FRANK R. JAKESTampa Office
(813) 225-2500
frankj@jpfirm.com
SHAREHOLDER
Frank R. Jakes is a commercial trial lawyer who heads up the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. While specializing in intellectual property disputes, Frank also handles complex commercial disputes, including class actions. He regularly practices before the federal courts throughout the State, but also appears in the state courts, as well as courts in other jurisdictions. Frank is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He has also been listed in the Legal Elite by Florida Trend Magazine and included in Best Lawyer’s in America.
Unlike many intellectual property and commercial litigators, Frank is an active trial lawyer who also handles the resulting appellate practice. A member of the Million Dollar Advocates forum (limited to lawyers who have secured a jury verdict of $1 million), Frank has secured half a dozen jury verdicts in excess of $1 million. In one four month period in 2002-2003, Frank tried two jury cases resulting in judgments totaling approximately $40 million.
Many of the reported decisions in Frank’s cases may be read by clicking on this LINK. Additionally, more detailed descriptions of certain of his more interesting and illustrious matters may be reviewed by clicking on this LINK.
Frank is active in the International Trademark Association, having served on the Editorial Board of The Trademark Reporter, 1985-88, 1990-92 and 1994-97, and currently serves on the Alternative Dispute Resolution committee. He also served on the Federal Court Practice committee of the Florida Bar from its inception in 1990 through 2002, acting as chairman in 1998-99 and vice chairman twice. Frank is also a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1983 and is a member of the bars of the following courts: United States Supreme Court (1986); United States Courts of Appeals for the Third (2000), Eleventh (1986) and Federal (1994) Circuits; United States District Courts for the Middle (1984), Northern (1994) & Southern (trial bar) (1988) Districts of Florida.
A 1983 graduate of New York University School of Law, Frank was on the moot court team that won the 33d National Moot Court Competition and received the Best Oralist Team and Best Brief awards. He was also a member of the Order of the Barristers and served on the Moot Court Board, authoring Ruckleshaus v. Kaleidoscope Pictures, "The Copyrightability of Literary Characters," 6 NYU Moot Court Casebook 82-17. He remains active as a member of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the NYU Alumni Association and is a Weinfeld Patron of the Law School.
An Army brat, Frank was born in Hoppstadten, Germany and grew up in Florida where he attended Dixie Hollins High School before attending the University of Denver as a National Merit Scholar. Frank received his B.A. cum laude with honors in Political Science in 1979.
Frank is married to a woman far too attractive for him and has three children who, thankfully, take more after their mother.
REPORTED CASES
• Athle-Tech Computer Systems, Inc. v. Montage Group Ltd.,
2004 WL 2892394, 29 Fla. L. Weekly D2804 (Fla. 2d DCA
2004)
• In re: American Family Enterprises, 256 B.R. 377 (D.N.J.
2000)
• Denno v. School Board of Volusia County, Florida, 182 F. 3d
780 (11th Cir.), sua sponte rehearing granted 208 F. 3d 989
(11th Cir. 1999), rev'd 218 F. 3d 1267
(11th Cir.), cert. denied
121 S.Ct. 382 (2000)
• Epic Metals Corp v. Souliere, 181 F.3d 1280 (11th Cir. 1999)
• Otworth v. The Florida Bar, 71 F. Supp. 2d 1209 (M.D. Fla.
1999)
• Twigg v. Sears, 153 F.3d 1222 (11th Cir. 1998)
• Epic Metals Corp. v. Souliere, 99 F.3d 1034 (11th Cir. 1996)
• Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Inc., v. Maloney, 891 F. Supp.
1560 (M.D. Fla. 1995)
• Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Inc. v. Berger, 910 F. Supp. 603
(M.D. Fla. 1995)
• Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Inc. v. Drew Homes, Inc., 29 F.3d
1529 (11th Cir. 1994)
• Epic Metals Corp. v. Condec, Inc., 867 F. Supp. 1009 (M.D.
Fla. 1994)
• Structural Panels, Inc. v. Texas Aluminum Industries, Inc.,
814 F. Supp. 1059 (M.D. Fla. 1993)
• I.J.E., Inc. v. Timely Publications, Inc., 610 So.2d 1296
(Fla.2d DCA 1992)
• Workplace Corp. v. Office Depot, Inc., 1990 WL 106727
(M.D. Fla. 1990)
• Howard Johnson Co., Inc., v. Khimani, 892 F. 2d 1512 (11th
Cir. 1989)
• Clayton v. Howard Johnson Franchise Systems, Inc., 730 F.
Supp. 1553 (M.D. Fla. 1988)
• Independent Roofing Enterprises, Inc. v. Celotex Corp., 512
So.2d 1133 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987)
• Craft v. Florida Federal Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 786 F.2d 1546
(11th Cir. 1986)
• HCA of Florida, Inc. v. Cooper, 475 So.2d 719 (Fla. 1st DCA
1985).
