Overview
Sylvia Walbolt handles civil appeals in both federal and state courts, in all areas of the law, including torts, product liability, business disputes, construction, class actions, constitutional, and insurance law. She often serves as a pair of "cold eyes" to review draft briefs at both the trial and appellate level, as well as a mock judge on dispositive trial motions and appellate arguments.
Sylvia, a former president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, presented the oral argument in an appeal resulting in the reversal of a $1.1 billion judgment and co-authored the brief in another appeal resulting in the reversal of a $1.58 billion judgment. She has presented oral arguments before all Florida appellate courts and has appeared in other state supreme courts, as well as various federal courts of appeal. In today’s world of virtual oral arguments by telephone or video, she keeps abreast of effective techniques and use of technology by, among other things, serving on the American College of Trial Lawyers’ Task Force on Advocacy in the 21st Century.
Board certified in appellate law by the Florida Bar, Sylvia is a former chair of its Appellate Practice Committee. She is an elected life member of the American Law Institute. She has written and spoken prolifically on appellate advocacy and trial preservation issues.
Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Sylvia was named the Chambers Women in Law Litigation Lawyer for 2013. She has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for more than 30 years, and in Chambers USA for many years.
Sylvia is especially active in pro bono matters and has received honors for such work at both the state and national level. She was the 2016 recipient of the John Paul Stevens Guiding Hand of Counsel Award from the American Bar Association's Death Penalty Representation Project. She is Carlton Fields' chair emerita and leads the firm's national Appellate Practice and Trial Support Group.