Attorney Alfred LaSorte Jr., P.A
After a distinguished career at Shutts & Bowen LLP as one of South Florida’s premiere board-certified business litigators, Al LaSorte now dedicates his time to helping parties reach cost-effective mediated settlements. Over his many years as a mediator, Al has helped hundreds of litigants resolve disputes without the need for trials, and can do the same for your clients.
Based in West Palm Beach, Al mediates cases all across South Florida, from the Keys and Miami to Tampa and the Space Coast. He is willing to travel, at reduced rates, for the convenience of the parties.
EXPERIENCE THAT MATTERS
During his legal career, Al was listed in Best Lawyers in America®, Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite and Florida Super Lawyers, and was a Fellow in Litigation Counsel of America. He was also named “Lawyer of the Year” in 2016 by Best Lawyers®.
With 38 years’ experience in real estate and commercial litigation, Al’s expertise ranges from broad commercial disputes to every facet of real estate, title insurance and mortgage litigation. He was one of a few Florida litigators with such an extensive focus on real estate title and encumbrance issues. His experience as lead counsel in over 100 jury and non-jury trials and as a former prosecutor in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, combined with his knowledge of substantive real estate and mortgage law, afford him a unique vantage point from which to assist your clients in resolving their cases without trial, be they lending institutions, business or real property owners, or title insurers.
Al has sat as mediator in more than 225 business and real estate litigation matters, and has been retained as an expert witness in numerous commercial and real estate cases. Al has also been court-appointed as special master and as receiver.
For 16 years, Al was selected by the Florida Bar to present the mortgage foreclosure seminar at the annual Florida Bar Real Estate Certification Review Course in Orlando. He frequently speaks at seminars across the state on advanced topics concerning real estate litigation. He’s a member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and a former member and past chair of both the Florida Bar Business Litigation Certification Committee and the 15th Judicial Circuit Professionalism Council.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Al has held leadership positions with various community organizations for many years, including his former membership on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the West Palm Beach Public Library.
An avid amateur astronomer, Al’s library lectures on “Galileo” were been among the library’s best attended events.
Al founded and chaired for four years the American Heart Association’s annual Palm Beach County “Lawyers Have Heart 5K Run,” which raised more than $250,000 for the American Heart Association. He’s a former member of the Executive Cabinet for the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk.
Al is also actively involved with Kenya Relief, an American charity responsible for operating a health clinic, school and orphanage in a remote part of Kenya. He has traveled to Kenya to personally supervise Shutts & Bowen’s donation of dozens of computers and internet access equipment for the school and clinic.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Al is a licensed SCCA auto racer, a certified track driving instructor and a licensed independent auto dealer. He spends his spare time dealing in high-end sports cars and exotics, competing in SCCA-sanctioned auto races and instructing sports car owners in the art of high-speed track driving at Porsche Club of America and Ferrari Club of America events at Florida race tracks, including Sebring International Raceway and Daytona International Speedway.
AL’S CURRICULUM VITAE:
EDUCATION
University of Florida College of Law J. D. – December 1980
University of Delaware
B.A, History and Economics – 1977
PRIOR EMPLOYMENT
Shutts & Bowen LLP, Partner
525 Okeechobee Boulevard, Suite 1100 West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 2001 to 2019
Alfred A. LaSorte, Jr., P.A.
1645 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, Suite 1000 West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
January 1992 to November 2001
Broome, Kelley and Aldrich, P.A. 801 Spencer Drive
West Palm Beach, Florida 33409 1990 to January 1992
Easley, Massa and Willits, P.A.
1655 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, Suite 800 West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
Associate – 1983 to 1987
Partner – 1987 to 1990
Office of the State Attorney, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida
300 North Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
Assistant State Attorney, Felony Division – 1981 to 1983
BAR ADMISSIONS
Florida -1981
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida,
Trial Bar – 1983
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS
Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, Florida Bar – 1987 to 2017
Board Certified in Business Litigation, Florida Bar – 1996 to present
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Palm Beach County Bar Association – 1983 to present
Associate Agent – Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, Inc.
Florida Land Title Association – Associate Member – 1997 to 2019
Florida Bar Business Litigation Certification Committee – Member and Chair, 2007-2012 15th Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee – Member and Chair, 2003-2008
AREAS OF LAW PRACTICE (PRIOR TO 2020)
General commercial litigation, with an emphasis on real estate and title insurance disputes
Mediation of commercial litigation disputes (approx. 225 mediations to date) Institutional clients included various title insurers and lending institutions
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Best Lawyers in America – Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Law 2009 – 2019 Selected as “Lawyer of the Year,” 2016
Super Lawyers – Business Litigation 2008 – 2019
Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017
Miami Herald, South Florida’s Top Lawyers, 2011- 2019
Fellow – Litigation Counsel of America, 2012 – 2019
South Florida Business Journal Key Partners Award Nominee – Real Estate Law, 2009 “AV” rated by Martindale – Hubbell, 1992 – 2019
SEMINARS AND LEGAL WRITING
Florida Commercial Real Estate Litigation Blog (www.flcrelitblog.shutts.com) Co-editor Mortgage Foreclosure and Restructuring Opportunities – Twenty First Annual Univ. of Miami Real Estate Institute – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – Oct. 2008
Real Estate Contract Litigation – Attorneys’ Title Fund Assembly – Orlando, Florida – May, 2008
Mortgage Foreclosures – Florida Bar Real Estate Certification Review Course – Orlando, Florida – 2004 – 2019
Evidence Issues in Real Estate Litigation, Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section – Tampa, Florida and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – 2004
Survey Law- PESI – Ft. Myers, Florida and West Palm Beach, Florida – August, 2002 Equitable Subrogation – Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, Inc. – Fund Assembly, Orlando, Florida – May, 2001
Real Estate Litigation – National Business Institute – West Palm Beach, Florida – May, 1997 Survey, Boundary and Easement Issues in Real Property Transactions – an Overview of Legal Issues Affecting Title – Ninth Annual Univ. of Miami Real Property Institute – Miami, Florida- October, 1996
Boundary Litigation and the Law of Vacated Public Roads – Conveyancing in the 90’s Seminar, Florida Bar Convention, Orlando, Florida – June, 1996
The Economic Loss Rule in Real Property Litigation – Attorneys’ Title Fund Assembly – Orlando, Florida – May, 1996
Unresolved Boundaries, Resolution of Boundary Disputes, and Handling Right-of-Way Problems – National Business Institute Boundary Law Seminar – West Palm Beach, Florida – March, 1996
The Economic Loss Rule – Palm Beach County Bar Association Commercial Litigation Seminar – West Palm Beach, Florida – December, 1995
Declaratory Actions Regarding Real Property – Attorneys’ Title Fund Assembly – Orlando, Florida – May, 1995