Richard S. Geller
Rick Geller has represented clients in the areas of commercial and business litigation for more than twenty years. Rick has litigated and gone to trial on a wide variety of issues, including allegations of fraud, breach of contract, breach of construction contracts, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of trust, interference with business relations, deceptive and unfair trade practices, unfair debt collections, and civil racketeering. Rick has represented employers pursuing actions against former employees who have violated covenants not to compete, or who have violated confidentiality agreements. Rick has also defended architects and attorneys against claims of professional liability. Complex transactions often underlie these cases. Rick also handles appeals.
Rick’s clients have included a diverse mix of businesses, including automobile auctions, automobile dealerships, banks, insurance institutions, pest control companies, rental car companies, medical practices, and resorts.
Rick will selectively represent clients in the land use entitlement process. He is an adjunct professor, teaching Land Use Law in the Rollins College Master of Planning in Civic Urbanism program, where he teaches cutting-edge form-based zoning codes. Rick served as an Orange County planning and zoning commissioner (2008-2012), where he played a key role in rewriting the Horizon West Village Code. In connection with Fishback Dominick’s role as City Attorney for the City of Winter Garden, Florida, Rick assisted with the writing of the City’s downtown historic district code.
Earlier in his career, Rick’s practice included defending businesses and quasi-governmental entities against claims of civil rights violations. He has litigated a myriad of alleged constitutional violations, including First Amendment, unlawful search and seizure, equal protection, and due process claims. He has also defended clients against allegations of discrimination based on pregnancy and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Areas of Practice
- Business and Commercial Litigation
- Civil Trials and Appeals
- Motor Vehicle Law
- Land Use Law
Education
- Temple University, Juris Doctor, cum laude, 1992
- Associate Research Editor, Temple Law Review, 1991-1992
- Judicial intern to the Honorable Judge Stanley Brotman, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, 1991-1992
- Judicial intern to the Late Honorable Judge Carl B. Rubin, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 1991
- Miami University, Bachelor of Arts, 1988
Courts of Practice
- All State of Florida Courts
- U.S. District Courts, Florida Middle and Southern Districts
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Professional Activities
- Adjunct Professor of Land Use Law, Rollins College (Master of Planning in Civic Urbanism program) Winter Park, Florida, 2011 – present
- Speaker, “Walkable Thoroughfares: Incorporating an ITE Recommended Practice in FDOT Standards,” at the Florida Statewide Conference of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Naples, Florida, June 2011
- Speaker, “Complete Streets: How do we Convince the Florida Legislature?” at the Florida Statewide Conference of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Seaside, Florida, January 2011
- Guest participant, “What’s the Verdict?–A Mock Trial” on the topic of record documentation at the National Conference of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, Hollywood, Florida
- Speaker, “Avoiding Toxic Tort Claims and Litigation,” Florida Pest Management Association, Gainesville, Florida
- Defense Research Institute
- American Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association
Ratings
- AV – Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Orlando’s Top Lawyers (2010, 2011, and 2012)
Publications
- Guest column: “Reform parking rules to cut costs, boost property values,” Orlando Sentinel, (Dec. 26, 2012) (available at http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-12-26/news/os-ed-orlando-parking-reform-122612-20121224_1_baldwin-park-spaces-new-broad-street)
- Guest column: “Turn Florida’s Deadly Roads into Safe Ones,” Orlando Sentinel (May 29, 2011) (available at http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-29/news/os-ed-rick-geller-052911-20110527_1_deadly-roads-road-design-pedestrians)
- “The Legality of Form-Based Zoning Codes,” 26 Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law (Florida State University College of Law), Number 1 (Fall 2010) (available at http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/vol26_1/geller.pdf)
- “Walkable Schools Fight Fat,” Orlando Sentinel (June 9, 2010)
- “My Word: Roundabouts Help Safety,” Orlando Sentinel (April 6, 2010)
- “My Word: Change laws for safer roads,” Orlando Sentinel (November 17, 2009)
- “Let’s bring European style to Central Florida’s roads,” Orlando Sentinel (June 23, 2009)
- “Code fixes could salvage hope for Horizon West,” Orlando Sentinel (April 23, 2009)
- “My Word: Ethics reform needs state help for more campaign-finance transparency,” Orlando Sentinel (November 21, 2008)
- “Civil Procedure—Expanding the Minimum Contacts Doctrine,” 64 Temple Law Review 1025 (1991)
Community Activities
- District 1 Commissioner, Orange County Planning and Zoning Board, 2008-2012
