Tampa, Florida
Whether you need to file suit or defend one, you need business litigators who have already won this fight.
A partner turning hostile. A contract broken. A competitor poaching your people. A lawsuit already served on you. Lieser Skaff’s Tampa business litigation attorneys represent plaintiffs and defendants alike, big-firm trial skill with the responsiveness of a firm that answers the phone.
- ✓Litigators trained at some of Florida’s largest firms
- ✓Florida Supreme Court certified circuit civil mediator on your side of the table
- ✓State court, federal court, appeals, collections and post-judgment
- ✓Every client communication answered within 24 hours
Request a confidential consultation
Tell us what happened. A senior attorney reviews every inquiry, usually the same business day.
A business dispute doesn’t stay a legal problem for long
It becomes payroll you’re not sure you can make, a partner you can’t look at, customers who hear rumors, and nights you don’t sleep, whether you are the one bringing the claim or the one answering it. Failing to address a dispute early can mean lost revenue or a costly judgment.
The clock is not on your side
Florida’s new rules of civil procedure require early disclosures and mandatory case management orders. Passive strategy is no longer an option, the first 30 days shape the case.
The other side may be bigger
Opposing counsel is counting on you blinking at the cost. Our clients have gone up against Goliaths, and we’ve worked hundreds of hours to make sure size didn’t decide the outcome.
You can’t afford a bad fit
Too big and you’re a file number with a bill to match. Too small and the resources aren’t there. You need the firm in between, and you need to know that before you sign.
We’ve been the client too. That’s why we run cases this way.
Although we pursue every possible avenue to help clients avoid litigation and stay out of court, situations arise when you must defend a position or file suit. In those instances our Tampa business litigation attorneys bring the skill needed to provide aggressive and honorable representation, in pretrial, trial, appellate and post-judgment proceedings, in state and federal court.
Our litigators came from some of Florida’s largest firms. Paired with a small-firm emphasis on client satisfaction, that means high-value service for businesses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and throughout the state.
Three steps from where you are to resolved
No mystery, no runaround. Here is exactly what working with us looks like.
Tell us what happened
Call or send the form. A senior attorney reviews your matter, tells you candidly whether you have a case, and explains the factors that will drive cost and timeline.
We pursue leverage before litigation
Usually a demand letter and hard negotiation first. Most cases settle before trial, and a settlement reached early is the cheapest win available to you.
If they won’t be reasonable, we try it
When settlement becomes impossible, we take it to court: pretrial, trial, appeal, and collection on the judgment if that’s what it takes.
You are hiring a firm you have not met yet. Here is what to insist on.
Most of our clients come from the Tampa Bay area: businesses in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties who found us the same way you did. Whatever you are comparing right now, these are the four things that separate a firm that will handle your dispute well from one that will simply bill you.
- ·
A named senior attorney, not a rotating cast. One of our senior attorneys oversees, if not directly handles, your case. Associates handle what they should, at a lower rate that keeps your costs down.
- ·
Access without the runaround. Phone, email, Zoom, or in person at our Howard Avenue office, whatever is convenient, with a 24-hour response standard.
- ·
Local knowledge you can’t buy from a distance. Hillsborough and Pinellas judges, local rules, opposing counsel, and the Middle District of Florida. We are in these courthouses every week.
- ·
Billing you can audit. Time in 1/10th-hour increments, transparent retainers ($5,000 minimum for litigation, $2,500 non-litigation), and a candid conversation about what drives cost.
Business Litigation Practice Areas
If your dispute is on this list, we have tried it, settled it, or defended it before.
Contract Disputes
Disputes arise either because a party failed to live up to their obligations, causing financial harm, or because ambiguous contract language leaves the parties disagreeing over how to interpret it.
Business & Corporate Disputes
Failing to properly address a dispute early can mean lost revenue or costly judgments. Getting an experienced attorney on board early dramatically increases the odds of resolving it without contentious litigation.
Partnership Disputes
Even with a formal partnership agreement, disagreements over assets, resources, and business opportunities happen. Left unresolved, they lead to lost profits, reputational harm, and the destruction of the partnership.
Non-Compete, Non-Solicit & Trade Secrets
Florida enforces these agreements when reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest with reasonable time and geographic limits. We enforce them and defend against them.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Directors and officers can be liable for breaching duties owed to shareholders and the corporation, though the Business Judgment Rule shields most decisions, but there are limits: improper personal benefit, willful misconduct, and self-dealing can overcome it.
Derivative Actions
A shareholder action brought on behalf of the corporation, most often against a director or officer for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, self-dealing, or other malfeasance that harmed the company.
