Frank E. Brown Attorney At Law

Veteran labor and employment litigator and appellate advocate specializing in employee benefits, wage and hour, and discrimination defense, with additional expertise in civil rights, election law, and administrative law.

Frank Brown has 35 years of experience in labor and employment law. He is a seasoned trial lawyer and appellate advocate who has handled a wide array of matters, including defending civil rights claims, complex unemployment claims, discrimination, and ERISA fiduciary duty and withdrawal liability claims.

Frank is the state’s leading expert on Florida unemployment law, having written most of the precedent interpreting the 2011 and 2013 revisions to the law. For nine years, he served as Chair of the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission, the quasi-judicial administrative appellate body responsible for reviewing contested decisions reemployment assistance appeals referees.

Frank also has significant experience in civil rights and election law and successfully defended voting rights and other civil rights cases during his career.

Frank is highly regarded among his peers. He currently holds multiple leadership positions on Florida Bar committees, and in 2020, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section.
 

• Notable Work
  • Breuer v. Jim’s Concrete of Brevard, Inc., 538 U.S. 691 (2003) – Drafted amicus brief in Fair Labor Standards Act case including argument cited by Justice Ginsburg during oral argument
  • Nipper v. Smith, 39 F.3d 1494 (11th Cir. 1994)(en banc) – Successful trial court and appellate defense of Section 2 Voting Rights Act claim regarding election of circuit judges in Florida
  • Cramer v. State of Florida, 117 F.3d 1258 (11th Cir. 1997) – Lead advocate in successful trial court and appellate defense of Florida workers’ compensation statutes from attack under Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Bird v. Eastman Kodak Co., 390 F.Supp.2d 1117 (M.D. Fla. 2005) – Successful defense of ERISA fiduciary duty claims
  • Lawrenz v. James, 852 F.Supp. 986 (M.D. Fla. 1994) – Success defense of First Amendment claims against prison warden by swastika-wearing correctional officers
  • Boyd v. Brookstone, 857 F.Supp. 1568 (S.D. Fla. 1994) – Obtained ruling defeating claim that employer’s opposition to discrimination claim was a retaliatory act
  • KC Cromwell, Inc. v. Pollard, 28 So.3d 945 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010) – Successful defense of Florida Labor Pool Act claim against Florida daily staffing company
• Recognition
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, The Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section, 2020
  • Elected Fellow of College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, 2019
  • Best Lawyers in America 2006-2013
  • Florida Super Lawyers 2004-2010
  • Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” 2004-2007, 2015
  • Chambers USA 2004-2007
• Media
  • "One Liners Hillsborough: Frameworks Tampa Bay, Aussie Grill and more," Tampa Bay Business & Wealth, February 16, 2023
  • "On The Move," The Florida Bar,  January 1, 2023
  • "Tampa law firm hires veteran litigator in of-counsel role," December 1, 2022
• Affiliations
  • The Florida Bar
    • Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law
    • Labor and Employment Law Section Executive Council, 2002-present
      • Chair, 2015-2016
    • Labor and Employment Law Certification Committee, 2019-present
    • Chair, 2021-2022
    • Administrative Law Section
    • Appellate Practice Section
    • Labor and Employment Law Section
  • Florida Supreme Court
    • Standard Jury Instructions Committee – Civil Cases, 2020-present
      • Chair Employment Claims Subcommittee
• Credentials
  • J.D., Florida State University College of Law, with honors, 1987
  • B.A., University of North Carolina at Charlotte, cum laude, 1983
• Admissions
  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida
  • The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Supreme Court