As Walton Lantaff's Central Florida resident partner, James T. Armstrong has built his practice on a solid foundation spanning over 35 years. With his vast experience and diversified areas of practice, he was a natural choice to lead the expansion of legal services offered by the firm to the many businesses, corporations, entrepreneurs, governmental agencies and institutions that call Central Florida home.
Mr. Armstrong joined Walton Lantaff in 2003 in order to practice with the many respected peers who are also friends with the firm. Since then, he has built a loyal client base throughout Florida and works closely with his clients in developing aggressive, cost-effective solutions for avoiding risk and resolving legal issues. Prior to joining Walton Lantaff, he was a Senior Civil Litigator for the CNA Insurance Companies handling cases statewide for national and regional clients. Mr. Armstrong is a retired U. S. Coast Guard Reserve officer Law Specialist with command experience. During his ten years on active duty, Commander Armstrong handled first party claims against the Coast Guard, investigations, disability determinations, merchant marine license revocations appeals and general maritime regulatory matters after going to sea for four years on Coast Guard Cutters. As a Coast Guard Reserve Officer he served on the staff of various South Florida Coast Guard Reserve units prior to Commanding the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station Reserve Unit and Seventh Coast Guard District Office Reserve Unit. Mr. Armstrong retired from the Coast Guard Reserve in 1993 with the rank of Commander (O-5).
Honors & Awards
•AV Preeminent Lawyer rating by Lexis Nexis/Martindale-Hubbell
•John Edward Smith Child Advocacy Award in 2010
•Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Guardian Ad Litem Pro Bono Attorney Award in 1987 and in 2002
•American Lawyer 2012 Edition of South Florida's Top Rated Lawyers, page 42
Community Involvement
•Legal Counsel to IDignity Seminole, Inc. a pro bono organization that provides free identification to indigent clients to enable them to re-enter the work force
•Provides pro bono representation to abused and abandoned children as a member of Orange County Bar Association Pro Bono Program since 2012
•Served on the national board of directors of Lawyers for Children America, Inc. from 2009 and was elected as the Board Chairperson in 2010 until May 2015
•Orange County Bar Association
•Active member in the Orlando Chamber of Commerce
•Active member in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando
•Active member in the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce
•Vice President of Central Orlando HCCMO Lead's Group
Publications
•Lawyers Should Champion Foster Children's Dreams in June 2011, published by Attorney At Law Magazine, Greater Miami Edition
•Contributing author of Evidence: Strategies for Finding, Preserving and Using Evidence to Support Your Case in 2007, published by the National Business Institute.
•Contributing author of Winning Your First Civil Trial in Florida: What They Didn't Teach You in Law School in 2005, published by National Business Institute
•Co-authored Workers' Compensation Law for Paralegals in Florida , for the Institute for Paralegal Education in 1996.
•Co-authored the comprehensive manual, Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation in Florida , for the National Business Institute in 1995.
•One of four contributing authors of the Florida Workers' Compensation Desk Reference Manual published by the National Education Network in 1994.
•Contributing author to Injuries in the Workplace in Florida published by the National Business Institute in 1994.
Speaking Engagements
•Subrogation and Liens, at State of Florida, Risk Management Division, Tallahassee, FL in 2015
•Defending Utilization Review Determinations, for CEU Institute at Genex, Lake Mary, FL in 2015
•Legal Update: Privacy & HIPPA Law, for CEU Institute at Allstate Insurance Company, Maitland, FL in 2015
•5-Hour Law & Ethics Update for Insurance Adjusters, for CEU Institute at Walt Disney World, FL in 2014 (one of four speakers)
•Ongoing speaker at Annual Firm Continuing Educational Unit Seminars in South Florida, Tampa/St. Pete, and Central Florida for insurance and risk management industries
