Jonathan Stidham
Jon is the firm’s managing shareholder and acts as lead trial counsel in the firm’s most important cases.
Jon was born in Bartow in 1959 and graduated from Bartow High School in 1977. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Southern Methodist University in 1981 and a Juris Doctorate from Mercer University School of Law in 1987. He was admitted to the bar that year. While his main practice is in Florida, Jon is also admitted and licensed to practice in Montana and Georgia. He regularly handles cases in both states.
Jon’s practice has always been entirely devoted to litigation and trial. Early in his career Jon handled and tried numerous important criminal cases, including two capital murder cases. His current practice focuses almost entirely on serious and catastrophic personal injury and complex commercial cases.
His experience with personal injury cases includes automobile accidents, products liability, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and premises liability. He has received substantial compensation for his clients who have suffered brain injuries, including injuries to infants and children, spinal cord injuries, back injuries, and amputations. He has represented the estates of clients who have been killed as a result of the acts of others. In 2011, a Polk County, FL jury awarded Jon’s client $60,111,000 for the wrongful death of the clients’ son. It is believed to be one of the state’s largest wrongful death verdicts.
Jon represents individuals and businesses in complex commercial cases including breach of contract, corporate governance, business dissolution, operating agreements, and employment disputes. In addition, Jon has substantial experience litigating intentional torts such as fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft, conversion, and breach of the corporate opportunity doctrine. He handles professional malpractice cases including those arising from medical, legal, and accounting negligence.
Jon has represented clients in estate and trust-related litigation involving professional malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty, as well as testamentary disputes involving undue influence and lack of testamentary capacity.
For over thirty years, Jon has been proud to represent the Polk County School Board in many of its important cases in both State and Federal Courts, including Civil Rights Disputes, major commercial construction litigation, and insurance litigation. In 2020, Jon recovered $20,000,000 for the School Board against its insurance carriers for damages the district suffered in Hurricane Irma.
Many of the cases that Jon handles require expertise in technical areas of the law beyond his experience or the firm’s available man hours. In those instances, Jon co-counsels with fine lawyers who have experience in those areas and the ability to enhance the outcome of the case.
Jon is often called upon by other lawyers to assist in the trial of cases that are suitable to his particular method of practice and experience. He enjoys working as co-counsel with other trial lawyers and with other attorneys who seek Jon’s help because of his trial experience.
Jon is a former member of the American Inns of Court and has served as a special prosecutor for the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission.
When not practicing law, Jon spends as much time as possible at his family farm in Georgia and his property in Montana. He is a powered paraglider pilot and flies at every opportunity.