Zachary Dickens
Biography
Overview
Zach is a partner in the Americas Commercial Litigation Group. He is a trial and appellate lawyer that focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation matters in trial and appellate courts. Zach has appeared on his clients' behalf of state and federal trial courts around the country, including multiple victories in the Florida District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. He has had substantial success representing clients in the trial courts and getting those favorable orders affirmed on appeal.
Zach's recent representative experience demonstrates his ability to obtain significant victories on behalf of his clients at both the trial and appellate levels. Zach has successfully represented a broad range of domestic and international clients that span a wide variety of industries, including financial institutions, insurance companies, healthcare companies, law firms, real estate developers, drug manufacturers, power companies, professional associations, government entities, and private individual clients. His litigation experience includes, among others, cases involving contracts, insurance, professional malpractice, and antitrust. Zach's appellate experience is similarly diverse. He has represented clients in more traditional appeals involving contract disputes, class certification, statutory interpretation, as well as appeals involving matters of great public importance, such as bond validations, ballot initiatives, and redistricting.
Zach's pro bono experience includes first-chair trial experience in a civil Section 1982 case. He has also represented of victims of gun violence and domestic abuse and a mother seeking the return of her child under the Hague convention.
Before joining the Firm, Zach clerked for the Honorable Justice R. Fred Lewis of the Florida Supreme Court.
Experience
$14.8 million judgment for real estate developer client following jury trial
Secured a trial victory on behalf of real estate developer. The case involved a dispute between members of a joint venture regarding a mixed-use real estate development in Miami, Florida. Following a one-week trial, the jury returned a verdict for our client. Final judgment was later entered in our client's favor for $14.8 million.
Successfully reversed class certification for an auto insurance company
Secured a win in Florida's Third District Court of Appeal on behalf of an auto insurance company against MSP Recovery (now known as Life Wallet), in which the Court reversed a trial court order in the representative plaintiffs' favor, holding that the plaintiffs lacked standing and failed to satisfy the requirements for class certification.
$20 million final judgment in a complex commercial real estate dispute
Secured a nearly $20 million final judgment – after the court granted our client's motion for summary judgment – in a complex commercial real estate dispute. Zach and the team secured a fees judgment for nearly $1 million and defeated an expedited motion to stay the case filed in the Third District. Based on our success, Zach secured summary judgment in similar matter for the same client.
Multimillion dollar cross-border dispute
Ongoing representation of BVI and Curacao based clients in cross-border disputes associated with a $250 million Ponzi scheme, including securing the dismissal – which was later affirmed on appeal – on personal jurisdiction grounds.
$130 million dollar arbitration enforcement dispute
Ongoing representation of a Panamanian individual in a cross-border $130 million arbitral award dispute arising out of a rabbinical arbitration award.
$80 million dollar legal malpractice victory
Secured summary judgment legal malpractice case where a developer sued a law firm client in an $80 million. Zach and a White & Case team won summary judgment for the law firm and then handled the appeal at the Third DCA, which affirmed the judgment and more than $2.5 million in fees.
Dismissal of legal malpractice lawsuit
Secured the dismissal of a legal malpractice dispute at the motion to dismiss phase, which was affirmed on appeal.
Class action victory on behalf of fintech/govtech client
Secured a victory for a client that is a leader in the fintech/govtech space.
