Adrian P. Thomas

Bar / Professional Activity

• The Florida Bar, 1993
• The Stephen R. Booher American Inn of Court, Member
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 1994
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, 1995
• Broward County Bar Association
• American Bar Association (Member)
• Estate Planning Council of Broward County, Member

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• $50 Million Dollars - Trust Litigation. Case involving litigation related to a major change to estate plan orchestrated by decedent’s long-time employees who actively isolated decedent from his wife, fired decedent’s long-time estate planning attorney, and retained new attorneys to make them the primary beneficiaries of decedent’s trust. Decedent was 98 years old and suffering from dementia at the time the employees had him execute five documents over a period of 19 days.
• $6,000,000 – Trust Litigation. Case involving major change to estate plan orchestrated by lawyer seeking to benefit his own relationship with banking institution to the detriment of decedent’s family members. Changes were made to a trust by the lawyer at a time when the settlor was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
• $6,100,000 – Trust Litigation. Case involving challenge to the validity of several trust amendments procured by the decedent’s son effectively disinheriting the decedent’s other children. The initial challenge to these trust amendments was brought in the decedent’s guardianship proceeding wherein the court found that the decedent lacked capacity. The litigation continued post death and resulted in Plaintiffs receiving all the assets to which they were entitled before the undue influence.
• $6,500,000 – Trust Litigation. Case involving major change to estate plan orchestrated by family member seeking to install himself as a fiduciary for ongoing fees. 
• $8.3 Million Dollars – Will Contest, Trust Contest, and Tortious Interference. The case involving a challenge to a charitable trust created by decedent’s CPA and estate planning attorney that diverted the decedent’s entire gross estate to that trust and installed the CPA and attorney as the fiduciaries thereby securing a lifetime “annuity” of fees. The charitable trust also permitted the CPA and drafting attorney to name anyone – including their family members – to succeed them as fiduciaries.
• $15 Million Dollars – Trust Litigation. Case involving litigation related to a major change to estate plan orchestrated by a lawyer who installed himself as a fiduciary in order to be paid fees in perpetuity to the detriment of decedent’s children. Changes were made to the trust by the lawyer at a time when the testator was dying of cancer and heavily medicated.

Educational Background

• University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, Bachelor of Science, Major: Political Science, 1990
• University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, Master of Laws, Major: Estate Planning, 2000

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Schilling v. Herrera, 952 So.2d 1231 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)
• ActionLine, Volume XXVIII, No. 4, Summer 2007, The Right to Know: Advice Regarding Notice of Probate to Disinherited Relatives.
• ActionLine, Volume XXXX, No. 2, Winter 2018-2019, Death Probate and Due Process: Do the Notice Requirements Under the Florida Probate Code and Rules Pass Constitutional Muster?
• Featured Speaker, Lorman Education Services, Continuing Legal Education, September 2005: Litigation of Estates, Trusts and Guardianships in Florida Seminar, Rights of the Surviving Spouse.
• Featured Speaker, National Business Institute, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, June 2006: Estate Administration Procedures: Why Each Step is Important, Foundations of Estate Administration Defined.
• Featured Speaker, National Business Institute, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, December 2006: The Probate Process from Start to Finish, Litigating the Case in Probate Court.
• Featured Speaker, National Business Institute, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, January 2007: The Probate Process from Start to Finish for Paralegals.
• Featured Speaker, Broward County Guardianship Association, March 2007.
• Featured Speaker, National Business Institute, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, September 2008: Estate Administration Procedures: Why Each Step is Important, Foundations of Estate Administration Defined.
• Featured Speaker, Brevard Estate Planning Council, Celebrity Estate Plans-Trials and Triumphs, September 2009: The Importance of Probate Counsel: Lessons Learned from Celebrities’ Probate Problems.
• Featured Speaker, National Business Institute, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, December 8-10, 2010: The Probate Process from Start to Finish: Administering the Estate Effectively and Managing the Inventory.
• Gossett v. Gossett, 182 So. 3d 694 (Fla. 4th DCA 2015)
• Woodward v. Woodward, 192 So.3d 528 (Fla. 4th DCA 2016)

Honors

• Highest “AV-Preeminent” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, 2004
• The National Advocates, Top 100 Lawyers
• South Florida’s Top-Rated Lawyers
• Forbes Florida Legal, 2012
• Legal Leaders, Top-Rated Lawyers, 2018-2025
• Top-Rated Lawyer by the Daily Business Review, 2021
• Avvo Top-Rated Lawyer, 2024
• Florida Super Lawyers, 2025
• Super Lawyers, 2026
• Mr. Thomas received the “AV Preeminent Attorney” rating by Martindale-Hubbell signifying the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards., 2014
• “10 - Superb” rating on Avvo
• Holds a Platinum Client Champion badge for his impeccable client service
•  Mr. Thomas has also been selected as one of Florida’s Legal Elite by Florida Trend Magazine in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014.
• The American Lawyer, 2012
• Lawyers of Distinction, 2018-2025

Awards

---

Avvo Client's Choice Award: This award is granted to attorneys with at least 5 reviews with 4+ stars in a given year on Avvo.com

---

Silver: This award is granted to attorneys who have received at least 3 client reviews, and have an average review score of 4.0 or higher.

---

AV Preeminent®: This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.

Industry Groups

• Estate And Probate Litigation
• Trust