Contractual Interference
When a third party who is not a party to your contract causes the other side to breach it, Florida law lets you recover, if you can prove awareness, intentional interference, and financial harm.
Unfair Business Practices
FDUTPA protects businesses and consumers from unfair methods of competition and deceptive practices. A successful claim can stop the practice and recover monetary damages.
Trademark & Copyright Infringement
Whether you are enforcing your marks and original works or defending an accusation of infringement, these claims turn on complex law and demand experienced counsel.
Dissolution Actions
Voluntary dissolution done right avoids shareholder liability for unpaid debts. Involuntary dissolution by court order should be avoided whenever possible, it is costly and can destroy asset value.
Consumer & Commercial Collections
Whether you are a creditor pursuing what you are owed or a debtor asserting rights under the FDCPA, FCCPA, or Truth in Lending Act, Florida’s collection rules are unforgiving of mistakes.
Franchise Litigation
Franchise agreement disputes commonly involve alleged non-compete violations, unpaid royalties, or misuse of proprietary information, on either side of the franchisor/franchisee relationship.
Escrow Disputes
When a deal falls through, buyer and seller often fight over earnest money held in escrow. Mediation frequently resolves these disputes without time-consuming, costly litigation.
Accountant Liability
Investors, businesses, and creditors may hold an accountant liable for losses caused by negligence, reasonable reliance on bad work, misrepresentations, or breach of fiduciary duty.
Trust & Probate Litigation
Disputes among beneficiaries, or with an executor or trustee, hold up distributions and can diminish the value of the estate. Will and trust validity challenges can mean protracted litigation.
Motion to Lift Stay
A bankruptcy filing freezes collection. The court can lift the automatic stay when a creditor shows the stay has harmed or will harm their property interests, contractual rights, or legal claims.
Attorney Fees Expert
Fee awards to the prevailing party can become as contentious as the underlying case. An experienced fees expert is often the key to an award that reflects the real time and effort spent.
Construction & Lien Disputes
Tampa Bay contractors, developers, and owners retain us for construction defect claims, payment disputes, and construction liens, on either side of the project.
A Florida Supreme Court certified mediator on your side of the table
As a certified circuit civil mediator, attorney Jeff Lieser brings to every Lieser Skaff case a working knowledge of law and procedure, exceptional negotiation skills, and the ability to spot the opening for resolution before anyone else in the room does.
We use that to increase the odds of an advantageous out-of-court settlement that avoids a costly trial. When settlement isn’t possible, a mediator’s attention to detail and strategic thinking make a favorable result in court more likely.
Meet the founding attorneys at Lieser Skaff
Jeffrey P. Lieser
A co-founder of Lieser Skaff, Jeff concentrates his practice on complex business and real estate litigation. He also serves as class action counsel and as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator, the reason so many of our clients resolve disputes before trial.
From 2017 to 2022 Jeff was named to the Florida Legal Elite roster, a list that includes fewer than 1.5% of active Florida Bar members. He was a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2013 to 2017 and a Super Lawyer from 2021 to 2027, and Florida Trend named him a “Legal Elite, Notable Managing Partner” for 2024, 2025 and 2026. In 2026 he was included in Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation, construction litigation, real estate law and real estate.
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve J.A.G. Corps · University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D.
Ghada Skaff
Ghada is the firm’s business and transactions lawyer and managing partner. She structures the contracts, entities and deals that keep disputes from happening, and when litigation does start, she is the one who knows how the underlying agreement was built.
Ghada was named to the Florida Legal Elite roster and selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2015 to 2020. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2022, and Florida Trend named her a “Legal Elite, Notable Woman Leader of Law” from 2023 through 2026 and a “Legal Elite, Notable Managing Partner” in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Leadership Tampa, Class of 2020 · Recognized by Tampa Style Magazine among Tampa’s top women attorneys
Five-star reviews from business owners and other lawyers
The questions business clients actually ask
Will my case go to trial?
Can you tell me how much my case will cost?
Do you require a retainer?
How do you bill for your services?
Who will work on my case?
How long will my business litigation case take?
Are there alternatives to going to trial?
How will we communicate with each other?
What type of clients do you work with?
Every day you wait, the other side gets a head start.
Send us the short version and we’ll tell you where you stand. If we’re not the right firm for your dispute, we’ll say that too.
Call now, Mon-Fri 8:30am-6:00pm 813-280-1256
403 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33606
Phone 813-280-1256 · Fax 813-251-8715
Tell us about your dispute