Amanda B. Buffinton

Amanda B. Buffinton is the Managing Partner of the Tampa office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where she is a member of the Construction Litigation Practice Group.

A Martindale Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney, Amanda is also Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar. She has been rated in Chambers USA for her expertise in construction law since 2020. Amanda specializes in the litigation and arbitration of complex construction claims including representing clients in jury and non-jury trials. She regularly represents design professionals, contractors, owners and developers in various types of construction disputes including claims related to public road and bridge construction including FDOT projects, electric generation landfills, storm water systems, retail structures, hospitals, municipal wastewater treatment facilities, warehouse structures, and large condominium and multi-family structures. She has successfully represented clients in construction claims involving professional negligence and design errors and omissions, personal injury and death, federal investigations relating to the False Claims Act, delay and acceleration damages, bond and lien issues, professional licensure, construction defects and building code violations. Amanda has extensive federal court experience and has litigated a multitude of construction and commercial claims in the Northern, Middle and Southern District Courts of Florida including the successful defense of a large class action suit on behalf of an international testing company.

Amanda regularly writes and speaks on construction issues including at industry events held by the Florida Transportation Builder’s Association and the Construction Law Institute hosted by the Florida Bar’s Real Property Probate and Trust Law Division. She has frequently been named as a Legal Elite in Florida Trend magazine as well as a Florida Super Lawyer since 2009, including being listed in the Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers list in 2023 as well as the Top 50 Women Florida Super Lawyers list from 2020 through 2023. She’s also been listed among the Best Lawyers in America® in Construction Law since 2022. Amanda is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and was raised in both Louisville and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Credentials

Education

Stetson University, J.D., cum laude, 2002
- Moot Court Team
Stetson University, MBA, 2002
Bellarmine University, B.A., summa cum laude with highest honors, 1999

Bar Admissions

Florida

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Professional and Civic

Florida Bar Association, Real Property Probate & Trust Law Division
- Construction Law Committee, 2009 - 2016
Hillsborough County Bar Association
- Co-Chair of Diversity Committee, 2013-2015
The Federal Bar Association, Tampa Bay Chapter
- Board Member, 2014-2015
American Bar Association
- Construction Law Forum
Tampa Connection Class of 2008
The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Tampa Class of 2011

News & Insights

Presentations

Presenter and Co-Author, “Florida’s ‘Federal Summary Judgment Standard’ – Strategic Considerations for Real Property and Construction Litigation,” The Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, Live Audio Webcast, March 23, 2021
Panelist and Co-Author, “Ethical Considerations in a Complicated Defense,” 4th Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar, The Seminar Group, August 7, 2020
Panelist and Co-Author, “Ethical Considerations in a Complicated Defense,” 3rd Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar, The Seminar Group, August 14, 2019
Panelist and Co-Author, "Use of Experts to Testify on Building Code Violations, and Proposed Jury Instructions," The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Construction Law Institute, March 9, 2019
Speaker, “Use of Experts by Design Professionals,” The Real Property Probate and Trust Law Division of the Florida Bar, CLE – Expert Witnesses in Construction Cases, November 20, 2017
Speaker, "Errors and Omissions: Panel Discussion of Defending and Asserting Claims Against Architects and Engineers," Hillsborough County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, November 17, 2016
Speaker, “Avoiding Legal Liability for the Design Professional,” AIA Women in Architecture, May 14, 2010 and June 3, 2011
Speaker regarding professional liability issues for engineers, Florida Structural Engineers Association, September 14, 2010
Speaker regarding professional liability issues for interior designers, International Academy of Design and Technology, July 27, 2011
Speaker regarding design professional liability issues for “Practical Issues in Construction Litigation,” Hillsborough County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, February 28, 2012
Speaker at “Leadership in Engineering” undergraduate course, University of South Florida, 2014
Panelist, “Staying in the Game – Women, Leadership and the Law,” Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, January 29, 2015
Panelist, “Empowering One Another,” Florida Diversity Council’s Tampa Bay Women in Leadership Symposium, March 27, 2015

Publications

“Women in the Legal Profession: Taking Advantage of Our Differences,” The 101 Practice Series: Breaking Down the Basics, American Bar Association, 2008
Contributing Author, State-by-State Guide to Design and Construction Contracts and Claims, Aspen Publishers, Michael Dodd and J. Duncan Findley, 2009-2012
Co-author, “Retention and Promotion of Female Attorneys – What Can We Do Better?,” Lawyer magazine, May 2014