Phillip A. Buhler
Mr. Buhler’s practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation, including environmental, admiralty and maritime law, insurance defense, and international business transactions; government regulatory and civil penalty proceedings; and transportation law. He handles matters throughout the State of Florida and has also litigated in Federal courts in Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina.
Mr. Buhler is admitted to practice in Florida, Louisiana and the District of Columbia, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Eleventh, District of Columbia and Federal Circuits; the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, U.S. Court of International Trade and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Buhler is a graduate of the Tulane University School of Law (LL.M. 1988), the University of Miami School of Law (J.D. 1987), and the College of William and Mary in Virginia (B.A. 1984). Mr. Buhler was an intern for the Honorable Edward B. Davis, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida (Miami). Prior to joining the Firm he worked as an associate for the law firm of Chaffe, McCall, Philips, Toler & Sarpy in New Orleans, served as a legislative intern to the Honorable Paula Hawkins, United States Senator for Florida, and as an Advance Office Aide to then Vice-President George Bush.
Mr. Buhler is a member of the Inter-American Bar Association where he has served as Treasurer and member of the Executive Council, as well as President of its International Law Committee. He serves on the Executive Committee of the International Law Section of the Florida Bar and formerly served on the Admiralty Law and Admiralty Certification Committees. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association (past president, Jacksonville Chapter), the Maritime Law Association of the United States (proctor member and Vice Chairman, International Organizations, Conventions and Standards Committee), Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (past board member), the Jacksonville Bar Association, the Hispanic Bar Association of Northeast Florida (past president) and the Chester Bedell Inn of Court (barrister member). He is involved in a number of local business and civic organizations, including Associated Industries of Florida, where he chairs its Maritime Counsel, The International Propeller Club, Jacksonville Chapter (past president), Daniel, Inc. (member of Board of Trustees), the Jacksonville Maritime Museum (past chairman of the Board of Trustees), the International Visitors Corp. of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Sister Cities Committee.
Mr. Buhler is AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory and Board Certified in International Law and Admiralty and Maritime Law by the Florida Bar. He is licensed by the Florida Secretary of State as a Civil Law (International) Notary. He was appointed by the Chief Judge of the Middle District of Florida to serve on the Middle District’s Bench/Bar Committee, and as a member of the District Court committee to implement electronic filing procedures (CM/ECF).
Mr. Buhler has authored a number of articles and a book on issues of transnational litigation and international, environmental and maritime law, and has spoken at conferences and seminars addressing these topics throughout the United States and Latin America.
