Hugh D. Higgins

Florida Bar Board-Certified Construction Law specialist Hugh Higgins oversees BCLG’s St. Petersburg office. Representing large general contractors, developers, owners, subcontractors, architects and engineers, Hugh routinely litigates construction claims exceeding $10 million throughout the State of Florida. He also navigates clients through contract negotiations and mid-construction dispute resolution.

With over 17 years’ experience in complex commercial litigation, Hugh possesses extensive knowledge regarding the construction of high-rise condominiums, mixed-use towers and multi-parcel developments. He has successfully represented clients in high-stakes claims involving alleged deficiencies of structural components, building envelopes, fire suppression, elevated pool decks, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, interior finishes, civil site planning, and adjacent amenities, among others. In a matter involving a 20-story, 120-unit waterfront high-rise condominium tower in Miami-Dade County’s North Bay Village, Hugh obtained a complete dismissal of all counts against his glass and glazing client after a two-week jury trial. 

Hugh graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Art History, where the faculty awarded him Art History Scholar of the Year during his senior year.  He also served for one year as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar stationed in Vienna, Austria, where he studied International Affairs and German at the University of Vienna (#univie) and obtained a Certificate of Fluency: Mittlestufe I.  He obtained his J.D. with honors from Stetson University College of Law. After completing law school, he served a two-year term as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge William J. Zloch in the Southern District of Florida.

AV-Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell, Hugh is admitted to practice before all Florida State Courts, and before the Federal Courts in the Middle & Southern Districts of Florida as well as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He has been consistently recognized by Florida Super Lawyers each year for nearly a decade and belongs to the Construction Law Committee of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of The Florida Bar. He was recently designated a 2025 Best Lawyers in America® “One to Watch” in Construction Litigation.

A Ft. Myers native, Hugh grew up in Florida and has strong ties to his current community. Outside the office, he attends a local church and serves on the board of New Life Solutions. He enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, with whom he shares a love of exploring the outdoors and competing in triathlons.

CERTIFICATIONS

• Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar, 2017

HONORS & AWARDS

• AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” for Construction Litigation, 2025
• Florida Super Lawyers, 2019-2024
• Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2014-2018 
  

COURT ADMISSIONS

• Florida Courts
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

PUBLICATIONS

• Remnants of Tiara: A Building is Still a Product  | HCBA Lawyer · Jan 1, 2014
• When and How a Lawyer Should Withdraw as Counsel | Lawyer Magazine, The Hillsborough Bar Association, Vol. 23, No. 7, Jul 1, 2013
• Florida Supreme Court Rules No Vicarious Liability For Businesses That Rent Or Lease Vehicles | Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell – Retail Blog · Apr 17, 2013
• Lienors Beware: A Lesson Learned from the Cool Guys, LLC | Lawyer Magazine, The Hillsborough Bar Association, Vol. 23, No. 3, Jan 2013

PRESENTATIONS

• Efficient & Aggressive Defense of Premises Liability Claims
• Opportunity to Cure and Right to Repair: Florida’s 558 Pre-Suit Procedure and 10 Florida CD Cases to Know
• Developments in Florida Case Law Since Tiara Condo Assn. (HCBA, Construction Law Section CLE)
• Construction Defect Litigation (Continuing Education Course for Claims Professionals)

MEMBERSHIPS

• Construction Law Committee Member, The Florida Bar Real Property
  Probate & Trust Law Section

EDUCATION

• Stetson University College of Law, J.D. cum laude, 2007
• University of Vienna, Certificate of Fluency: Mittlestufe I, 2002
  (Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar studying International Affairs & German)
• University of Florida, B.A. cum laude, Art History, 2000