Tampa, FL – Shutts & Bowen LLP is pleased to announce that Amanda B. Buffinton has been named Managing Partner of the firm’s Tampa office.  Shutts & Bowen is a full-service business law firm with approximately 270 lawyers and with eight offices across Florida.

“We are excited to welcome Amanda as Tampa Office Managing Partner,” said Firmwide Managing Partner Jack C. McElroy. “Her passion for the firm, combined with her knowledge of the Tampa community, is the ideal combination we look for in a leader. We are certain that under her leadership, the Tampa office will continue to grow and thrive.”

The firm’s Tampa office had previously been led by R. Alan Higbee, who is stepping aside after 17 years in this role in order to devote more time to his leadership position on Shutts & Bowen’s firmwide Executive Committee. Buffinton, a partner in the Construction Litigation Practice Group, is Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar and focuses her practice on the litigation and arbitration of complex construction claims on behalf of owners, contractors and design professionals. 

“It is a privilege to step into the Tampa Office Managing Partner role,” said Buffinton. “I look forward to continuing Alan’s tremendous work in establishing and expanding the Tampa office for the past 17 years. We have an amazing group of lawyers and staff members and I am excited to be at the helm while we continue to grow into the future.”

Recognized as a leader in her field, Buffinton is a Martindale Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney. She regularly writes and speaks on construction issues and consistently been recognized for her construction practice by Chambers USA, Florida Legal Elite, Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers, including being named in the “Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers” list in 2023 and “Top 50 Women Florida Super Lawyers” list since 2020.

She received her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude with highest honors, from Bellarmine University, and her law degree, cum laude, and MBA from Stetson University College of Law.