Christopher V. Carlyle

Christopher V. Carlyle has been Board Certified by The Florida Bar in appellate practice since 2006. At present, only 217 lawyers in Florida have that certification. Mr. Carlyle has consistently been named to Florida Trend’s Legal Elite since 2009, as well as being recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer by Thomas Reuters for 17 years. In 2022 and 2023, he was named as one of the top 50 lawyers in Orlando by Super Lawyers. Mr. Carlyle is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, the highest recognition from that organization.

Since 2022 Mr. Carlyle has served as a Visiting Professor of Law at Florida A&M University College of Law where he teaches Appellate Advocacy.

Mr. Carlyle is active within the Florida Bar and served as Chair of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section in 2015-2016. He also served as the Section’s Chair-Elect, Vice-Chair, Secretary/Treasurer and Continuing Legal Education Chair, and he continues to serve on the Section’s Executive Council. Mr. Carlyle spent six years (2009-2015) on the Florida Bar’s Appellate Rules Committee, including serving as that group’s secretary and parliamentarian. Additionally, he was a member of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Certification Committee (2016-2019) where he served as Vice Chair.

Mr. Carlyle was awarded the Florida Justice Association’s S. Victor Tipton Award for Superior Achievement in Legal Writing in 2012. In addition, Mr. Carlyle received the Brevard County Legal Aid Appellate Law Award in 2012

Mr. Carlyle is an extremely experienced appellate practitioner as well as having a background in commercial litigation. Prior to joining The Carlyle Appellate Law Firm, he practiced a wide range of commercial litigation with Holland & Knight, LLP and McLin & Burnsed, P.A. Mr. Carlyle has handled cases in all six of Florida’s District Courts of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Florida, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Most notably, Mr. Carlyle was involved in Koontz v. St. John’s River Water Management District, 133 S. Ct. 2586 (2013), a groundbreaking decision concerning property rights.

Mr. Carlyle earned his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the Pepperdine University School of Law (1993) where he was Associate Editor of the Pepperdine Law Review, and where he was named to the Dean’s List all three years. He received B.A. in political science from San Diego State University (1987).

Mr. Carlyle frequently lectures on appellate matters. Presentations include:

• “Appellate Practice for Trial Lawyers,” presented by the Florida Justice Association (2020).
• “Practicing Before the Fifth District Court of Appeal,” presented by the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar, Orlando (2019).
• “Appellate Issues in Personal Injury Law,” presented by the Young Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar, Tampa (2018).
• “Comment on Climate Exactions,” Environmental Law & Policy Annual Review presented by the Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C. (2017).
• “The Art of Objecting: A Trial Lawyer’s Guide to Preserving Error for Appeal: Closing Arguments,” presented by the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar, Ft. Lauderdale (2014).
• “How to Utilize an Appellate Lawyer in Your Family Law Practice,” presented to the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar, Las Vegas (2014).
• “Trends and Developments in Assisted Reproduction Law and Practice: An Overview for Family Law Practitioners,” presented to the International Association of Matrimonial Lawyers, Arizona (2013).

Mr. Carlyle is active in various civic and community organizations. He was a member of Leadership Florida Class XXV (2007), and has been active in the organization since his class year. He was a member of the Leadership Lake County Class of 2000, and was selected to be president of the class by his peers. He spent two decades on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lake and Sumter Counties. In addition, Mr. Carlyle has served at various times as a director for the Central Florida Health Alliance Foundation, Haven of Lake and Sumter Counties, and Habitat for Humanity Lake County.