Scott Petersen is a litigation attorney with extensive experience in contracts, real estate, construction and probate matters. Mr. Petersen has conducted jury and court trials in commercial, real estate and eminent domain matters. He has written and argued appeals on behalf of his clients in both real estate and probate matters. As a litigator, his goal is to identify, analyze and quickly resolve issues for clients in all phases of litigation, including:
- review of current and prospective contracts to avoid litigation in the future
- pre-litigation advice and counseling
- alternative dispute resolution such as mediation or arbitration
- litigation in state or federal trial or appellate courts
Mr. Petersen also has experience representing governmental agencies; first, as a Deputy District Attorney where he conducted 60+ jury trials as well as hundreds of court trials, preliminary hearings, appeals and motions, and as an Assistant City Attorney where he handled all litigation matters on behalf of the city. Mr. Petersen was appointed a Special Investigator by the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, where he handled conflict cases for the Office of Lawyer Regulation investigating citizen complaints of lawyer misconduct.
In private practice, Mr. Petersen has conducted jury trials, court trials, conducted mediations and arbitrations and argued appeals on behalf of a wide range of commercial and governmental entities.
Mr. Petersen has:
- Successfully represented a major direct marketing company in a suit brought by the government for alleged consumer protection violations
- Represented a national oil company in a suit brought for alleged violations of air quality regulations
- Successfully represented the head of a state political party in an investigation of alleged violations of state election laws
- Obtained a jury verdict for a developer of a Sarasota condominium against buyers who asserted ILSA and breach of contract claims in an attempt to back out of their purchase agreement
- Obtained a verdict for the Manatee County School Board in a eminent domain case
- Obtained the largest award of judicial sanctions in the State of Florida against a foreclosure mill for violations of court orders
- Successfully represented a large master condominium association and its subassociations in litigation regarding a manager who embezzled over $1 million over a period of several years
While in private practice, Mr. Petersen also taught law school students in legal research and writing.
Activities, Memberships and Awards
A graduate of Leadership Sarasota County, Class of 2008, Mr. Petersen has become an active member of the community. He is the Past Chair of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Corporate Board, a member of the Florida Bar Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee and a member of the Sarasota County Bar Association Board of Directors. He participates in the Supreme Court of Florida's Justice Teaching Program at Booker Middle School in Sarasota. Mr. Petersen is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and was rated "superb" by Avvo Ratings, an online lawyer listing that rates and profiles attorneys.
Publications
“The Punishment Need Not Fit the Crime: Hamelin v. Michigan and the Eighth Amendment," 200 Pepp. L.R. 747 (1993)