Overview

Erik Raines seeks first to understand a client’s business objectives and keeps those goals at the forefront when offering strategic solutions and legal advice.

Erik serves as the practice group leader for the firm’s Construction & Design practice group. In that role, he oversees associate and paralegal recruitment, hiring, and training, business development and marketing initiatives, strategic planning, and performance for the group’s 15+ team members. Erik’s day to day practice involves representing stakeholders in the construction industry, including local, national, and international owners, developers, contractors, homebuilders, design professionals, subcontractors, suppliers, manufacturers, and sureties in both transactional matters and disputes.

Erik is well-versed in drafting and negotiating complex construction agreements, as well as handling multi-million dollar construction claims in litigation and arbitration involving disputes ranging from construction and design defects, bid protests, claims regarding project delays and disruptions, change order and scope disputes, payment disputes involving bond claims and lien foreclosure actions, and contract terminations. He recently served as lead trial counsel for a utility company owner client in obtaining a complete defense verdict following a one-week bench trial in the face of a general contractor’s damages claim in excess of $8,000,000.00.

Erik is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbel, and is perennially listed as one of Florida’s Super Lawyers and one of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Construction Litigation. Erik was a former chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Construction Law Section and has served in multiple leadership positions within the ABA Forum on Construction Law. He is also certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Circuit Court Mediator, where he brings his considerable experience to bear in assisting other parties as a neutral. Erik regularly publishes on topics relevant to construction law, and has presented at numerous national conferences and webinars on construction law matters.

Erik spent the first several years of his legal career practicing in New York City before moving to Tampa in 2008. Since then, Erik has been heavily involved and invested in the Tampa Bay community, where he actively serves on the Governance Board of the First Tee Tampa Bay and the Board of Directors of the Palma Ceia Little League. He is a proud graduate of ABC’s NexGen Leadership Program and Leadership Tampa’s Class of 2019. Outside of the office, Erik enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, playing golf, coaching baseball, and fishing.

Honors

  • AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review
  • Florida Super Lawyers (2016-2024)
  • Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star (2012-2015)
  • Florida Trend’s Legal Elite (2020)
  • Florida Trend’s Legal Elite - Up and Comers (2014)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (2018-2025)
  • TAMPA Magazine's Top Lawyers (2025)
    • Construction Law
    • Litigation: Construction 

Credentials & Experience

Education

State University of New York at Binghamton, B.A., 2001

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., 2004: Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law, Managing Editor

Bar Admissions

American Bar Association

The Florida Bar

Hillsborough County Bar Association

New York State Bar Association

Court Admissions

All Florida State Courts

United States District Court, Middle District of Florida

All New York State Courts

United States District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

Experience

  • Served as lead trial counsel on a trial team that prevailed in securing a complete defense verdict on behalf of a utility company owner client following a one week bench trial in the face of a total claim in excess of $8,000,000.00, exclusive of claimed attorneys' fees. 
  • Defending a national homebuilder in a multi-party construction defect litigation against a homeowner’s association involving over $13million in claimed damages across 34 townhome buildings containing over 200 units.
  • Prosecuting multi-story apartment building owner's design and defect claims against project's designer and contractor regarding wide-scale defects in the construction of a 400+ unit project. 
  • Defending a general contractor against a beachfront hotel owner's $10M dollar claims regarding alleged defects in the project's electrical, HVAC, roof, interior buildout, and building envelope systems, and pursuing the general contractor's opposing seven-figure nonpayment breach of contract and lien foreclosure claims. 
  • Representing utilities contractor in bid protest matter resulting in public entity's rejection of low bidder and rebidding of $19.5 million project. 
  • Defending a national homebuilder in a construction defect litigation against a condominium association involving over 35 multi-family condominium buildings.
  • Defending developer-related entities and individuals in a multi-million dollar condominium conversion construction defect case involving over 240 condominium units.
  • Representing owner-developer of 225+ unit luxury apartment high-rise project in multiple claims against the project's designer involving structural engineering defects and delay claims. 
  • Defending a publicly traded supplier on a multi-million dollar defect and delay claim relating to the expansion of a County's water treatment facilities. 
  • Defending the owner of a multi-million dollar 266 unit luxury hotel in a construction defect lawsuit brought by a condominium association. 
  • Representing the country’s 7th largest school district in construction disputes and transactional matters.
  • Representing multiple general contractor clients in contract drafting and negotiations, and in construction litigation matters involving nonpayment, defects, and delays on both commercial and residential projects. 
  • Representing wide range of subcontractor clients including electrical, mechanical, painting, concrete, glass/glazing, steel fabrication, architectural pre-cast, framing, and drywall trades, in all type of transactional matters and litigation involving lien and bond claims, construction defects, and delays.  
  • Representing several sureties on various bond litigation matters including payment and performance bond claims.

