Christopher Prater
Chris Prater is the Managing Partner of the Firm’s Fort Lauderdale office. Mr. Prater concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation with special focus on defending high stakes non-compete and trade secret cases. Chris also has substantial experience pursuing appeals and litigating claims involving defamation, the Fair Labor Standards Act, deceptive trade practices, internal corporate disputes, and other complex business claims. Chris aggressively pursues all possible claims and defenses for his clients and prides himself on his ability to negotiate the resolution of highly contentious litigation.
After growing up in Missouri, Chris earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Arkansas. He then attended the University of Miami School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Order of the Coif. During law school, he was a member of the moot court team, served as a judicial intern for Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal, and was a law clerk at prestigious boutique firms including Podhurst Orseck, P.A. After law school, he litigated complex medical malpractice and other personal injury cases for three years before joining the Firm. Chris has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2019.
Admissions
- Florida
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Representative Decisions
- Valerius de Cortes v. Brickell Investment Realty, LLC, et al., 21-21109-CIV (S.D. Fla. 2021) (denying motion to dismiss false advertising and defamation per se claims based on statements that Plaintiff had retired and violated restrictive covenants).
- Properties of Villages v. Kranz, 2020 WL 5939942 (M.D. Fla. 2020) (denying preliminary injunction against several real estate brokers in non-compete case).
- Matonis v. Care Holdings Grp., L.L.C., 423 F. Supp. 3d 1304 (S.D. Fla. 2019) (denying motion to dismiss false advertising claim based on communications designed to advance business interests including cease and desist letters and defamation per se claim based on statements about the Plaintiff violating restrictive covenants and being ill).
- Kenny v. Critical Intervention Services, 358 F. Supp. 3d 1348 (M.D. Fla. 2019) (denying motion to stay and determine attorneys’ fees in FLSA case absent settlement or offer of judgment).
- Taslidzic v. Prime Tech Coatings, Inc., 2018 WL 3134419 (S.D. Fla. May 21, 2018) (denying motion to dismiss claims for defamation per se and false advertising in violation of the Lanham Act).
- Trinity Graphic, USA, Inc. v. Tervis Tumbler Company, et al., 320 F.Supp.3d 1285 (M.D. Fla. July 30, 2018) (denying motions to dismiss fraud and theft of trade secret claims).
Other Representative Matters
- 2017 – Successfully defended individual against staffing company’s efforts to enforce restrictive covenants resulting in release of the restrictions and payment of client’s attorneys’ fees.
- 2017 – Resolved restrictive covenant claims against and wage claims brought by a hair stylist.
- 2017-2018 – Successfully represented several clients in multi-front litigation including a federal declaratory judgment action seeking to invalidate restrictive covenant and state court actions defending efforts to enforce restrictive covenants, defending efforts to hold non-parties in contempt of an injunction order, and prosecuting a derivative shareholder claim.
- 2018 – Represented client in arbitration regarding restrictive covenants and wage claims resulting in payment to client and a release of restrictions.
- 2018 – Defended foster parents in litigation seeking to enforce restrictive covenants against them.
- 2019 – Successfully negotiated physician’s release from all restrictive covenants entered with practice group.
- 2019 – Successfully negotiate resolution of trade secret and breach of fiduciary duty claims against client with no money changing hands.
- 2020 – Obtained large settlement for individual in negligent infliction of emotional distress case.
- 2021 – Successfully negotiated release of all restrictive covenants in sales industry and settlement of FLSA wage claim.
- 2021 – Successfully negotiated dissolution of medical practice and release of restrictive covenants for prominent physician.
- 2021 – Obtained large settlement for individual in defamation per se
- 2021 – Successfully negotiated physician’s separation from medical practice and release of restrictive covenants.
