Dale Swope

Dale Swope is managing partner of Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg which is the development of the solo firm practice he founded six months out of law school, in 1979.

Mr. Swope is a Tampa native, and a graduate of Hillsborough High School, the University of South Florida, and the University of Florida Law School. The firm’s most senior lawyer, Mr. Swope has received virtually every professional recognition available to lawyers who practice in his field.

He has an AV rating (the highest possible) by Martindale-Hubbell, the oldest reviewing agency in the country. He has a ‘Superb’ rating (the highest possible) by AVVO.com, that is probably the newest rating agency in the country.

He has been designated as a ‘Super Lawyer’ by Super Lawyers Magazine. He is also listed in ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ ‘Who’s Who in the South’ and ‘Who’s Who in American law.’

For more than twenty years he has been Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist and was previously also Board Certified as a Business Litigation Specialist. These certifications are considered the most substantive credentialing of attorneys, since admission actually requires taking a substantial test and serious peer review by lawyers and judges familiar with the lawyer’s work.

He was the original incorporator of the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association and the first of two partners in the firm (along with Angela Rodante) who have been elected as president of that organization. He has been a director of the Florida Justice Association and served on its Executive Committee as the 2017-2018 President.

American Board of Trial Advocates is an organization that requires actual trial experience and peer approval for admission, and he has been a member for more than a decade. Recently, Mr. Swope was elected to be a member in the prestigious American Law Institute.

Receiving endorsements from peers and recognition from prestigious organizations is flattering, but Dale Swope will quickly tell you that none of these ‘credentials’ mean a thing compared to a simple ‘thanks’ from a client or family that has been helped by the law firm.

Florida Bar

University of Florida School of Law, J.D., 1978
University of South Florida, B.A., 1975

Founder of the law practice that developed into Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg; founded his solo practice in 1979, approximately six months after graduating from law school

Board Certified in Civil Trial Law, The Florida Bar, 1992–Present

Business Litigation Specialist, The Florida Bar, 1995–2005

Founder and Initial Chairman, Hillsborough County Solo Practitioners Committee, 1991–1992

Member, Board of Directors, Hillsborough County Young Lawyers Section, 1988–1989

Elected to the Legal Elite Hall of Fame, 2019

Champion of Justice Award, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, 2017

President, Florida Justice Association, 2017–2018

Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, 2016–2017

EAGLE Centurion Award, Florida Justice Association, 2016

Churchill Award, Florida Justice Association, 2015

Client Distinction Award, Martindale-Hubbell, 2015

America’s Most Honored Professionals Top 1%, The American Registry, 2015–2017

America’s Most Honored Professionals Top 5%, The American Registry, 2014

Top Rated Lawyer in Insurance Law, Martindale-Hubbell and American Lawyer Media, 2013–2015

Florida’s Top Attorneys, The Wall Street Journal, 2013

Rough Rider & Teddy Roosevelt Award, Florida Justice Association, 2011

S. Victor Tipton Award, Florida Justice Association, 2010

Preeminent AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2010

Tampa’s Top Attorneys, The National Law Journal, 2010

Top Lawyers, Tampa Bay Business Journal, 2009

EAGLE Hall of Fame, Florida Justice Association, 2008

Vicente Martinez-Ybor Award, Ybor City Museum Society

Champion for Children Award, Voices for Children, 2005

Mickey Smiley Award for Mentorship, Florida Justice Association Young Lawyers Section, 2000

Hillsborough County Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, 1988

Bronze, Silver and Crystal EAGLE Awards, Florida Justice Association

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2006–Present

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2005–Present

Florida Legal Elite, Florida Trend Magazine, 2004–2008, 2010–2011, 2014, 2016–2017

“Legal Leader,” Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite, 2004–2008, 2010–2011, 2014, 2016

Top Attorneys – Tampa Bay Area, Tampa Bay Magazine, 2008, 2013–2017

Florida’s Top Lawyers, Florida Monthly Magazine, 2005–2006, 2008–2009

Who’s Who in American Law, 1989–1992

America’s Most Honored Professionals Top 10%, The American Registry, 2011–2012

Superb Rating, AVVO, 2009–Present

Member, Super Lawyers Blue Ribbon Panel, 2013

Florida Justice Association:
– President, 2017–2018
– Director
– Executive Committee

American Board of Trial Advocates, Member

American Law Institute, Member, 2010–Present

Federal Bar Association, Member, 2012

Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association:
– Original Incorporator
– Past President

Hillsborough County Solo Practitioners Committee:
– Founder and Initial Chairman, 1991–1992

Hillsborough County Young Lawyers Section:
– Board of Directors, 1988–1989

“Insurance & Bad Faith Seminar,” The Florida Bar – Masters of Justice, September 2023

“Civil Remedy Notice Webinar,” Florida Justice Association, October 2019

“Closing Argument,” Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Basic Trial Practice Seminar, December 2018

“Bad Faith in the Courts: What Will ‘Work’ in 2019,” Jacksonville Justice Association Seminar, November 2018

“Basic Personal Injury Law,” Florida Bar Seminar, April 2018

“Closing Argument,” Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division HCBA State Court Trial Seminar, June 2017

“Special Evidence Issues that Arise in Personal Injury Cases,” Florida Bar Hot Topics in Evidence, June 2017