Professional & Civic

Community & Professional

  • Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator
  • Leadership Tampa, Class of 2019
  • Palma Ceia Little League: Board Member
  • First Tee of Tampa Bay - Advisory Board
    • Governance Board
    • Chair – 2021-2022
    • Vice Chair – 2020-2021
    • Chair, Annual Giving Campaign – 2019-2020
  • American Bar Association
    • Forum on the Construction Industry
      • Membership Committee 
        • Social Media Subcommittee
      • Special Programs and Education Committee
        • Distance Learning Subcommittee
        • Liaison to Division 12
      • Division 12 (Owners & Project Finance) Steering Committee (2015-present)
  • Hillsborough County Bar Association
    • Construction Law Section
      • Co-Chair (2014-2016)
      • Membership Co-Chair (2012-2014)
  • Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter
    • NexGen Leadership Class of 2016
    • NexGen Leadership - Selection Committee for Class of 2017 

Newsroom

News & Insights

Articles & Publications

  • Florida Lien Law, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, March 21, 2023
  • Florida Performance and Payment Bonds, Associated Builders and Contractors – Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, November 8, 2022 (co-presenter, Devin Phillips)
  • Florida Lien Law, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, August 18, 2022
  • “Strategies for Confronting Unconscious Bias in the Legal Industry,” Webinar for ABA Forum on Construction Law, November 18, 2020 (Erik Raines as Moderator; Kathleen Nalty as Speaker)
  • Florida Lien Law, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, July 16, 2020 (co-presenter, Emily Morrell)
  • Florida Lien Law, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, May 10, 2019
  • Subcontract Negotiation and Drafting, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, April 5, 2019 
  • Florida Lien Law, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, October 12, 2018
  • Every Repose Has Its Thorn, (Summer 2018). HCBA Lawyer Magazine, Vol. 28, No. 6.
  • Navigating and Defending Construction Defect Claims, Associated Builders and Contractors - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, May 18, 2018 (co-presenter, Emily Morrell)
  • Florida Lien Law, Florida Law Alliance Construction Law Conference, February 16, 2018
  • Failure to Include Statutory Notice to Owner Warnings Will Invalidate Your Lien. (Summer, 2017). HCBA Lawyer Magazine, Vol. 27, No. 6.
  • Florida Performance and Payment Bonds, Associated Builders and Contractors – Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, July 14, 2017 (co-presenter, Devin Phillips)
  • Florida Lien Law, Associated Builders and Contractors – Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, February 24, 2017
  • “Indicate Precisely What You Mean to Say: Contract Provisions That Work,” (Tamara Lindsay and Ben Westcott, Co-Presenters). ABA Forum on Construction Law, Fall Meeting, Chicago, IL (October 2016).
  • “Construction Contracts – Finding Common Ground in Drafting and Negotiating Design and Construction Clauses,” (E. Raines presenting on Termination, Claims and Disputes), ABA Forum on Construction Law Regional Program, Jacksonville, FL (February 26, 2016).
  • “Litigating the $200,000 Case: A View From Both Sides of the Table,” (L Franklin Elmore, co-presenter). ABA Forum on Construction Law, Midwinter Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ (January, 2015).
  • “Florida Lien Law: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid,” (Emily Morrell, co-presenter).  HWH 6th Annual Real Estate and Construction Symposium (October 1, 2014).
