Jim Nance, whose lifelong nickname is “Booty”, obtained the first $100,000 verdict and the first $1 million dollar verdict in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit which includes Seminole and Brevard Counties. Mr. Nance was also one of the nine Florida lawyers appointed by the late Governor Lawton Chiles who successfully sued the tobacco companies on behalf of the State of Florida, resulting in a remarkable settlement of more than $13 billion in 1997.
Private Practice with Miami and Orlando law firms, 1958-1963.
Practice limited to personal injury and wrongful death, in Melbourne, 1963-present.
Certification/Specialties:
Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy
Civil Trial Lawyer, Florida Bar
Bar Admissions
Florida
District of Columbia
U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of the United States of America
U.S. Supreme Court
Education
University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1956
J.D.
John B. Stetson University, 1953
A.B.
Classes/Seminars Taught
Author of “Comparative Negligence in Florida,”, Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association Advocate
Lecturer at various seminars for Academy, Florida Trial Lawyers
Honors and Awards
March of Dimes Citizen of the Year, 1999
Recipient, Stetson University’s ‘S’ Club Lifetime Achievement Award
Best Lawyers in America
Who’s Who in the South and Southwest
Who’s Who in American Law
Melbourne Police Foundation
Nursing Scholarship, Brevard Community College
Athletic Scholarship, Stetson University
Pre-Law Scholarship, Flagler College
James H. Nance Fountain at the University of Miami School of Law
Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy
Christ School, Ashville, North Carolina
Lee’s McCrae College, Banner Elk, North Carolina
Space Coast Citizen of the Year, March of Dimes, 1999 – Present
Stetson University ‘S’ Club Lifetime Achievement Award
The Inner Circle of Advocates, Secretary, 1988 – 2009
James H. Nance Oceanside Park, Indialantic, Florida
AV® Preeminent™ Rating for at least 30 years by Martindale-Hubble
Safari Club International African Big Five
Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Henry Kelsey Big Game Records
Listed in Super Lawyers of Florida
Listed in Law Dragon
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America
Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers (limited to 500 internationally)
Professional Associations and Memberships
The Inner Circle of Advocates (membership limited to 100 nationally, who have obtained $1 million verdicts)
Member
The Haven
Honorary Member of the Board of Directors
Brevard Community College Foundation
Board of Governors
Lawdragon
500 Leading Plaintiffs’ Lawyers in America
American Cancer Society
Honorary Member of the Board of Directors
American Board of Trial Advocates
Diplomat
International Academy of Trial Lawyers
Member
Melbourne Police Foundation
Board Member
Brevard County Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
American Bar Association
National District Attorneys Association
Law Science Academy of America
District of Columbia of Bar
New York State Trial Lawyers Association
Member
California Trial Lawyers Association
Member
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Member
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Founder
The American Association for Justice
Sustaining Member
The Inner Circle of Advocates (membership limited to 100 nationally, who have obtained $1 million verdicts), 1981 – 1983
President
The National Trial Lawyers
Executive Committee
National Board of Trial Advocacy (the organization that Board certifies trial lawyers nationally)
Board of Directors of The Inner Circle of Advocates, 1979 – 2009
Past Employment Positions
U.S. Army, 1956 – 1957
Dade County, Florida, Assistant State Attorney, 1957 – 1958
Pro Bono Activities
Executive Committee, The National Trial Lawyers
Board of Directors, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Board of Directors, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
Brevard County Sheriff=s Civil Service Board,Chairman, 1979 – 1980
Honorary member of the South Brevard American Cancer Society
Previous School Board Member, Holy Trinity Episcopal School, 1982 – 1986
Honorary Member of the Board of Directors of The Haven, a Melbourne home for abused children
Lifetime Member, Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council
Lifetime Member, Brevard County Police Chiefs Association
Member, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sons of the American Revolution
Stanford University Cancer Research
The Haven, a Melbourne home for abused children
Space Coast Early Intervention, a school for Down Syndrome children
Children’s Home Society of Florida
Breast Friends of Florida
Grandfather Mountain Home for Children, North Carolina
Crossnore School Children’s Home, North Carolina
Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation
Bright Star, Health First Foundation
American Lung Association
March of Dimes
Fraternities/Sororities
Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity
