Managing Partner, Tyson & Mendes
Holly Howanitz joined Tyson & Mendes this year and is the Managing Partner of the firm’s Jacksonville office. She focuses her practice on defending claims in matters of general negligence, premises liability, transportation and construction defect litigation, retail, personal injury, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, insurance agent malpractice, products liability and automobile negligence.
Ms. Howanitz has represented corporations such as Hiscox, Amerisure, Swiss Re, Progressive, RLI/Mt. Hawley, and The Medical Protective. Ms. Howanitz's passion for the law has earned her an AV® Preeminent™ rating from her peers, the highest level rating awarded to lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell.
Ms. Howanitz has represented corporations, individuals, and insurance carriers in cases involving automobile and trucking accidents. She has tried a number of cases involving disputed liability as well as admitted liability cases with disputed injuries. In addition, Ms. Howanitz handles cases in all aspects of construction litigation such as water intrusion issues, settlement issues, defective windows, and roofing cases. She has experience in representing developers, general contractors, sub-contractors, architects, engineers, and other design professionals for residential and commercial properties. Additionally, Ms. Howanitz has extensive experience in defending insurance brokers and independent insurance agents in errors and omissions litigation.
Ms. Howanitz is admitted to practice in the states of Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. She graduated cum laude from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2004 and received her Bachelor of Arts from Oglethorpe University in 2002. In 2015, Ms. Howanitz was named as one of the top 40 under 40 business leaders by the Jacksonville Business Journal. The next year, in 2016, she was named as one of the Jacksonville's top 25 women of influence.
Ms. Howanitz is an active member of The Florida Bar, The State Bar of Georgia, and Tennessee Bar, as well as the Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Women's Lawyers Association, Florida Defense Lawyers Association Defense Research Institute, and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). In 2021, she was asked to become an executive board member of ABOTA.
