James M. Matulis

A partner at the Tampa, Florida, law firm Matulis Mediation | Arbitration, James M. Matulis is a skilled intellectual property (IP) and business law attorney serving clients since 1996. With a rich background in the area, he provides end-to-end solutions to address his clients’ business law and IP concerns. 

As the name of his firm suggests, Mr. Matulis is a certified state and federal court mediator and arbitrator and is well-versed in resolving matters that involve contract disputes, noncompete agreements, patent and trademark infringements, copyrights, unfair competition, business dissolutions, internet defamation, restrictive covenants as well as those related to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). 

Board-certified as a specialist in IP law by The Florida Bar, Mr. Matulis is rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell for his professional excellence. More than five times, he was selected as the Lawyer of the Year in various IP areas by The Best Lawyers in America. Furthermore, he was named to the Florida Trend magazine's Legal Elite list as well as Tampa Magazine’s Top Lawyers list. He has a “Superb” rating on Avvo.

A graduate of Clemson University, Mr. Matulis graduated among the top in his class with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering in 1989. Later in 1995, he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence with honors from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law. During his time at the law school, he served as the senior executive editor of Florida Law Review and the president of the Environmental Law Society.

A registered patent attorney at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Mr. Matulis is licensed to practice in all the state courts of Florida, the ​U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Middle, Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Florida.

Mr. Matulis is honored with several leadership positions in legal organizations. He is the executive council member of The Florida Bar Business Law Section and the former chair of its Intellectual Property Law Committee. He is the co-chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s IP and Mediation and Arbitration Sections and a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He has presented on IP law topics at multiple conferences and seminars and has also authored a number of articles. 

AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.