  • “Federal Project Bonds: Exploring the Far Side of the Miller Act,” (T. Bennett Acuff and Greg Brown, co-presenters).  Merchants Bonding Company Annual Claims Conference, Des Moines, Iowa (September, 2014).
  • Thinking Outside The Box: Looking  Beyond the Four Corners to Evaluate a CGL Carrier’s Duty to Defend. (Summer, 2014). HCBA Lawyer Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 7.
  • "Performance Bond Defenses" (T. Bennett Acuff, Barbara Carlos and Beth Jenks, co-presenters). Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference. (April, 2014).
  • Direct Examination. Chapter 10. (Gregory Brown, co-author). (2014). Florida Civil Trial Practice, 10th Edition.
  • "Let's Get Ready to Rumble! Best Practices for Client Intake of Construction Disputes." ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Webinar. (Peter Halls, Co-presenter). (September, 2013).
  • "You Gotta Have [Good] Faith, or Do You? - Surveying Jurisdictional Splits in Obligees' Bad Faith Claims Against Sureties " (Bennett Acuff, co-presenter). Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference. (April, 2013).
  • "Putting Excessive Attorneys' Fees Claims Out to Pasture- Relying on a Statutory Cap to Prevent Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond Sureties from Being 'Milked Like Cash Cows'." (Gary Horst, Gregory Brown, Marie Borland, co-presenters). Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference. (April, 2012).
  • Direct Examination. Chapter 10. (Gregory Brown, co-author). (2012). Florida Civil Trial Practice, 9th Edition.
  • State Statutory Requirements Concerning Fidelity Bonding and D&O Insurance for Condominium Associations and Homeowners' Associations. (Gregory Brown, co-author). Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference. (April, 2011).
  • Avoiding Veil-Piercing Claims When Using Single Purpose Entities in Construction Projects. (April, 2011). HCBA Lawyer Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 5.
  • Direct Examination. Chapter 10. (Gregory Brown, co-author). (2010).  Florida Civil Trial Practice, 8th Edition.
  • Note, North Korea: Analyzing the "New" Nuclear Threat, 12 Cardozo J. Int'l & Comp. L. 349 (2004).
Florida Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond Claims: An End in Sight to Excessive Attorneys' Fees Claims? (2012). Florida Surety Association 2nd Quarter Newsletter.
Florida Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond Claims: An End in Sight to Excessive Attorneys' Fees Claims? (2012). Florida Surety Association 2nd Quarter Newsletter.

Published Decisions

  • Hakes v. Orlando’s Auto Specialists, Inc.
    77 So.3d 196 (Table, Text in WESTLAW), Unpublished Disposition 2011 WL 6793974 5D10-2375
    District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District. December 20, 2011
  • Layne Heavy Civil, Inc. v. Carter & Verplanck, Inc.
    Case Nol 16-80609-CIV-ZLOCH, 2018 WL 6303691 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 31, 2018) (obtaining ruling granting client’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff’s
    claims)
  • Developers Surety and Indemnity Co. v. Italian Cast Stone, Inc.,
    No. 8:16-cv-3491T-24-TGW, 2017 WL 3113469 (M.D. Fla. May 5, 2017) (granting client’s motion to quash service of process).
  • SRE Culinary Equipment and Supplies, LLC v. School District of Hillsborough County
    Case No. 8:17-cv-2819-T-24JSS, 2018 WL 3068069 (M.D. Fla. Apr. 9, 2018) (obtaining ruling in client’s favor on contested motion for
    attorney’s fees after prevailing on client’s motion to dismiss)
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