Frederick S. Schrils Attorney At Law

Frederick Schrils is currently a shareholder in GrayRobinson’s Tampa office and serves as Chair of the firm’s securities litigation and arbitration department. Fred regularly represents securities and financial services industry clients, including banks, broker-dealers, registered representatives, investment advisors, and financial planners, in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings administered by a wide variety of arbitration organizations including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the American Arbitration Association (and its International Center for Dispute Resolution), and Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS). 

In addition to litigation and arbitration proceedings, Fred counsels securities industry clients in connection with employment-related matters, as well as investigations and administrative actions initiated by state, federal, and self-regulatory agencies and organizations. Finally, Fred has trained securities arbitrators in conjunction with various arbitrator training programs, and taught a Securities Arbitration course as an Adjunct Professor at Stetson University College of Law.

• Background

  Fred received his bachelor's degree with distinction from the University of Kentucky in 1983. He then received his juris doctor with honors from the University of Florida College of Law in 1986. In law school, Fred competed as part of the school’s Moot Court team and, in 1986, received the Justice Campbell Thornal National Moot Court Board’s “Outstanding Member” award.

  Fred has received an AV Preeminent® rating by Martindale-Hubbell, signifying the highest accolade an attorney can receive for legal ability and adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence. Fred also was included in Florida Trend's listing of Florida's "Legal Elite" from the years 2004-2009 and 2011-2014. He was also listed in Super Lawyers as one of Florida's top attorneys from 2006-2021. Fred was also named a Tampa top rated attorney in securities litigation in 2013 and was named a South Florida Top Rated Lawyer in 2014. From 2015-2021 he was named to Best Lawyers in America, earning the title of Lawyer of the Year in the Litigation practice area for 2017 and the Litigation – Securities practice area in 2019. The Business Journal named him to their Top 100 Influencers: Law List in 2019.

• Education
  • University of Kentucky, B.B.A. (with distinction, 1983)
  • University of Florida College of Law, J.D. (with honors, 1986)
• Professional Associations & Memberships
  • 13th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee, Chair, 2006-2008
  • The Florida Bar
    • Trial Lawyers Section
  • American Bar Association
    • Securities Litigation Committee
    • Broker-Dealer Litigation Subcommittee
    • Securities Arbitration Subcommittee
  • Hillsborough County Bar Association
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
    • Trial and Litigation Section, Director
  • The Federal Bar Association
  • Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Compliance and Legal Division
  • Florida Securities Dealers Association, Inc.
  • Financial Markets Association
• Awards & Recognitions
  • AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell 
  • Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Securities, 2015-2022
    • Lawyer of the Year, Litigation, 2017
    • Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Securities, 2019
  • Florida Super Lawyers, 2006-2021
  • Florida Trend, Legal Elite, 2004-2009, 2011-2014
  • The Business Journal, Top 100 Influencers: Law List, 2019
  • South Florida Top Rated Lawyer, 2014
  • Tampa Top Rated Lawyer, Securities Litigation, 2013
• Articles & Publications
  • "Dismissal Motions in Arbitration — Are They Worth Saving?" Florida Review, Florida Securities Dealers Association, February 15, 2008
  • Co-Author, "Should Non-Lawyers Be Permitted to Represent Parties in Binding Arbitrations?," Lawyer Magazine, Hillsborough County Bar Association, February 2008
  • Co-Author, “Appealing Arbitration Decisions — Look Before You Leap,” Lawyer Magazine, Hillsborough County Bar Association, June 2007
  • Co-Author, “A Practitioner’s Introduction to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” The Florida Bar Journal, December 1989
• Presentations & Seminars
  • "Ethically & Effectively Cooperating in Securities Litigation," Hillsborough County Bar Association, Securities Law CLE, March 28, 2019
  • "Securities Arbitration and How It Differs From The Litigation Process," Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc., Tampa, Florida, April 3, 2018
  • "Drafting ADR Provisions in Commercial Contracts," Emory Law School Guest Lecture, Atlanta, Georgia, November 9, 2017
  • "FINRA Arbitration," Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association’s (PIABA) 26th Annual Meeting and Securities Law Seminar, Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 21, 2017
  • "Best Trial Practices In A Final Hearing," 2015 Annual Meeting, Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, October 22-24, 2015
  • "Who is a Customer?" Industry Panel Event, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and Florida Securities Dealers Association, St. Petersburg, Florida, May 1, 2015
  • "Social Media Challenges," 24th Annual Securities Compliance Seminar, Financial Markets Association, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, April 22-24, 2015
  • "Securities Litigation," SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. Financial Advisors Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, November 11, 2013
  • “Doing Good Business,” PWM Wealth Conference, Orlando, Florida, September 29 – October 1, 2013
  • "Non-Traditional Customers in FINRA Arbitrations," SIFMA Compliance and Legal Division Annual Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, 2013
  • "Regulatory and Legal Update," STIS Tampa Region P2W FA, Tampa, Florida, June 15, 2011