Tom Seider
Tom Seider is board certified in appellate practice—a distinction achieved by fewer than one percent of all Florida lawyers. Tom handles appeals of all types, from personal injury cases to complex commercial disputes. Tom has successfully defended multi-million-dollar verdicts on appeal and has earned reversals of orders entered in favor of major corporations. In 2018, he argued and won two cases at the Florida Supreme Court.
Tom chairs the Florida Justice Association’s Appellate Practice Section, and he is a recipient of the Florida Justice Association’s prestigious S. Victor Tipton Award for superior achievement in legal writing. Tom is also active in the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section: he is Chair of the Pro Bono Committee, sits on the Executive Council, and is a past Chair of the Publications Committee. In 2022, the Florida Supreme Court appointed Tom to serve a three-year term on the Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases. Tom has been recognized as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star,” a Chambers USA “Up and Comer,” and a Best Lawyers “One to Watch.” Tom is a frequent writer and lecturer on appellate topics. Before joining Brannock Berman & Seider, Tom was an associate at Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney, P.C. (formerly Fowler White Boggs, P.A.), where he served on the Writing Committee.
Tom lives in Tampa with his wife—also an appellate lawyer—who he met while attending law school at the University of Virginia. They have two children. Tom enjoys reading and cooking in his spare time.
Education
- University of Florida, B.A., with honors
- Phi Beta Kappa
- University of Virginia School of Law, J.D.
- Dean’s Scholarship
Certifications and Bar Admissions
- Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Appellate Practice
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
- All Florida Courts
Honors and Distinctions
- Florida Justice Association’s S. Victor Tipton Award, 2022
- Florida Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2013-2023
- Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, Up and Comers, 2015 & 2018 & 2020
- The Best Lawyers in America©, Appellate Practice, 2024
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™, Appellate Practice, 2021-2023
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2022 & 2023
- Chambers USA, Up and Coming, 2023
- The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Florida Member
Professional Associations
- Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases
- Chair of the Defamation Subcommittee
- Former Reporter for the Committee
- Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar
- Co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee
- Member of the Executive Council
- Former Chair of the Publications Committee
- Florida Justice Association
- Chair of the Appellate Practice Section
- EAGLE Member
- Hillsborough County Bar Association
- Appellate Practice Section
- Former Chair of the Section
- Former Chair of the Section’s Pro Bono Subcommittee
- Appellate Practice Section
- American Association for Justice
- Appellate Litigation Group
- National Civil Justice Institute, Fellow
- Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar
- Florida Supreme Court Historical Society
- Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Historical Society
- Manasota Trial Lawyers Board
- Second District Court of Appeal Historical Society
- Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association
- Southern Trial Lawyers Association
Lectures
- “Brief Writing: All the Stuff You Never Realized You Didn’t Know,” Florida Justice Association’s Annual Convention (June 16, 2022)
- “Making Your Record Before, During, and After Trial,” Florida Justice Association’s Annual Convention (June 25, 2020)
- “Jury Instructions, Verdict Forms, Jury Questions and Conduct, and Jury Verdicts,” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s Art of Objecting Seminar (June 5, 2019)
- “Location, Location, Location—Where to Litigate and Related Ethical Issues,” Cheatwood Inn Of Court (January 8, 2019)
- “The Dos and Don’ts of Oral Argument: An Interactive Discussion with a Judicial Panel from the Second District Court of Appeal,” Moderator, The Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section CLE (October 17, 2018)
- “A View Towards the Bench—Appellate,” Moderator, HCBA 2017 Bench Bar Conference (October 25, 2017)
- “Sweating the Small Stuff: A Debate Over The Little Things That Can Make Your Good Appeal Great,” The Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section CLE: An Appellate Medley: Diverse Perspectives on Appellate Advocacy (April 5, 2017)
Publications
- “The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s Art of Objecting Seminar,” Published Materials, Co-Author, June 5, 2019
- “A Voice For Children in Need: Volunteer for a Guardian Ad Litem Appeal,” 29 Lawyer (Hillsborough County Bar Association) 26, September/October 2018
- “Challenging the Challenge: How Florida Law Protects Against Discriminatory Peremptories,” Journal (Florida Justice Association) #603, July/August 2018
- “Saying the Magic Words: Protecting Your Cause Challenges by Asking the Right Questions,” Journal (Florida Justice Association) #596, May/June 2017
- “Appealing Post-Judgment Orders: The Path to Appellate Review Under the New Rule 9.130(a)(4),” 89 Florida Bar Journal 42, October 2015
- “Investing in State Tax Liens: Understanding the Mechanics of Acquisition,” Co-Author, The Journal of Corporate Renewal, Vol. 24, No. 4, May 2011
- “Administrative Freezes Unfrozen: In re Young as Validation of Automatic Holds on the Bank Accounts of Chapter 7 Debtors,” The Cramdown (Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association), Winter 2011
- “One is the Loneliest Number: Olmstead Diminishes Refuge in the Single-Member LLC,” The Cramdown (Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association), Fall 2010
Oral Argument Links
Latest News
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Brannock Berman & Seider Wins Punitive Damages Appeal
The Second District Court of Appeal affirmed a Pinellas County trial judge’s order authorizing Brannock Berman & Seider’s client to
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Brannock Berman & Seider Defeats Certiorari Bid
In an unelaborated order, the Second District Court of Appeal soundly rejected an attempt by Carrabba’s Italian Grill and its
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Brannock Berman & Seider Again Recognized as One of Tampa’s Best Law Firms
The firm has received the highest “Tier 1” designation for appellate practice, commercial litigation, and personal injury litigation (plaintiffs) in
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Brannock Berman & Seider Defends Multimillion-Dollar Jury Verdict
The Sixth District Court of Appeal sided with Brannock Berman & Seider’s arguments on behalf of a plaintiff who was
