liability theories instead of medical malpractice
- Reversed sizable judgment against a commercial condominium association that a unit owner should not have received because the claim was barred by the statute of limitations
- Reversed the denial of a $1.6 million deficiency judgment owed to a bank despite the absence of a trial transcript
- Protected a school board's ability to keep educational records confidential under Florida’s Sunshine Laws
- Overturned the denial of a developer's building permit
- Reversed an order preventing a creditor from discovering a judgment debtors' assets
- Overturned a discovery order compelling production of privileged documents
- Successfully defended on appeal a federal judgment exonerating a city accused of civil-rights violations under § 1983 multiple times
- Prevailed in a probate appeal involving issues of standing and undue influence
Education
-
Stetson University College of Law,
J.D.
- cum laude
- Stetson Law Review, Editor
- Stetson University, B.A.
Credentials
Bar Admissions
- Florida
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
Certifications
- Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization
Clerkships
- Staff Attorney, Florida Second District Court of Appeal
Recognitions
- Named among Chambers USA's "Leaders in their Field" for Litigation: Appellate, Florida (2023)
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Appellate Practice (2022-2024)
- AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Selected as a "Florida Super Lawyer" by Florida Super Lawyers magazine (2018-2023)
- Selected as Naples Illustrated "Top Lawyer" - Appellate Practice (2019-2023)
- Selected as a "Legal Elite" in Appellate Practice by Florida Trend magazine (2018-2021)
- Selected as a "Florida Rising Star" by Florida Super Lawyers magazine (2010-2011, 2014-2017)
- Selected as a “Legal Elite Up & Comer” by Florida Trendmagazine (2016)
Affiliations
Professional Affiliations
- American Inns of Court Member, Michael R.N. McDonnell Inn
- President (2018-2019)
- President Elect (2017-18)
- Former Secretary (2016-17)
- Former Program Director (2015-17)
- Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section
- Chair (2020-2021)
- Chair Elect (2019-2020)
- Vice Chair/Treasurer (2018-2019)
- Executive Council Member (2014-Present)
- Chair of the CLE Committee (2016-2018)
- Co-Chair of the Telephonic CLE Committee (2014-16)
- Delegates Reserve Committee Member (2023-Present)
- Collier County Bar Association
- President Elect (2023-Present)
- Treasurer (2022-2023)
- Secretary (2021-2022)
- Board of Directors (2018-2021)
- Trial Law Section Chair (2020-2021)
- Trial Law Section, Board Member (2016-Present)
- Young Lawyer's Section, Former President
- Second District Court of Appeals Liaison (2009-Present)
- Collier County Bar Association Foundation
- President (2023-Present)
- Treasurer (2022-2023)
- Secretary (2021-2022)
- Lee County Bar Association, Member
- ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers, Member
- Federalist Society, Member
Community Affiliations
- Collier County Bar Association Welness Initiative, Peer-to-Peer Program Panel Member (2022-Present)
- Judge at Moot Court Competitions
- Judge at Mock Trial Competitions
- Fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club (2010-2011)
- Member of Turning Point Church
- High School Moot Court Coach
Insights
Alerts
Roetzel & Andress: 2020 Appellate Year in Review (Jan 28, 2021)
The New Year Brings a More Relaxed, Pro-Business Summary-Judgment Standard (Jan 4, 2021)
Coronavirus Business Interruption (Mar 13, 2020)
Roetzel & Andress: 2019 Appellate Year in Review (Jan 27, 2020)
Roetzel & Andress: 2018 Appellate Year in Review (Apr 25, 2019)
Articles
Welcome to the Sixth District Court of Appeal - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (October 2022)
Review of Quasi-Judicial Decisions - Florida Appellate Practice, Chapter 25 (12th ed.) (2022)
Standing in Quasi-Judicial & Administrative Proceedings - FMAA Annual Convention 2021 Notebook (July 2021)
New Year, New Appellate Rules - The Record, Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section’s Online Journal (January 2021)
Review of Quasi-Judicial Decisions - Florida Appellate Practice, Chapter 25 (11th ed.) (2020)
Presentations
“Legal Writing” - Co-speaker - Southwest Florida Federal Bar Association (October 2023)
“Swashbuckling Uncertain Appellate Seas as a Mediator” - Lee County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (May 2023)
“Ethics in Appellate Practice” - Collier County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section’s Annual Ethics Seminar (June 2022)
“Mechanics of Nonfinal Appeals” - Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section’s Nonfinal Appeals (May 2022)
“Standing in Quasi-Judicial and Administrative Proceedings” - Florida Municipal Attorney’s Association (July 2021)
Podcasts
Don’t take that tone with me, Counselor (June 2021)
I am not a Cat! (February 2021)
Merely a Footnote (October 2020)
Argument in Reply (July 2020)
Issues on Appeal Podcast: "Appellate Workflows Part 2" - Guest Speaker (September 2019)
Firm News
Eight Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated (Sep 1, 2023)
Roetzel & Andress Earns Recognition in 2024 Best Lawyers (Aug 17, 2023)
Eight Roetzel Attorneys Named 2023 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars (Jun 26, 2023)
Chambers and Partners Recognizes Five Roetzel Attorneys and One Practice Area in 2023 USA Guide (Jun 1, 2023)
20 Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated (Sep 1, 2022)