Amanda B. Buffinton is the Managing Partner of the Tampa office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where she is a member of the Construction Litigation Practice Group.

A Martindale Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney, Amanda is also Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar. She has been rated in Chambers USA for her expertise in construction law since 2020. Amanda specializes in the litigation and arbitration of complex construction claims including representing clients in jury and non-jury trials. She regularly represents design professionals, contractors, owners and developers in various types of construction disputes including claims related to public road and bridge construction including FDOT projects, electric generation landfills, storm water systems, retail structures, hospitals, municipal wastewater treatment facilities, warehouse structures, and large condominium and multi-family structures. She has successfully represented clients in construction claims involving professional negligence and design errors and omissions, personal injury and death, federal investigations relating to the False Claims Act, delay and acceleration damages, bond and lien issues, professional licensure, construction defects and building code violations. Amanda has extensive federal court experience and has litigated a multitude of construction and commercial claims in the Northern, Middle and Southern District Courts of Florida including the successful defense of a large class action suit on behalf of an international testing company.

Amanda regularly writes and speaks on construction issues including at industry events held by the Florida Transportation Builder’s Association and the Construction Law Institute hosted by the Florida Bar’s Real Property Probate and Trust Law Division. She has frequently been named as a Legal Elite in Florida Trend magazine as well as a Florida Super Lawyer since 2009, including being listed in the Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers list in 2023 as well as the Top 50 Women Florida Super Lawyers list from 2020 through 2023. She’s also been listed among the Best Lawyers in America® in Construction Law since 2022. Amanda is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and was raised in both Louisville and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Credentials

Education

  • Stetson University, J.D., cum laude, 2002
    • Moot Court Team
  • Stetson University, MBA, 2002
  • Bellarmine University, B.A., summa cum laude with highest honors, 1999

Bar Admissions

  • Florida

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Professional and Civic

  • Florida Bar Association, Real Property Probate & Trust Law Division
    • Construction Law Committee, 2009 - 2016
  • Hillsborough County Bar Association
    • Co-Chair of Diversity Committee, 2013-2015
  • The Federal Bar Association, Tampa Bay Chapter
    • Board Member, 2014-2015
  • American Bar Association
    • Construction Law Forum
  • Tampa Connection Class of 2008
  • The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Tampa Class of 2011

News & Insights

Presentations

  • Presenter and Co-Author, “Florida’s ‘Federal Summary Judgment Standard’ – Strategic Considerations for Real Property and Construction Litigation,” The Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, Live Audio Webcast, March 23, 2021
  • Panelist and Co-Author, “Ethical Considerations in a Complicated Defense,” 4th Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar, The Seminar Group, August 7, 2020
  • Panelist and Co-Author, “Ethical Considerations in a Complicated Defense,” 3rd Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar, The Seminar Group, August 14, 2019
  • Panelist and Co-Author, "Use of Experts to Testify on Building Code Violations, and Proposed Jury Instructions," The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Construction Law Institute, March 9, 2019
  • Speaker, “Use of Experts by Design Professionals,” The Real Property Probate and Trust Law Division of the Florida Bar, CLE – Expert Witnesses in Construction Cases, November 20, 2017
  • Speaker, "Errors and Omissions: Panel Discussion of Defending and Asserting Claims Against Architects and Engineers," Hillsborough County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, November 17, 2016
  • Speaker, “Avoiding Legal Liability for the Design Professional,” AIA Women in Architecture, May 14, 2010 and June 3, 2011
  • Speaker regarding professional liability issues for engineers, Florida Structural Engineers Association, September 14, 2010
  • Speaker regarding professional liability issues for interior designers, International Academy of Design and Technology, July 27, 2011
  • Speaker regarding design professional liability issues for “Practical Issues in Construction Litigation,” Hillsborough County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, February 28, 2012
  • Speaker at “Leadership in Engineering” undergraduate course, University of South Florida, 2014
  • Panelist, “Staying in the Game – Women, Leadership and the Law,” Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, January 29, 2015
  • Panelist, “Empowering One Another,” Florida Diversity Council’s Tampa Bay Women in Leadership Symposium, March 27, 2015

Publications

  • “Women in the Legal Profession: Taking Advantage of Our Differences,” The 101 Practice Series: Breaking Down the Basics, American Bar Association, 2008
  • Contributing Author, State-by-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims, Aspen Publishers, Michael Dodd and J. Duncan Findley, 2009-2012
  • Co-author, “Retention and Promotion of Female Attorneys – What Can We Do Better?,” Lawyer magazine, May 2014

News & Speaking Engagements

Blog Posts

Practice Areas

Industry Focus

Accolades

  • Florida Bar Board Certified in Construction Law
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
  • Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Construction Law, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Florida Super Lawyers
    • Super Lawyer, 2016-2022
      • Top 100: 2023 Florida Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2023 Women Florida Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2023 Tampa Bay Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2022 Tampa Bay Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2022 Women Florida Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2021 Women Florida Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2020 Women Florida Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2020 Tampa Bay Super Lawyers
      • Top 50: 2016 Tampa Bay Super Lawyers
    • Rising Star, Construction Litigation, 2009-2015
  • Florida Trend, Florida Legal Elite, 2012, 2014-2016, 2018, 2019, 2022
  • Best Lawyers in America®
    • Construction Law, 2022, 2023, 2024
    • Litigation - Construction, 2023, 2024
  • American Lawyer Media and Martindale Hubbell, Top Rated Lawyers, Commercial Litigation, 2013
  • Florida Bar Board Certified in Construction Law

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Shutts & Bowen, established in 1910, is a full-service business law firm with approximately 270 lawyers located in eight offices across Florida.

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