“Purposefully Packaging Your Case,” Florida Justice Association Workhorse Seminar, February 2017

“X’s and O’s of the FJA Plan for Tallahassee,” Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association CLE Seminar, January 2017

“Irony of Preparing for Trials,” Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Basic Trial Practice, December 2016

“CRN Missteps That Kill Bad Faith Cases,” Florida Justice Association Drafting Civil Remedies Webinar, October 2016

“How the Courts have Turned the Keys to the Courthouse into a Massive Malpractice Exposure,” Florida Justice Association Proposals for Settlement Webinar, October 2016

“Closing Statements from the Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division State Court Trial Seminar, June 2016

“Voir Dire from a Civil Perspective,” Hillsborough County Bar Association Jury Selection CLE, March 2016

“Preparing for Trial – The Final Countdown,” Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Basic Trial Practice Trial Prep Seminar, November 2015

“Zen and the Art of Section 768.79, 14 Years Later,” Florida Justice Association Proposals for Settlement Webinar, October 2015

“Insurance Bad Faith Actions from Medical Malpractice Cases,” Florida Justice Association Titans of Trial Medical Malpractice Seminar, October 2015

Al J. Cone Trial Seminar, Florida Justice Association, August 2015

“Insurance Bad Faith,” Florida Justice Association Annual Convention, June 2015

“Closing Argument,” Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Basic Trial Practice Seminar, February 2015

“Discovery in a Dawning Digital Age,” Florida Justice Association Workhorse Seminar, February 2015

“Uninsured Motorist Bad Faith,” Honey Badger Presentation on Bad Faith, January 2015

“Uninsured Motorist Bad Faith,” Florida Justice Association Workhorse Seminar, February 2014

“Closing Arguments,” Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Basic Trial Practice Seminar, October 2013

“The Current Standard for Bad Faith Failure to Settle Under Florida Law as Applied in State versus Federal Court,” Florida Justice Association Masters of Justice Seminar, September 2013

“Closing Statements from the Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division State Court Trial Seminar, June 2013

“Living with the New De Facto Changes for Bad Faith in Federal Court,” Florida Justice Association Annual Convention Advanced Trial Skills Seminar, June 2012

“Opening Statements,” Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division State Court Trial Seminar, June 2011

“The Strategies, Techniques and Pitfalls of Cases Involving a Liability Carrier’s Bad Faith Claims Handling,” Florida Justice Association Insurance Seminar, November 2009

“Strategies to Beat Insurance Company Conduct of Deny, Delay and Don’t Pay: A Review of Recent Caselaw,” Florida Justice Association Automobile Negligence Seminar, September 2009

“The X Files: What Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Know about Bad Faith,” Florida Justice Association Masters of Justice Seminar, December 2008

“More than a Slingshot: First and Third Party Bad Faith – Taking Aim at Goliath: Conquering the Insurance Giants,” Florida Justice Association Insurance Seminar, October 2008

“Identifying and Preserving the Third Party Bad Faith Claim,” Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, September 2008

“Automotive Law Legislative Changes and Case Law Update,” Florida Justice Association Conference, June 2007

“Nuts and Bolts of a Bad Faith Case,” Florida Justice Association Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, March 2007

“New Approaches to Damages,” Association of Trial Lawyers of America Conference, February 2007

“Bad Faith: Getting to the Heart of the Matter at Mediation,” Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar, December 2006

“Tips for Proving the Bad Faith Case,” Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar, September 2006

Al J. Cone Trial Seminar, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, August 2006

Hillsborough County Bar Association State Court Trial Seminar, June 2006

FDLA Conference Seminar Presentation, June 2006

Medical Malpractice Seminar, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Conference, April 2006

“The Seven Cardinal Sins Committed by Trial Lawyers,” Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar, February 2006

“The Beginning of an Insurance Bad Faith Case,” Tampa Bay Paralegal Association Annual Education Seminar, September 2005

“Keeping Faith in Bad Faith – Berges v. Infinity Insurance Co.,” Annual Convention – Advanced Trial Skills Seminar, June 2005

Author, “Tips for the Auto Practitioner,” Journal of the Florida Justice Association, monthly column, 1999–2021

Co-author with Daniel Greene and Dennis Dore, “Unfair Claims Practices and Bad Faith,” Florida Automobile Insurance Law, The Florida Bar, 2022

Co-author with Shea Moxon and Celene Humphries, “Bad Faith Claims,” Florida Medical Malpractice Handbook, 2nd Edition, Florida Bar CLE Manual, 2009

Co-author with Shea Moxon and Celene Humphries, “Bad Faith Claims,” Florida Medical Malpractice Handbook, 1st Edition, Florida Bar CLE Manual, 2006

Co-author with Shea Moxon and Celene Humphries, “Practice and Procedure in Handling an Automobile Case,” Florida Automobile Insurance Law, 6th Edition, Florida Bar CLE Manual, 2005

Chair, Hillsborough High School Football Trust, 2008–Present

President, Ybor City Museum Society, 2007–2008

President and Founder, Save Tampa History LLC, 2005–Present

Owner, Tre Amici @ The Bunker, 2004–2020

Longtime involvement in efforts to preserve Ybor City history and restore historic properties

Support of Hillsborough High School athletics through the Hillsborough High School Football Trust

Community housing and historic preservation efforts through Save Tampa History LLC