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Andrew D. Manko - Biography

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Andrew Manko moved to Florida when he was just three years old and spent his early years in Palm Beach Gardens.  Andrew received his Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Communication from Florida State University in 2000, and his Juris Doctor from Emory University in 2004.  During law school, Andrew actively participated in the school’s moot court program.  He was a competitor on the Jessup international moot court team in 2003, which won best brief and best overall team at the regional rounds, and represented the southeast region in the international rounds in Washington D.C. He also coached the Jessup team in 2004, which won best brief and placed second overall in the regional rounds. He also was honored to compete on Emory’s National Moot Court team in 2004, which won best brief and placed second overall in the regional rounds.  In recognition of his moot court achievements, Andrew was named to the National Order of the Barristers in 2004.  

Andrew began his legal career at King & Spalding, LLP, in New York City, focusing his practice on intellectual property and trademark prosecution. Though he remains to this day admitted to practice in New York, Andrew decided to move back to Florida in 2005 to complete a judicial clerkship with Justice Barbara J. Pariente of the Florida Supreme Court. After spending a year prosecuting waste cleanup cases in the Enforcement Section of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of General Counsel, Andrew began his clerkship with Justice Pariente in 2006. He served as Justice Pariente’s senior staff attorney for two years and it remains one of his most treasured professional experiences.

Upon completion of his two-year clerkship in 2008, Andrew joined the Appellate and Trial Support practice group at Carlton Fields, P.A. He focused on all aspects of appellate litigation and trial support, such as preparing jury instructions and dispositive motions in state trial court, and drafting principal briefs, conducting oral argument, and handling motion practice in a variety of civil appellate cases before all of the District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court.  The cases ranged from products liability, medical malpractice, general tort, insurance defense, commercial disputes, and mortgage foreclosure. Andrew also devoted significant time to pro bono cases, receiving a Pro Bono Hero award from the firm in 2009.  In addition, Andrew actively participated in the firm’s activities, serving on the firm’s pro bono, diversity, and associate relations committees.   

After spending three years at Carlton Fields, Andrew chose to search for a smaller firm that focused entirely on appellate litigation and trial support.  And in June 2011, he joined The Mills Firm, P.A., in Tallahassee.  Since then, Andrew has taken primary responsibility on a variety of appellate matters, including tort, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and general commercial disputes.  He handles all aspects to appellate litigation, including the preparation of briefs, oral arguments, and motion practice before the District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court.  In 2013, Andrew became board certified in appellate practice by The Florida Bar. In 2014, he received recognition by his peers as a “Super Lawyer” in the top 5% of Florida lawyers by Law and Politics magazine, having previously been named a “Rising Star" by that publication and an “Up and Comer" by Florida Trend's Legal Elite list.

Andrew continues to spend significant time on pro bono cases, as well as participating in the Tallahassee legal community.  Apart from his appellate practice, Andrew serves as a Second Circuit Governor on The Florida BarYoung Lawyers Division Board of Governors (since 2013) and has been a member of the board of the Young Lawyers Section of the Tallahassee Bar Association since 2009, serving as Treasurer, President-Elect, and President.  Andrew was honored to receive the 2014 Tallahassee Bar Association Thomas M. Ervin, Jr., Distinguished Young Lawyer Award. Andrew is also a supporter of the Leon County Teen Court program and has served as a volunteer judge since 2009. Additionally, Andrew has served as an adjunct instructor for Mass Media Law, an undergraduate class in the School of Communication at Florida State University.