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Top-Ranked Appellate Lawyers in Jacksonville, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.210 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked appellate lawyers in Jacksonville, Florida are Rhonda Burns Boggess (LexRank 84.00), Rebecca Bowen Creed (84.00) and Bryan Scott Gowdy (84.00).

This ranking lists 10 appellate lawyers in Jacksonville, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. All 10 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar, a credential held by 4.9% of Florida lawyers in any field. Their experience ranges from 8 to 40 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
10
Fully verified
10 of 10

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

  1. No change

    Rhonda Burns Boggess

    Marks Gray, P.A. · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 36 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  2. No change

    Rebecca Bowen Creed

    Creed & Gowdy, P.A. · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 33 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  3. No change

    Bryan Scott Gowdy

    Creed & Gowdy, P.A. · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 27 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  4. No change

    William Stephen Graessle

    Independent practice · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 40 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  5. No change

    Jessie Leigh Harrell

    Independent practice · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 25 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  6. No change

    John Stewart Mills “John”

    Independent practice · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 29 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  7. No change

    Cristine Marie Russell

    Rogers Towers, P.A. · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 27 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.5)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  8. No change

    Dimitrios Alexandros Peteves “Dimitri Peteves”

    Creed & Gowdy, P.A. · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 10 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 66.00: strongest in Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (12/30). 18.00 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 12/30 (ranking avg 24.5)

    18.00 points behind #7 (Cristine Marie Russell): Experience −18.

  9. No change

    Jonathan Anthony Martin

    Independent practice · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 11 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 65.80: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (13.2/30). 0.20 points behind #8, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 13.2/30 (ranking avg 24.5)

    0.20 points behind #8 (Dimitrios Alexandros Peteves “Dimitri Peteves”): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  10. No change

    Samuel Robert Alexander

    Independent practice · Jacksonville, FL

    Verified
    • 8 years experience
    • Appellate
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 63.60: strongest in Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (9.6/30). 2.20 points behind #9, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 9.6/30 (ranking avg 24.5)

    2.20 points behind #9 (Jonathan Anthony Martin): Experience −3.6.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 10 profile pages110 facts for 10 lawyers

Appellate market in Jacksonville

LexRanked tracks 10 lawyers and 3 law firms in appellate law in Jacksonville, Florida. 10 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 19, 2026.

Lawyers
10
Law firms
3
Verified professional data
10 of 10
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
27 years10 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Jacksonville

What sets these Jacksonville lawyers apart

All 10 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar, which only about one in twenty Florida lawyers achieves in any field. Florida Bar board certification requires at least five years of practice, substantial involvement in the field, peer review by other lawyers and judges, continuing legal education and a written exam, and it must be renewed every five years. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 10 ranked lawyers Figure
Board Certified in Appellate Practice 10 of 10
Years in practice 8 to 40 (median 27)
Languages besides English Dutch (1), French (1), Greek (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law (7 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Jacksonville office address and appellate as a practice area on record. It compares 10 appellate lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. How we rank.

Florida rules to know

A notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days of the order being appealed, and Florida's six district courts of appeal hear most appeals from the trial courts.

Rule What it means
Notice of appeal Filed with the clerk of the lower tribunal within 30 days of rendition of the order (Fla. R. App. P. 9.110(b))
Initial brief Served within 70 days of filing the notice of appeal (Rule 9.110(f))
Answer and reply briefs Answer brief 30 days after the initial brief; reply brief 30 days after the answer brief (Rule 9.210(g))
Rehearing Motion for rehearing or clarification within 15 days of the court's decision (Rule 9.330(a))
Florida Supreme Court Discretionary review is invoked by a notice filed within 30 days of the district court's decision (Rule 9.120(b))
Appellate courts Six district courts of appeal, each covering contiguous judicial circuits (Fla. Stat. § 35.01)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Duval County is in Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.
  4. If you prefer to work in another language, check the languages listed on each profile.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to appeal a judgment in Florida?

30 days from rendition of the final order. The notice of appeal is filed with the clerk of the court that entered the order, under Rule 9.110(b) of the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. The deadline is jurisdictional, so a late notice usually ends the appeal.

Can I appeal an order before the case is over?

Only certain nonfinal orders can be appealed right away, such as orders on venue, injunctions and personal jurisdiction, listed in Rule 9.130. Other orders are usually reviewed after the final judgment.

Which court hears my appeal?

Most appeals from the circuit courts go to one of Florida's six district courts of appeal, determined by the circuit where the case was heard. The Florida Supreme Court reviews only certain cases.

Why hire a separate appellate lawyer?

An appeal is decided on the written record and the briefs, not on new evidence. Appellate lawyers focus on legal research, brief writing and oral argument, and The Florida Bar certifies lawyers in Appellate Practice after peer review and an exam.

What does Board Certified in Appellate Practice mean?

It is a credential from The Florida Bar for lawyers with substantial experience in the field who have passed peer review and a written exam. 10 of the 10 lawyers in this ranking hold it; 4.9% of Florida lawyers hold a board certification in any field.

Which court handles cases in Jacksonville?

State court cases in Duval County are heard in Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit.

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

10 of the 10 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Rhonda Burns Boggess, Rebecca Bowen Creed, Bryan Scott Gowdy, William Stephen Graessle and Jessie Leigh Harrell and others.

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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