Terrance E. Schmidt

Jacksonville, FL Directions

Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2001

Awarded Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation Mediation

904-398-1818

Awarded Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation Mediation

Works at

Schmidt Mediation PA

1 Best Lawyers award

Biography

Terrance E. Schmidt is a Florida-based mediator, arbitrator, and retired civil litigator with over 50 years of legal experience. A Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and longtime member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, he has mediated more than 6,000 cases and served as an arbitrator in dozens more.

Mr. Schmidt’s career as a commercial litigator spanned a wide range of complex disputes—including business torts, securities, employment discrimination, professional malpractice, construction defects, real estate, and insurance claims. Since transitioning to full-time dispute resolution in 2001, he has mediated high-stakes cases with claims ranging from multimillion-dollar contract disputes to catastrophic personal injury and class actions.

His notable experience includes mediations involving international patent claims, telecom disputes exceeding $400 million, and multi-party commercial and employment cases involving Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and governmental entities.

Mr. Schmidt is widely respected for his thorough preparation, even-handed approach, and ability to facilitate resolution in the most contentious and complex matters.

To view his full biography and current availability, visit schmidtmediation.com.

Locations

Jacksonville, Florida

1200 Riverplace Boulevard, Suite 850
Jacksonville, FL 32207

Languages

English

Education

Duke University, J.D., graduated 1973
Wittenberg University, B.A., Political Science, graduated 1967

Bar Admissions

Florida, American Bar Association, Section on Dispute Resolution
Florida, Jacksonville Bar Association
Florida, The Florida Bar, 1973

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits

Affiliations

Florida Academy of Professional Mediators - Member
Chester Bedell Inn of Court - Member
The College of Master Advocates and Barristers - Member
National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals - Member
American Board of Trial Advocates - Member
American College of Civil Trial Mediators - Member

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^® 2026 for work in:

Mediation
Commercial Litigation

Additional Areas of Practice:

Litigation - Construction
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
Civil Rights Law
Litigation - Securities
Litigation - Labor and Employment
Insurance Law
Real Estate Law
Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Construction Law

Special Focus:

Antitrust
Arbitration
Civil Litigation
Civil Rights
Commercial
Commercial Disputes
Complex Disputes
Complex Litigation
Construction
Contract Disputes
Equine
Fraud
Insurance
Mediation
Personal Injury
Real Estate

Awards:

Resolution of Appreciation, The Florida Bar (2002) — for pro bono service as Special Counsel in the F. Lee Bailey disbarment proceeding
Best Lawyers, Jacksonville, Commercial Litigation, Mediation (2001–present)
Super Lawyers – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Florida Super Lawyers (2006–present)
Legal Elite for Mediation, Florida Trend Magazine (2007–present)
Senior Counsel, The College of Master Advocates and Barristers
Master, Chester Bedell Inn of Court

Additional Information

Case History

Cases

The Florida Bar v. F. Lee Bailey

… in the Florida Supreme Court; Mr. Schmidt, as Special Counsel for The Florida Bar, successfully prosecuted a disbarment proceeding against Mr. Bailey for having misappropriated and commingled funds held by him in trust to be ultimately forfeited to the United States in connection with the criminal prosecution of Claude Duboc, an international drug smuggler. It is noteworthy with respect to Mr. Schmidt’s relationship skills and/or Mr. Bailey’s capacity for forgiveness that 20 years after the disbarment case ended, Mr. Bailey and Mr. Schmidt met again for drinks and to renew acquaintances when Mr. Bailey traveled to Jacksonville to give a seminar.

Andrews v. United States of America and Waste Management, Inc.

… in Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida; a toxic tort case in which the defendants deposited toxic chemicals into the Hipps Road Landfill in which Mr. Schmidt and others represented 134 plaintiffs who lived in close proximity to the landfill and suffered injuries from toxic chemicals that infiltrated the water table.

Edwards v. Property Corporation

… in Florida State Court State; a shareholders’ derivative action in which an heir of an original shareholder from 1950 sought a determination that the sales proceeds from the sale of the first Jewish country club and golf course in Jacksonville should be distributed to the heirs of the original shareholders rather than retained and used to build a Jewish community center; Mr. Schmidt successfully represented the entity that owned the property, and the proceeds of the sale were ultimately used to build the current JCA Community Center.

Jones v. Connecticut General Life Insurance Company

… in Florida State Court; an ADA and fraud case in which Mr. Schmidt represented a disabled senior vice president of the company to whom the jury awarded $5.4 million in compensatory and punitive damages and the court awarded an additional 16 years of front pay and attorneys’ fees.

Roby v. Koger, et al

… in the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida; an action by participants in the Koger Properties, Inc. profit sharing plan against the outside directors of the company and others serving as trustees of the plan for having wrongfully invested the plan’s assets primarily in Koger Properties’ stock in which Mr. Schmidt successfully represented three of the outside directors, individually;

The Insurance Commissioner of North Carolina v. Mason, et al

North Carolina Federal District Court; an action by the North Carolina Commissioner on behalf of American Assurance Life Insurance Company to declare the company insolvent and seek damages against its officers, directors, and certain employees in which Mr. Schmidt represented one of the employees.

VKK, Inc. and Victor Kiam v. The National Football League

21 of its teams, and Touchdown Jacksonville, Inc. in New York Federal District Court; an antitrust case in which Mr. Schmidt successfully represented Touchdown Jacksonville, Inc. in defending claims that it conspired with the National Football League to unlawfully terminate relocation discussions with Mr. Kiam, the then owner of the New England Patriots.

Continental Southeast Land Corporation, in Florida U.S. Bankruptcy court

… originally a Chapter 11 case which subsequently evolved into litigation in Florida circuit and appellate courts, the Federal District Courts of Florida and Nevada, the Ninth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal, the United States Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court of Ontario over a 17-year period in which Mr. Schmidt successfully represented the trustee and obtained a $3 million alter ego judgment against Sidney L. Jaffe, the principal of the company; during the course of that litigation, Mr. Jaffe sued Mr. Schmidt and others for extortion and kidnapping arising out of Mr. Jaffee’s arrest for land sales fraud following a bankruptcy court hearing; Mr. Jaffee was convicted, served 18 months in prison, and then sued Mr. Schmidt and others in Tornoto, Ontario, Canada; that lawsuit lasted 8 years after which Mr. Schmidt and the other defendants prevailed, and the trustee successfully enforced his $3 million judgment against Mr. Jaffe’s residential condominium.

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