Keith Haymes has served South Florida and global communities with a dedication to civil rights enforcement, catastrophic injury recovery, and business and media law, having fully devoted himself in these practice areas, as commenced in 1983. Upon taking over 100 trials to verdict in the 1980’s, he cemented his place as a trial attorney of preeminence as recognized by Martindale Hubbell and confirmed by his peers. He has numerous highest-award verdicts and settlements to his credit, by category, though has also taken on situations of special public importance where the issues were more about fairness than finances. He is seen as a much-valued litigation innovator for matters involving discrimination, excessive force, accident reconstruction, commercial disputes, consumer protection, class actions and all aspects of entertainment law. His devotion to the profession and community includes extensive bar involvement, committee chair work, editorial board service, speaker’s bureau certification, extensive public speaking, media advisement, moot court judging, governmental consulting, public health missions, critical relief programs and essential children’s causes.
Keith has successfully served as litigation counsel in cases involving: airplane disasters, railway catastrophes, truck, automobile, motorcycle and jetski fatalities, medical malpractice and nursing home negligence deaths, premises liability suits involving shooting deaths in nightclubs, condominium complexes and shopping malls, police shootings where the wrongful death decedent was unarmed, business controversies where all stakes were on the line, employment actions where millions in earned monies were denied to an exiting executive, represented a large group of families who alleged child abuse by a caretaking offender, co-represented the certified class in nationwide harmful drug litigation, secured the then-largest ever recovery from the USDA over a mass-taking of exotic animals, represented dozens of the most prolific entertainers in film, television, music and new media, and served as lead counsel in thousands of other matters.
University of Miami School of Law
Juris Doctor Degree 1983
University of Miami, College of Arts & Sciences
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), 1979
Communications and Film
Political Science, Minor
Honors: Cum Laude
Honor Society: Alpha Epsilon Rho
The Florida Bar Trial Lawyers, Business, Entertainment, Sports & Appellate Sections
United States District Court, Southern Dist. of Florida – Trial Bar
United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
United States District Court, Northern District of Florida Pro Hac Vice
United States Court Appeals – Eleventh Circuit
Superior Court of Fulton County (Atlanta, Georgia) Pro Hac Vice
United States Tax Court
Commercial Law Section, The Florida Bar
Chair, Committee Service
Florida Bar Journal, Editorial Board
1999-2003
Florida Bar Media & Communications Law
Committee, 1995-1996
Florida Bar Aviation Law
Committee, 1997-1998
Florida Bar Computer Law
Committee, 2000-2002
Dade County Bar Association
Civil Litigation Committee, 1997-1998
Speaker’s Bureau, The Florida Bar
Fla. Bar Recognized, Present
AV Rated, Martindale Hubbell
Preeminent Rating, 1983-Present
American Bar Association
American Association for Justice
Academy of Trial Lawyers of America
Florida Justice Association
Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
Civil Justice Foundation, Founding Member
Cuban American Bar Association
NACDL
