A veteran litigator with wide-ranging trial experience, Mr. Blanchard is a former prosecuting attorney who entered private practice in 1984 and tried his first jury verdict in excess of $1 million by the age of thirty. While spending his career primarily working as lead trial attorney in personal injury trials, he is proud to have handled one case which resulted in the adoption of an affirmative action plan by a Florida law enforcement agency, and another lawsuit which led to industry changes throughout the U.S. in child safety practices, and yet another that resulted in the largest commercial jury verdict in the State of Florida at the time.
In addition to being lead attorney in over 40 personal injury trials, including asbestos, medical malpractice, auto accidents and defective products, Mr. Blanchard's career has been distinguished by the breadth of his trial practice, having tried cases to verdict before juries, judges, and arbitration panels in such divergent areas as RICO, securities fraud, fraud in real estate sales, fraud in vehicle sales, boundary disputes, contract and franchise disputes, antitrust, foreclosure, insurance claims, contested bankruptcy actions, DUI defense, child custody and criminal prosecutions. He has also argued appeals before the Circuit Courts of Appeal for the 5th and 11th Federal Circuits and Florida's First District Court of Appeals.
While at law school, Robert was Associate Editor on the University of Florida Law Review, and recipient of the Florida Trial Lawyers Association Essay Award for his published article, Municipal Tort Liability: Sovereign Immunity and Access to the Court, Fla. Trial Lawyers Assoc. J. (May 1982). During his career, he has received awards for legal scholarship, Pro Bono work, and public interest research. He is a Past President of Northwest Florida Legal Services. In the mid 1980's he hosted one of the nation's earliest live call-in law shows on local cable TV and later hosted his own local call-in radio show.
Mr. Blanchard is licensed to practice law before all Florida state courts, and the Federal courts for the Northern District of Florida and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. His current practice consists of civil litigation and the trial of personal injury, business torts, securities and mass tort cases.
