Litigation - Labor and Employment
J.D. Zarate
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2026 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
J.D. is a business litigation attorney and trial lawyer who represents companies and individuals in a wide variety of high-stakes commercial disputes across state and federal courts in Florida. His litigation practice focuses on breach of contract claims, business torts, non-compete and restrictive covenant enforcement, trade secret misappropriation and intellectual property matters, partnership and shareholder disputes, class actions, and administrative or regulatory issues.
With experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants, J.D. combines strategic litigation skills with industry-specific insight across healthcare, commercial real estate, SaaS, consumer packaged goods (CPG), industrial electronics, financial services, and aesthetic and cosmetic services. Clients rely on his extensive courtroom experience and pragmatic, business-focused approach to protect their interests, mitigate risk, and resolve disputes effectively.
In addition to litigation, J.D. serves as outside counsel to businesses on contract review and negotiation, employment law issues, and day-to-day operational matters, helping clients align legal strategy with business objectives.
Overview
- University of Notre Dame, Juris Doctor
- University of Florida, B.S. & B.A.
- Florida, The Florida Bar
- Tampa Jesuit Bar Association - Member
- Hillsborough County Bar Association - Member
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
- Florida, The Florida Bar
- Tampa Jesuit Bar Association - Member
- Hillsborough County Bar Association - Member
- University of Notre Dame, Juris Doctor
- University of Florida, B.S. & B.A.
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America from 2023-2025 for work in:
- Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants - 2025
- Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants - 2024
- Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants - 2023
Additional Areas of Practice:
- Health Care Law
- Commercial Litigation
- Litigation - Real Estate
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
News & Media
Case History
Cases
- Real Estate Litigation
Represented national commercial real estate developer in breach of contract lawsuit filed in Georgia Statewide Business Court stemming from sale of hotel in downtown Atlanta; negotiated favorable settlement that provided over $5 million in additional value to client
- Trade Dress Infringement and Unfair Competition Litigation
Represented luxury storage suites company in federal jury trial involving claims of trade dress infringement, unfair competition, and tortious interference
- Partnership and Trust Litigation
Represented clients in partnership dispute involving breach of fiduciary duty and accounting claims; negotiated favorable mediation settlement valued at over $17 million and drafted settlement agreement with complex conditional performance terms that allowed clients to successfully enforce the settlement agreement when opposing party failed to perform as required
- Trade Secrets, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, and Restrictive Covenant Litigation
Secured pivotal injunction ruling and served as lead negotiator at mediation that enabled shareholder clients to purchase majority control of company for $12.5 million less than best pre-mediation offer, resolving multiple lawsuits involving misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of fiduciary duty claims
- Administrative Action Against State Agency
Represented SaaS company—largest provider of environmental health data management solutions to government agencies in North America—in administrative action filed in Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) against a state agency; obtained critical ruling on a novel legal issue that forced the agency to withdraw attempt to place client on the suspended vendors list, averting potentially catastrophic business disruption
- Healthcare Noncompete and Restrictive Covenant Litigation
Defended employee nurses in non-compete and non-solicitation lawsuits filed by national aesthetics company; achieved dismissal on novel jurisdictional grounds, then prevailed on appeal with a per curiam affirmance preserving dismissal of all claims
- Trade Secrets, Noncompete, and Restrictive Covenant Enforcement
Represented nationwide broker of consumer packaged goods in federal lawsuit against former independent contractor; secured permanent injunction enforcing restrictive covenants to protect the client’s national sales network and confidential market data
- Real Property and Trust Litigation
Defended individual client in multimillion-dollar real property and trust dispute involving claims of fraud and undue influence; obtained summary judgment dismissing all claims and securing entitlement to attorneys’ fees
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