Matthew J. Jowanna

Matthew J. Jowanna is an attorney and counselor at law, and is the Firm’s President and Managing Shareholder. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, majoring in Broadcasting and Mass Communications, from the University of South Florida. While at the University of South Florida, he was a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and the Outstanding College Students of America. For seven years before attending law school, Mr. Jowanna worked for several Tampa Bay area radio and television stations as an announcer, news anchor, news assignment editor, on-air talent, producer, reporter and writer.

After being accepted by the law schools at the University of Florida, Florida State University and Stetson University, Mr. Jowanna accepted an academic scholarship, and obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, from Nova Southeastern University – where he graduated Summa Cum Laude (with Highest Honors) and achieved the distinction of graduating in the Top 2% of his law school class of 266 graduates. While in law school, Mr. Jowanna was a Senior Staff Member, and published author, of the Nova Law Review; was awarded the Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, Inc. Prize; was an associate member of the Moot Court Society; was a student member of ATLA (Association of Trial Lawyers of America); was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honor Fraternity; was named to the law school’s Dean’s List every semester; received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence; received the Highest Grade Awards (Book Awards) for Florida Constitutional Law and Torts; received the West Publishing Corporation Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement; and was listed in Who’s Who Among American Law Students, 13th and 14th Editions, and The National Dean’s List, 17th Edition. Also during law school, Mr. Jowanna served as a Federal Judicial Intern for a Federal District Court Judge; was a Law Clerk for a County Court Judge; and was a Certified Legal Intern with the Office of the State Attorney for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Fort Lauderdale, where he prosecuted cases before both bench and jury.

Mr. Jowanna obtained his postdoctoral Legum Magister (LL.M.) degree from the University of Notre Dame, graduating Magna Cum Laude (with High Honors). While pursuing his Master of Laws degree at Notre Dame Law School, Mr. Jowanna served as the LL.M. Representative on the Executive Board of the NDLS Student Bar Association. Receiving a perfect score on his LL.M. thesis, Mr. Jowanna’s thesis was one of the few chosen to be published as a Student Working Paper in Transitional Justice by the Center for Civil and Human Rights at Notre Dame Law School. Mr. Jowanna’s Notre Dame LL.M. thesis was also later published as the lead academic article in a volume of the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge Law Review.

Practicing law in the Tampa Bay area for 30 years, Mr. Jowanna’s legal practice has included Appellate Law, Civil Rights, Class Actions, Construction Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Insurance Defense, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Products Liability and Wrongful Death. Along with his litigation and trial work, Mr. Jowanna has also argued numerous civil appeals – at the State and Federal level.

Prior to opening The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., Mr. Jowanna was a partner in one of the largest insurance defense and insurance coverage law firms in the state of Florida. While practicing in the areas of coverage and defense, Mr. Jowanna also broadened his practice areas to include personal injury and construction cases involving significant damages. Mr. Jowanna was next then a partner with another large Florida law firm that also allowed him to practice in the areas of insurance coverage, insurance defense and personal injury. This balanced practice allowed Mr. Jowanna to gain well-rounded trial experience representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants in different cases, which would allow him to provide his clients with a perspective from both sides.

Mr. Jowanna is a member of The Florida Bar, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the East Pasco County Bar Association, the West Pasco County Bar Association and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. Mr. Jowanna is also admitted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Being “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Mr. Jowanna has obtained the peer review rating of “preeminent” for his legal ability. Only the Top 10% of all lawyers across the nation receive this pinnacle rating. Mr. Jowanna is the only attorney principally located in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills and Dade City that is rated by Avvo.com as “Superb” (10 out of 10) for the legal practice categories of Personal Injury, Estate Planning and Probate. He has also been named in the Florida Super Lawyers list. The Super Lawyers list recognizes no more than 5% of attorneys in the state. Mr. Jowanna has also been included in Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms, U.S. News & World Reports Rankings.

Mr. Jowanna has been named as one of the “Top Attorneys in Tampa Bay,” as published by Tampa Bay Magazine. He has also been named as one of the “Top-Rated Lawyers and Legal Leaders” in the Tampa Bay area, as published by the Tampa Tribune. Mr. Jowanna is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, The Top Trial Lawyers in America for obtaining substantial recoveries for his clients. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. Shortly after establishing The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., the Firm was listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Fewer than 5% of law firms qualify and are so included.

Some of Mr. Jowanna’s publications and lectures include:

• Shirking the Duty to Defend in Florida: Is Assignment the Exception to Argonaut?, 30 No. 4 Trial Advoc. Q. 36 (2011)
• Torture, American Style: A Recipe for Civil Tort Immunity, 42 McGeorge L. Rev. 243 (2011)
• University of Notre Dame, The Law School, Law Library, K557.N68 J683, Torture, American Style: A Recipe for Civil Tort Immunity (2010)
• 42 U.S.C. § 1983: A Legal Vehicle with No International Human Rights Treaty Passengers, 9 U.N.H. L. Rev. 31 (2010)
• Trial Exhibits, Subject Address at the Florida Defense Lawyers Association Symposium: Trial from the Defense Perspective – A Primer for the Defense, Tampa, Fla. (Apr. 9, 1999)
• Florida Practice Handbook: Products Liability 1994 Supp. (Supp. 1994)
• Restrictions Against the Use of Hurricane Shutters: Are They Enforceable After Hurricane Andrew?, 17 Nova L. Rev. 1191 (1993)

Some of Mr. Jowanna’s Reported Case Decisions include the following:

• Washington v. Florida Dept. of Transp., FJVR 11 (2019)
• VP Props. & Devs., LLP v. Seneca Spec. Ins. Co., 645 Fed. Appx. 912 (11th Cir. 2016)
• Peters v. Army Navy Surp. Mkt., FJVR 12:6-5 (2012)
• Thomas v. Alpha Homes, Inc., FJVR 11:8-32 (2011)
• Palma v. Seven-One-Seven Parking Mgmt. Svc., Inc., FJVR 08:11-18 (2008)
• Garcia v. Vanguard Car Rental USA, Inc., 510 F. Supp. 2d 821 (M.D. Fla. 2007)
• Scannavino v. Fla. Dep’t of Corr., 242 F.R.D. 662 (M.D. Fla. 2007)
• JMIC Life Ins. Co. v. Henry, 922 So. 2d 998 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005)
• Hayes v. Seven-One-Seven Parking Mgmt. Svc., Inc., FJVR 05:8-17 (2005)
• Namen v. Simon Prop. Grp., LLP, FJVR 04:06-38 (2004)
• Roberts v. DeBartolo Props. Mgmt., 849 So. 2d 309 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)
• Harris v. Lennar Homes, Inc., FJVR 00:6-34 (1999)
• Lennar Homes, Inc. v. Harris, 737 So. 2d 1090 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999)
• Ball v. Jimenez, 730 So. 2d 703 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)
• Firn v. Ohio Cas. Ins. Co., 725 So. 2d 1177 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)
• Natter v. N. Geraci & Co., 717 So. 2d 1015 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)
• Chiang v. Wildcat Groves, Inc., 703 So. 2d 1083 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997)
• Brewer v. Gulfcoast Transit Co., FJVR 97:3-50 (1997))
• Brewer v. Gulfcoast Transit Co., 679 So. 2d 341 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996)

You may send Mr. Jowanna an email at MJJ@Jowanna.com.