Tara McDonald is a Partner in Boyd & Jenerette’s Appellate and Trial Support Practice Group, focusing on civil appeals, first-party insurance coverage, complex litigation, and strategic trial support. With more than 30 years of legal experience, Ms. McDonald focuses her practice on appellate advocacy, trial support, insurance coverage disputes, complex civil litigation, and strategic litigation management. She has represented insurers, businesses, and individuals in state and federal courts throughout her career, managing appeals from case evaluation through oral argument. Securing numerous favorable results, she has prepared briefs, developed strategy, and presented oral arguments before Florida appellate courts in matters involving property insurance, business disputes, foreclosure, and complex civil litigation.

Before joining Boyd & Jenerette, Ms. McDonald served as Managing Attorney for a Florida property insurer. In this role, she was responsible for litigation and appellate matters statewide while supervising internal attorneys and support staff. She played a key role in developing corporate litigation strategy, implementing legislative changes, and managing high-exposure claims through trial and appeal.

Earlier in her career, Ms. McDonald practiced in insurance coverage and appellate litigation with a prominent Tampa law firm and worked in complex commercial and reinsurance litigation in New York. She also served as a Staff Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, where she conducted extensive legal research and drafted orders and final judgments for civil circuit court judges. These experiences provide her with a deep understanding of judicial decision-making and appellate review. This unique, inside-the-courtroom insight allows her to provide premier trial support—partnering with trial teams to design ironclad strategic motions, identify legal errors, and preserve the record to position cases optimally for appeal.

In her free time, Tara is an avid reader, equestrian and outdoor enthusiast who enjoys horseback riding, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling.

Admissions

• Florida 1995
• New York 1992
• United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
• United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
• United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
• United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida
• United States Immigration Court