A. Brian Albritton

A. Brian Albritton's practice focuses on "white collar" criminal defense, False Claims Act and Qui Tam litigation, regulatory compliance, and complex commercial litigation, including the prosecution and defense of claims relating to trade secret theft, non-competition agreements, and regulatory enforcement actions brought by government agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Albritton served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. He is the author of the False Claims Act and Qui Tam Law blog.

Mr. Albritton has handled numerous grand jury investigations and defended claims involving RICO, trade secret theft, environmental crime, student loan fraud, bankruptcy fraud, securities fraud, and tax fraud. Mr. Albritton has also represented clients in a number of criminal and civil health-care fraud, False Claims Act, and Qui Tam actions. Clients frequently retain Mr. Albritton to conduct internal investigations into alleged misconduct in their businesses (including Sarbanes-Oxley issues); defend and coordinate responses to subpoenas from investigative bodies; develop corporate compliance programs; and conduct employee and management training on compliance issues, in addition to his trial practice.

From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Albritton was the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. He led 110 assistant US Attorneys in offices in Tampa, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Ocala, and oversaw the prosecution of all federal offenses and the litigation of all civil issues involving the federal government in the District. The District significantly expanded its white collar prosecutions during Mr. Albritton's leadership, and its "Mortgage Fraud Surge" effort received national prominence. Mr. Albritton worked to form the Tampa Division's Medicare Fraud Strike Force (the "HEAT Team") and to resolve United States v. WellCare Health Plans, Inc., one of the largest healthcare fraud cases in the country in 2009. Mr. Albritton also tried many criminal cases while serving as U.S. Attorney, the most notable of which being United States v. Beau Diamond, which involved a massive Ponzi scam that began in Sarasota.

Mr. Albritton advises clients and manages lawsuits concerning regulatory and compliance issues brought by government authorities against clients. He has defended clients in front of a variety of administrative and governmental agencies, including the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of Education, the Florida Department of Environmental Affairs, Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Agency, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and other state and local agencies.

Mr. Albritton has also defended businesses in the hospitality, travel, credit counseling/debt management, and debt collection industries in investigations brought by attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, and he has defended organizations nationwide that are involved in telemarketing and direct mail advertisements. Mr. Albritton helps clients comply with the plethora of federal and state laws that govern telemarketing, direct mail, and other forms of consumer sales.

Mr. Albritton's experience includes contract disputes, fraud, civil RICO, trade practice and unfair competition claims, business torts, creditors' rights, and environmental litigation. He devoted much of his civil practice for numerous years to issues concerning trade secrets, noncompetition agreements, and other restrictive covenants. These cases usually contain charges of theft of trade secrets or other confidential business information by another company or competitor, and the litigation is sometimes very similar to criminal conduct.

Mr. Albritton was a partner in Holland & Knight LLP's Tampa office prior to becoming U.S. Attorney (1990-2008). He also taught Federal Criminal Law Seminars and Federal Courts as an Adjunct Professor at Stetson University College of Law from 1998 to 2004. He worked for U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges, M.D. in Florida as a law clerk (1988-1990).

Education

• Harvard University, MTS, graduated 1982
• New College of Florida, BA, graduated 1979

Award List

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for:

• Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Tampa (2022)
• Litigation - Health Care, Tampa (2018)

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Litigation - Health Care
• Qui Tam Law

Awards:

• Florida Super Lawyers
• The Best Lawyers in America
• Florida Trend Magazine "Legal Elite"
• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell
• George C. Carr Memorial Award Recipent from Federal Bar Association, Tampa Bay Chapter