Attorneys | John L. Urban

Curriculum Vita of John L. Urban

John L. Urban is a shareholder in Urban & Thier, P.A. He is based in the Orlando office and his practice focuses primarily on civil litigation in the areas of business and contract disputes, commercial law, collections, domestication and enforcement of foreign judgments, international law, real estate and probate, as well as transactional matters. Mr. Urban was formerly an associate attorney with the law firms of Stack Fernandez Anderson & Harris, P.A. and Stephens Lynn Klein La Cava Hoffman & Puya, P.A., in Miami, Florida. He is a litigation attorney, concentrating his practice in domestic and international commercial and civil matters, business torts and disputes, complex commercial litigation, Uniform Commercial Code issues, real estate law, products liability, creditor's rights and appellate matters.

Mr. Urban is a member of the Florida Bar, the State Bar of Georgia, and the bars of the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida, and the bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

EDUCATION

University of Miami
   School of Law; Coral Gables, Florida
   J.D. (Juris Doctor)
   conferred May 1999, with Honors (cum laude)

University of West Florida
   College of Business; Pensacola, Florida
   M.B.A. (Master in Business Administration)
   conferred December 1994, with High Honors (magna cum laude)

Ithaca College
   School of Business; Ithaca, New York
   B.S. (Bachelor of Science in International Business)
   conferred May 1991

EMPLOYMENT

Shareholder, Urban & Thier, P.A.
   Orlando, Florida, July 2005 - Present

Associate, Stack Fernandez Anderson & Harris, P.A.
   Miami, Florida, February 2002 – July 2005

Associate, Stephens Lynn Klein La Cava Hoffman & Puya, P.A.
   (formerly/merged with Martens Dunaj Marlowe Davis & Marlowe, P.A.)
   Miami, Florida, August 1999 – February 2002

Law Clerk, Barry S. Franklin & Associates, P.A.
   Miami, Florida, May 1998 - June 1999

Law Clerk, the Honorable Sandy S. Karlan, Circuit Court Judge
   Miami, Florida, January 1998 – April 1998

Intern, Deutsche Shell AG (Shell Oil Germany)
   Hamburg, Germany, May 1997 – August 1997
   - Marketing and Production Department

Captain, United States Air Force
   Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, November 1991 – August 1996
   - Squadron Section Commander, 40th Flight Test Squadron, 1993 - 1996
      -- Second in command (Assistant Director) of 400 military and civilian personnel organization
   - Squadron Executive Officer, 46th Component Repair Squadron, 1992 - 1993
      -- Administrator for a squadron with 385 military and civilian personnel
   - Commander's Action Group, 3200th Support Wing, 1991 - 1992
      -- Assisted in directing the planning and execution of major exercises involving all units and personnel of the world's largest air force base

Intern, Otto Versand (German multinational corporation)
   Hamburg, Germany, September 1991 – November 1991
   - International Marketing Department

EDUCATIONAL HONORS

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review
Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity
Recipient, CALI Excellence for the Future Award
International Moot Court Board
Dean's List
Graduate Fellowship

ORGANIZATIONS and MEMBERSHIPS

Admitted, Florida Bar, 1999
Admitted, State Bar of Georgia 2000
Admitted, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Admitted, Bars for the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida
Member, American Bar Association
Member, American Bar Association International Law Section
Member, Florida Bar Business Law Section

TRIAL EXPERIENCE

1.Youssef v. Abbas, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Orange County, Florida, Case Number 2006-CA-00842. Lead counsel in bench trial representing New Jersey plaintiff who co-owned real property in Florida with former wife, who continued to reside in the property. After extensive litigation and multiple amended counterclaims by defendant, court ruled in favor of plaintiff/client, entering final judgment for partition and forced sale of the real property.

2.Devoogel v. Petit, County Court in and for Orange County, Florida, Case Number 2005-SC-9561. Lead counsel in bench trial representing defendant who retained plaintiff's earnest money deposit for purchase of real estate. Even though plaintiff never signed a contract and never agreed that defendant could keep deposit if purchase was not completed, court ruled in favor of defendant/client, allowing client to retain the entire deposit.

