Matthew K. Schwencke
Shareholder
MATTHEW K. SCHWENCKE earned his law degree from Stetson University College of Law, where he was a member of Stetson’s award-winning moot court board. While in law school, he served as intern to a federal magistrate judge and also prosecuted misdemeanor criminal offenses as a Certified Legal Intern for the Pinellas County State Attorney’s office. As an undergraduate, Mr. Schwencke attended the University of Florida on a Bright Futures Scholarship; he graduated with honors.
A Palm Beach County native, Mr. Schwencke is admitted to practice in all jurisdictions in the State of Florida and has been admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Florida. He is a member of The Florida Bar, the Florida Justice Association, the Palm Beach County Bar Association, the Palm Beach County Justice Association, The National Trial Lawyers Top 40, and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Mr. Schwencke is recognized by The Florida Bar as a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer. This distinction recognizes his special knowledge, skill and proficiency in civil trial law as well as his professionalism and ethics in his law practice. As a member of ABOTA, an invitation-only national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges, he is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ABOTA membership consists of more than 7,600 lawyers—equally balanced between plaintiff and defense—and judges, spread among 96 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Members must have at least five years of active experience as trial lawyers, have tried at least 10 civil jury trials to conclusion, and possess additional litigation experience. ABOTA members must also exhibit the virtues of civility, integrity and professionalism.
Mr. Schwencke’s achievements as a trial lawyer have also been recognized by his peers. He has been selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America, a Rising Star by Florida Super Lawyers, Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine, and as one of the top 40 trial lawyers under the age of 40 by The National Trial Lawyers.
Mr. Schwencke was inducted into the Florida Verdicts Hall of Fame as a result of his verdict in excess of $12 million in the case of the Estate of Andrew Connor Curtis v. Villas on the Green Condominium Association, et al. He obtained the largest surgical error verdict in the State of Florida in 2017 in the case of Haley vs. Hyland, MD. Mr. Schwencke’s verdict in the case of Gray v. Iakovidis, MD was recognized by Courtroom View Network as one of the Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiffs’ Verdicts and one of the top 100 medical malpractice verdicts in the United States of America in 2018. His 2019 verdict in the case of Roland vs. Waffle House was one of the top 40 slip-and-fall verdicts in the State of Florida that year. His success continued in 2021 when his verdict in the case of Rosenberg v. Muhletahler, MD was recognized by Courtroom View Network as one of the Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff’s Verdicts in the United States that year.
As a Shareholder with Searcy Denney, Mr. Schwencke represents victims of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death involving medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and neglect, assisted living facility abuse and neglect, motor vehicle collisions, and premises, professional, and products liability.
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Publications & Presentations
Awards
- Best Lawyers
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Florida Super Lawyers
- Florida Trend Legal Elite
- National Trial Lawyers “Top 40 under 40”
- Fellow, American Board of Trial Advocates National Trial College
- American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best
- The trial of Rosenberg v. Muhletahler, MD was recognized by Courtroom View Network as one of the Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff’s Verdicts in the United States in the year 2021
- The trial of Roland v. Waffle House, Inc., was recognized as one of the Top 40 Slip and Fall verdicts in the state of Florida in the year 2019
- The trial of Haley vs. Hyland, MD was recognized as the largest surgical error verdict in the State of Florida in the year 2017
- The trial of Gray v. Iakovidis, MD was recognized by Courtroom View Network as one of the Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff’s Verdicts in the United States in the year 2018
- Chairman of the Medical Malpractice Committee of the Florida Justice Association (2018)
Prior Cases
- Olvera-Casas v. TC Crum Roofing $3,252,588.01 (August 2012)
- Estate of Andrew Connor Curtis v. Bygel, et al. $12,064,302.36 (March 2013)
- Campbell v. Stanley $76,018.42 (May 2015)
- Haley v. Hyland MD $1,554,270.38 (June 2017)
- Tritt v. University of Florida $222,717.17 (December 2017)
- Gray v. Iakovidis MD $4,914,462.59 (July 2018)
- Roland v. Waffle House, Inc $115,515.07 (October 2019)
- Rosenberg v. Muhletahler, MD $2,445,000.00 (April 2021)
- E/O Branen v. La Mesa RV $10,031,535.83 (January 2022)
- E/O Hershkowitz vs. Rodriguez MD $4,000,000.00 (April 2023)
- Broadway vs. Silver Springs Bottled Water Company $1,100,000.00 (May 2024)
- Rieger v. Costco $625,000.00 (October 2024)