William S. Graessle

William S. Graessle

Attorney William S. Graessle is a third generation University of Florida College of Law lawyer:  his grandfather graduated in 1927, and his parents graduated in 1941.  He is the most senior board-certified appellate attorney in Jacksonville and one of the few attorneys in Florida who has personally handled over two-hundred appeals. His reputation has also earned him an AV-Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell, and inclusion in the 26th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite for his work in Appellate Practice.

While based in his hometown of Jacksonville for over thirty years, Mr. Graessle’s practice reaches statewide: he has represented individuals and businesses, including international businesses and businessmen, in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Florida. He has drafted briefs and argued in front of the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth District Courts of Appeal, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He has also litigated civil cases throughout Florida, from Pensacola to Miami.

After graduating cum laude from Stetson University, Mr. Graessle earned his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law. He began his career as a law clerk to Justice Raymond Ehrlich of the Florida Supreme Court before returning to his hometown of Jacksonville to practice at Mahoney, Adams & Criser (now McGuireWoods), then Jacksonville’s largest law firm specializing in full service representation of banks and other businesses. When Justice Ehrlich retired from the Florida Supreme Court, Mr. Graessle joined him in January 1992 at the firm of Holland & Knight and became a partner. In 1996, Mr. Graessle founded his own firm specializing in civil appeals and civil litigation of all types.

Due to his expertise and experience, he has been named a Master of the Bench of both the Florida Family Law American Inn of Court and the First District Appellate American Inn of Court. He currently chairs the Jacksonville Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Southern Legal Counsel, a statewide not-for-profit public interest law firm. He regularly participates in the University of Florida College of Law’s appellate programs.

In 1993, Mr. Graessle received the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for his representation of the Guardian ad Litem, a program representing abandoned, neglected, and abused children in court. In 1995, the Florida Supreme Court appointed Mr. Graessle to serve on the Board of the Florida Bar Foundation, a position he held until 2002.

Mr. Graessle has three children. All of his children attended the University of Florida. Mr. Graessle’s most valued accomplishment is being a father, and over the years, Mr. Graessle was involved in all aspects of his children’s lives.

Practice Areas

  • Appellate Practice
  • Litigation
  • Business and Commercial Law

University

  • Stetson University, B.A. in Political Science, 1982, cum laude

Law School

  • University of Florida, J.D., 1985

Admitted

  • Florida, 1985; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, 1988; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida, 1992
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. 1997; U.S.Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1995

Biography

  • Board Certified by the Florida Bar as an Appellate Specialist, 1998; AV Preeminent Rating
  • Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award, 1993; Master of the Bench for Florida Family Law American Inn of Court and the First District Appellate American Inn of Court

Contact Us

E-mail or call 904-353-6333 to schedule an initial consultation.