3.Zimmerman v. Sunset Rugs & Antiques, Inc. and Amini, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Dade County, Florida, Case Number 2003-12762-CA-01. Lead counsel in bench trial of case involving representation of plaintiff suing for breach of contract and conversion to recover goods consigned to defendant corporation. Final judgment entered in favor of plaintiff/client on all counts against corporation and owner/officer, jointly and severally. Court also awarded fees and costs pursuant to offer of judgment statute.

4.Cushman Wakefield v. Paper et al, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Dade County, Florida, Case Number 1998-29051-CA-01. One week jury trial involving representation of plaintiff/multinational real estate services firm against defendants building owner and building tenant for breach of brokerage agreement. Jury verdict rendered in favor of plaintiff/client and against building owner.

5.American Express v. Alvarez, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Dade County, Florida, Case Number 2000-18482-CA-01. Lead counsel in bench trial of case involving client who was indebted to American Express in excess of $100,000.00. Case involved unique fact pattern in that client had used personal AmEx card to finance business transaction and had returned majority of goods to vendor.

6.Parish v. Wells Fargo Armored Services Corp., Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Dade County, Florida, Case Number 1998-23750-CA-01. Two day jury trial involving security services client whose armored car lost all power while exiting highway and collided with plaintiff's automobile. Plaintiff, who had rejected client's offer of judgment and made own demand for judgment, sought damages for permanent injuries. Jury rendered verdict in favor of Plaintiff in amount insufficient to trigger attorney fee liability.

7.Frankl v. Burke, County Court in and for Dade County, Florida, 2000. Lead counsel in bench trial representing doctor in suit to recover money for medical services rendered pursuant to a letter of protection signed by an attorney. Case involved extensive expert witness testimony.

OTHER REPRESENTATIVE LITIGATION

1. Pistner v. SBI Consult GmbH, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Orange County, Florida, Case Number 2007-CA-06791. Domesticated multiple German judgments in Florida court and then enforced same by seizing assets of the defendant being held by an investment company in Florida.

2. Zwebner, Universal Communication Systems, Inc., & Airwater Corporation v. Coughlin, Case No. 05-20168-CIV-COOKE (S. D. Fla. 2005) Represented California defendant sued in the Southern District of Florida. Secured final judgment and order of dismissal of case in favor of defendant/client on personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction and venue grounds. Also defeated plaintiff's motion for reconsideration of final judgment and order of dismissal.

3. Daghofer v. Daghofer (Fla. 4th DCA 2003) Domesticated and enforced Austrian judgments in Florida and prepared Fourth District Court of Appeals initial appellate brief. Former husband and wife were involved in litigation initiated by the former wife in Austria. After unfavorable developments in Austria, the former wife brought a second action in Florida in an attempt to forum shop and litigates the same issues pending and/or adjudicated before the Austrian court. Case involved German and English documents as well as a complex procedural history.

4. Bio-Med Plus, Inc. v. Shea, 827 So.2d 260 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002) Prepared answer brief and conducted oral argument before three judge panel of Third District Court of Appeals. Case involved plaintiff who appealed dismissal with prejudice of its third amended complaint, which was its fourth attempt to state a cause of action against three officers of bankrupt corporation. The appellate court PCA affirmed the lower court's dismissal of all defendants/clients and denied the appellant's subsequent motions for reconsideration and rehearing en banc.

5. Armindo v. Padlocker, Inc., 209 F.3d 1319 (11th Cir. 2000) Prepared Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals answer brief. Case involved a pregnant, female, African-American who was terminated from her employment shortly after expiration of her probationary period. The appellate court affirmed the dismissal with a written opinion.

6. McKesson Corporation v.Wells Fargo Alarm Services, Inc. and Securtek Plus, Inc., in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in and for Duval County, Florida. Case involved a lawsuit brought by a pharmaceutical company to recover $500,000.00 in damages for pharmaceuticals spoiled when the company's refrigeration system malfunctioned and the rising temperature was not reported by the alarm services company contracted to continuously monitor the refrigeration system. Prepared motion for summary judgment as to client/defendant alarm services company based upon contractual language contained in the parties' alarm services contract. Despite the fact that the alarm company had negligently handled the refrigeration alarm, the court entered summary judgment in favor of the defendant/client.

rev. 10/8/2007