Richard V Blystone

Rick is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Labor & Employment Law. He is adept at assisting clients with avoiding costly and time-consuming litigation. This includes review and preparation of employee policies, handbooks, and contracts, and development of employee/management training. Rick also assist clients with day-to-day employment law questions, including questions about hiring, discipline, internal investigations, terminations, reasonable accommodations, FMLA compliance, non-solicitation, confidentiality and non-compete matters.

In the event litigation cannot be avoided, or if it is time to take a stand, Rick zealously represents his clients in court, whether it be in state of federal court, or before any number of administrative agencies. His extensive litigation practice includes cases brought under Title VII, Section 1981, Section 1983, FLSA, ADA, PDA, ADEA, FMLA, FCRA, Section , Florida Statutes, and Florida’s Whistleblower statutes, just to name a few. Rick also represents clients in commercial litigation, including breach of contract claims, shareholder disputes, and trade secret and unfair and deceptive trade practice matters. Rick has served as the Chair of Florida Defense Lawyers Association’s (FDLA) Labor and Employment Law Committee. He is also a member of the Florida Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, Phi Theta Kappa, the Moot Court Honor Society, and the National Order of Barristers, a national honorary organization that recognizes excellence in written and oral advocacy.

Rick was recently named to the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Roster in the area of labor and employment law by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning. Fulbright alumni include 33 current or former heads of state or government, 54 Nobel Laureates, 82 Pulitzer Prize winners, 29 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors.