Peter W. Homer is one of the firm’s founders. He has a diverse and extensive business law and litigation practice at both the trial and appellate levels, and in various arbitral forums. Mr. Homer represents private and public companies, including financial institutions, in all manner of litigation, arbitration, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and investigations by governmental agencies or self-regulatory organizations. He also counsels clients on compliance issues and laws, rules and regulations at the federal and state levels of various regulatory organizations.
Practice Experience
Mr. Homer has significant experience representing organizations and individuals who have become subjects of investigations or enforcement proceedings by federal and state governmental agencies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Education, Florida Attorney General, as well as other state regulators or industry self-regulatory organizations such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Clients include securities broker-dealers, investment advisors, investment companies, hedge funds, publicly-held companies, banks, insurance companies, for-profit schools, accounting firms, commodities firms, futures commission merchants, precious metals dealers, as well as the officers, directors, partners and employees of these companies. Mr. Homer has aggressively litigated against most governmental agencies on various issues, including temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and limiting the scope of or overturning orders involving asset freezes.
Mr. Homer’s education law practice is one of the most extensive in the nation. He represents universities, colleges and career schools in a variety of litigated and regulatory matters. He counsels these clients on compliance with accrediting standards of public and private primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, as well as on state and federal regulations.
Mr. Homer provides counseling and litigation services to banks and other financial institutions in all phases of consumer and commercial litigation, which includes drafting and interpreting contracts, leases, promissory notes, and security agreements. Clients include large national banks, local commercial and private banks, national commercial credit companies, and national commercial leasing companies, as well as foreign banking institutions. He is knowledgeable about the intricacies of federal and state banking regulations. He also provides representation in pre-litigation loan workouts and reorganizations through bankruptcy.
Mr. Homer provides businesses with a full-range of employment-related legal services and has handled lawsuits involving discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour, breach of contracts, severance, employee benefits, non-competition, confidentiality, trade secrets, whistle-blower, invasion of privacy, and defamation claims. Clients include a broad range of domestic and foreign corporations.
Professional and Civic Activities and Memberships
- The Florida Bar
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Washington State Bar Association
- Securities Dealers Association
Professional Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year for Securities Regulation in Miami, FL (2021)
- The Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year for Commercial Litigation in Miami, FL (2021)
- The Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year for Litigation – Securities in Miami, FL (2013, 2019, 2021)
- The Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year for Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions in Miami, FL (2014-2021)
- The Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year for Litigation – Banking & Finance in Miami, FL (2021)
- The Best Lawyers in America (2005-2021)
- Lawyer Legal Awards -Educational Law – Lawyer of the Year – USA (2018)
- Super Lawyers (2006-2024)
- Florida Trend’s Legal Elite (2004-2006, 2008, 2013-2015)
- Client Choice Award Winner for Litigation in Florida (2013)
- AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Bar Admissions
- Florida
- Maryland
- Washington
- Supreme Court of the United States
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Florida State Courts
- Maryland State Courts
- Washington State Courts
Background
- Founding Member of Homer Bonner Jacobs Ortiz
- Local Rules Committee, The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Judicial Clerkship, Honorable Sidney M. Aronovitz, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (1979-1980)
- Judicial Clerkship, Chief Judge Robert Murphy, Maryland Court of Appeals, (1978–1979)
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law (J.D./M.B.A., 1978)
- University of Notre Dame (B.A., magna cum laude, 1974)
Languages
- English