Boyd & Jenerette is pleased to announce that Kevin D. Franz has earned Board Certification in Appellate Practice from The Florida Bar.

“Only 196 of the more than 100,000 members of The Florida Bar are board certified in appellate practice,” said shareholder and appellate practice leader Kansas Gooden, who is also board certified in appellate practice by The Florida Bar. “We are very proud that Kevin completed the challenging board certification process to achieve recognition as an expert in appellate law.”

Certification represents the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of an attorney in the designated area. Board certification provides an objective measure that a potential client can rely upon when selecting a lawyer.

Appellate practice deals with the recognition and preservation of error committed by lower tribunals, and the presentation of argument concerning the presence or absence of such error to state or federal appellate courts through brief writing, writ and motion practice and oral argument.

Standards for appellate practice certification in Florida include the handling of at least 25 appellate actions and five appellate oral arguments during the five years immediately preceding application, as well as a minimum of 45 hours of approved appellate practice certification continuing legal education in the three years immediately preceding application. Mr. Franz also completed a peer review and a written examination as part of the certification process.

About Kevin D. Franz:

Kevin Franz is part of the firm’s Appellate Practice division. He has received the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent^® Peer Review Rating and has more than 10 years of experience handling all types of civil appellate proceedings. Mr. Franz has handled appeals and petitions in all five District Courts of Appeal for the State of Florida and the Supreme Court of Florida, argued before all five District Courts of Appeal, and handled appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Mr. Franz also has extensive experience in litigating and arbitrating maritime law disputes involving the cruise line industry under both the U.S. General Maritime Law and Bahamian Law.

He received his B.S. from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2001, and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 2005. He then clerked for the Honorable E. Allen Shepherd in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland before beginning his career in insurance defense with an emphasis on litigation support and appellate practice.

Mr. Franz is admitted to practice in Florida, the three U.S. District Courts located in Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He currently serves as a member of The Florida Bar’s Professional Ethics Committee, where his term runs through June 30, 2021.