John Benford is an accomplished litigator who concentrates his practice in the area of commercial and business disputes. John has practiced throughout the state of Florida for more than 25 years, representing clients in a range of commercial and business disputes, including business torts, unfair competition, shareholder disputes, securities litigation, various commercial real estate disputes, professional liability, breach of contract, class action lawsuits, insurance coverage and other matters. He has obtained numerous successful results at trial, pre-trial and through settlement as well as through the use of alternative dispute resolution methods.
During his career as a litigator, John has successfully defended and protected clients from unjust or excessive liability and obtained significant recoveries and relief for clients. His clientele represent a broad range of industries and businesses of all sizes, and he is familiar with matters pertaining to the real estate, technology, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
A consummate professional with an abiding dedication to the law, John puts the client first, providing an aggressive defense that parallels the client’s objectives in the matter and respects the bottom line. While experienced in litigation and trial work, John prides himself in counseling clients on how best to avoid and resolve lawsuits.
Prior to starting his own practice, John worked for several prominent law firms, including one of the largest firms in the United States. He speaks often on professionalism and ethics at local law schools and bar organization seminars. John also has received numerous awards for his pro bono services to members of Central Florida's indigent community.
Representative Matters
Represents shareholders of corporations in the prosecution and defense of various disputes, including shareholder derivative actions, shareholder oppression, misappropriation of assets, corporate fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, securities fraud and disputes involving securities.
Business torts, including unfair competition, tortious interference, defamation, civil fraud and deceit, civil theft, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, deceptive and unfair trade practices, civil RICO and fraudulent transfers.
Unfair competition−related disputes, including misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of noncompetition agreements, and defamation.
Intellectual property litigation, including trade secret, patent, copyright and trademark disputes.
Breach of contract actions, including contracts involving the sale of goods, services, insurance and intellectual property.
Securities litigation, including fraudulent sale of securities, shareholder derivative actions, security industry professionals, FINRA disputes and SEC investigations.
Real estate litigation, including disputes arising from the sale of real estate, commercial real estate foreclosure, lender liability, fraudulent real estate sales, land use, commercial landlord/ tenant disputes and construction litigation.
White collar crimes, including securities and investment fraud, banking and mortgage fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, and consumer-related crimes.