Experienced Litigator and Trusted Professional

John Adams is an experienced litigator offering a rare blend of litigation experience and tax and estate knowledge. With over two decades of experience as an attorney representing clients with business and civil litigation matters, trust and estate litigation, and probate administration, John offers clients a thorough understanding of Florida law and the ability to evaluate complex challenges to help clients make informed decisions about the best path forward.

John is board-certified by the Florida Bar in both Civil Trial and Business Litigation, a distinction held by fewer than 70 of the Florida Bar’s more than 112,000 members.

A Litigation Background Built For Success

As a litigator, John’s practice areas include real estate, business, contract, commercial, trusts and estates and probate litigation. John has tried cases before both judges and juries in state and federal courts, as well as the U.S. Tax Court and various U.S. Bankruptcy Courts. John’s litigation experience allows him to allows him to effectively represent individuals and companies in complicated and high-stakes disputes. From multiple perspectives and develop legal strategies uniquely tailored to his clients’ exact needs.

Among John’s litigation successes are:

  • Successfully representing numerous individuals in probate litigation.
  • Representing a widow in recovery of homestead property unlawfully transferred without the widow’s consent.
  • Obtaining a 3.3 million dollar jury award on behalf of a small business in a dispute over the existence and breach of a partnership agreement;
  • Representing a real estate investor in recovering more than 5 million in real estate and other assets fraudulently transferred;
  • Achieving a court ruling on behalf of a judgment creditor that enabled the collection of a debt exceeding 1 million dollars;
  • Representing a secured creditor in foreclosure proceedings, achieving the foreclosure of a 40 million dollar collateralized loan.
  • Reducing a client’s tax liability from over 32 million dollars to approximately 3.8 million as part of ongoing litigation proceedings before the Bankruptcy Court and U.S. Tax Court;
  • Obtaining a jury verdict in Federal Court under Florida’s slayer statute on behalf of nine individuals in a civil case arising from their sister’s murder; and
  • Securing a $350,000 jury verdict on behalf of a 100% disabled veteran against a landlord who denied the veteran the right to have a service dog in his rental property.

John has been as a Florida Super Lawyer every year since 2016 and was recently recognized as one of Inweekly’s Top 35 on its 2026 Power List.

A Trusted Financial and Tax Advisor

In addition to his litigation work, John also provides strategic counsel on a wide range of financial and tax matters, including real estate and business transactions, trust matters, probate matters, and guardianship proceedings. As a licensed CPA (inactive) with an LL.M in taxation from New York University School of Law, John provides clients with insights into the tax impacts of their legal and business decisions and offers a comprehensive approach to evaluating business and financial challenges.

John has served as a personal representative and curator in a number of complex estates. John has also represented trustees and personal representatives of a number of large taxable estates.

Community Involvement

John has served as legal counsel for a number of non-profit organizations across the Florida Panhandle including Keep Santa Rosa Beautiful, Inc., and Gulf Coast Kids House. John has also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Legal Studies Program at the University of West Florida.

As an experienced, practical litigator, John helps clients achieve their objectives though his knowledge of the law and his litigation experience.  For more information, contact John Today.