Eric N. Appleton

Attorney Eric N. Appleton is a founding partner and member of the Appleton Reiss, PLLC, law firm, which has office locations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida. Serving a diverse range of clients throughout Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and all across the state, Mr. Appleton focuses his practice primarily on business real estate matters and commercial property associations as well as residential condominium and homeowners’ associations.

A highly effective litigation attorney, Mr. Appleton also holds his certification as a Circuit Court and Appellate Court Mediator from the Florida Supreme Court. He has achieved equal success outside the courtroom arbitrating and mediating issues for his corporate clients as well as for association officers, directors and managers. In addition, he has extensive real estate transactional experience along with considerable experience handling matters such as foreclosures, collections, condominium terminations and property damage defect claims.

Widely sought after for his unmatched legal knowledge regarding his practice areas, Mr. Appleton routinely serves as outside counselor to association board members and officers. He has conducted numerous lectures and seminars across his region on a variety of legal topics, and he facilitates certification courses for common interest community leaders.

An Anderson Scholar of Distinction, Mr. Appleton graduated with honors in 1995 from the University of Florida, where he received the Presidential Service Award. He then returned to his alma mater and obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1998. While in law school, he received the University of Florida Alumni Merit Scholarship, and he served as a Certified Legal Intern for the 13th Judicial Circuit's Office of the State Attorney.

The Florida Bar admitted Mr. Appleton to practice in 1999, and he is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Active in his legal community, he is the vice chair of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee for The Florida Bar and member of the organization's Condominium and Planned Development Law and Construction Law Committees.

Mr. Appleton is also the former co-chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association's Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section and a member of the organization's Leadership Institute. Additionally, he is a member of the American Bar Association and then Community Associations Institute's Suncoast Chapter.

Recognized for his professionalism and service, Mr. Appleton has earned consistent recognition from The Best Lawyers in America© since 2016, and Florida Trend Magazine voted him a "Legal Elite" as well as an "Up & Coming Legal Elite."

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