T.A. (Tad) Delegal III
Thomas A. “Tad” Delegal, III is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in the areas of Labor & Employment Law and State & Federal Administrative Practice. Mr. Delegal is the only attorney in Florida who has received certification in both specialties. He has practiced law in the Jacksonville, Florida area for twenty-eight years. Mr. Delegal has lectured on employment law issues before both employer and employee organizations. Mr. Delegal and his office monitor the constantly changing state of Florida and United States employment law and provide advice and litigation services to clients on a variety of issues which affect employers and employees.
Tad Delegal’s dual certification is valuable in representing individuals who contest the government’s attempts to harm their professional statuses or careers. Tad regularly represents persons who are contesting discipline of their professional or occupational licenses. He also frequently represents public employees in pension and other administrative matters.
Delegal & Poindexter, P.A. represents clients in non-compete litigation, severance disputes, professional licensing issues, public employment litigation, and employment discrimination matters.
Mr. Delegal graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Arts, and a Juris Doctor degree. He began the practice of law as an Assistant State Attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit, where he distinguished himself in trial practice and won the “Rookie of the Year” award.
He served for several years as an officer of the Florida Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association. Tad Delegal served as chairperson the Florida Bar’s Labor and Employment Certification Committee, which certifies attorneys as specialists in labor and employment practice, as well as chairperson of the Federal and State Government and Administrative Practice certification committee, which certifies specialists in State and Federal Administrative Practice. Tad served as president of the Jacksonville Bar Association and previously chaired the Special Needs Children Committee for the Jacksonville Bar Association. He previously served as a Florida Bar fee arbitrator and chairperson of a Florida Bar grievance committee.
Tad Delegal was named “Lawyer of the Year” for 2017 and 2020 in Labor and Employment Law in his region by the Best Lawyers in America organization. He was awarded with the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Civility and Professionalism Award for 2019. He has received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest attorney rating awarded by that service, and was named as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Tad was honored by a local news organization which awarded him a “Twelve Who Care” award for his pro bono service to children with disabilities. He served for over ten years on the board of directors for the Jericho School for Children with Autism and Related Disabilities. Tad served on the University of Florida Political Science Department Advisory Board, and previously served on the University of Florida Foundation Regional Advisory Board. He is a former senior warden of All Saints Episcopal Church and is a founding member of the San Marco Rotary Club. Recently, he and partner James Poindexter were named recipients of the 2019 Jacksonville Area Legal Aid Kathy Para Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award.
Tad is married to Julie Geisenburg Delegal, who, along with her husband, has worked with many families with disabled children to provide them with educational opportunities. Julie is also a freelance writer who regularly contributes to local publications, and a paralegal at Delegal & Poindexter. Tad and Julie have three children, Buddy, Maia, and Carter.
Certification/Specialties
Florida Bar, Labor and Employment
Florida Bar, Federal and State Government Administrative Practice
Education
University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida J.D., 1991
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, M.A. in Political Science, 1987
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, B.A., 1985
Professional Activities
2017-2018 – President, Jacksonville Bar Association
2007-2010 – Florida Bar Grievance Committee 4(D), Chairperson 2009-2010
1997-2000 – Florida Bar, Fourth Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee
2002-2005 – Secretary/Treasurer Florida Chapter, National Employment Lawyers Association
2006 – 2011 – Florida Bar, Labor and Employment Certification Committee, Chairperson 2010 – 2011
2004 – 2019 – Florida Bar, Federal and State Government Administrative Practice Certification Committee, Chairperson 2018 – 2019
2007-2008 – Jacksonville Bar, Special Needs of Children – Chairperson
2008-2018 – Jacksonville Bar Board of Governors
Memberships
American Bar Association
National Employment Lawyers Association, Florida Chapter
American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
Fellows of the American Bar Association
Community Organizations
Chairman, Jericho School for Children with Autism, Board of Directors, 1997-2007
Speech & Hearing Center of Northeast Florida, Board of Directors, 1999-2000
President, Florida Blue Key Leadership Honorary, 1990-1991
President, Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society, 1986
Grove House, Board of Directors, 2007 – 2009
Delta Upsilon Fraternity, Florida Chapter, Alumni Board, 1997 – 2008
Rotary Club of San Marco, Charter Member
University of Florida, Political Science Department Advisory Board, 2007 – 2015
University of Florida Foundation, Regional Advisory Council, 2007-2008
City of Jacksonville Pension Reform Task Force, 2014
All Saints Episcopal Church, Vestry Member, 2008 – 2011
All Saints Episcopal Church, Senior Warden, 2011
Awards and Recognition
Jacksonville ABOTA Chapter Professionalism and Civility Award, 2019.
Jacksonville Magazine’s “Lawyer of the Year” for Labor and Employment Law, 2017 and 2020.
Jacksonville Business Journal “Ultimate Attorney” Award, 2017
Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
AV Preeminent Designation by Martindale Hubbell
Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
First Coast News Jacksonville’s “Twelve Who Care” Award for Pro Bono Service, 2004
Recognized in “The Best Lawyers in America”, “Super Lawyers ” and Florida Trend’s “Florida’s Legal Elite”
State Attorney’s Office, Fourth Judicial Circuit, Rookie of the Year, 1992
Presentations
The Florida Public Employee Relations Act, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Certification Review Seminar, February 2018
Statutory and Common Law Protection of Business Interests (Non-compete), Florida Bar Labor and Employment Certification Review Seminar, May 2017
The Florida Public Employee Relations Act, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Certification Review Seminar, March 2016
Motion Practice in DOAH Hearings, Florida Bar Administrative Law Section, October 2015
Damages in Employment Discrimination Cases, Florida Bar Chapter of National Employment
Lawyers Association, September 2015
Revenue and Fee Agreement Issues in an Employment Practice, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, March 2015
Privacy and Polygraph, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Certification Review, January 2015
Damages, Litigating Employment Law Claims, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Seminar, November 2014
Remedies, What Are We Fighting For?, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Seminar, November 2014
Public Employee Primer, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, August 2014
Privacy and Polygraph, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Certification Review, February 2014
Workers Compensation Retaliation, Florida Bar Workers Compensation Certification Seminar, April 2014
Ethics Panelist, Jacksonville Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, 2014
What Employers Can and Can’t Ask in Interviews, Presentation to State of Florida Department of Workforce Innovation, Jacksonville, July 2013
The Appropriate Care and Feeding of Clients, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, July 2013
Workplace Privacy, Bar Labor and Employment Certification Review, January 2013
Ethics Panelist, Jacksonville Bar Association Litigation Seminar, 2013
Employment Law Claims, Florida Law Conference of Circuit Court Judges, Annual Meeting, August 2012
The Role of Institutional Clients in Lawyer Overbilling, Association of Life Insurance Counsel presentation, May 2012
Protecting Your Career Is Our Business, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers, February 2012
Employment Laws Made Simple, National Business Institute, February 2012
Representing Public Employees, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, February 2012
Discovery, February 2012
Review of Non-APA Administrative Orders, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, May 2010
Employment Arbitration, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, September 2009
Recognizing Employment Law Issues, Jacksonville Bar Association, Joint Labor and Employment/Workers’ Compensation Section, Seminar 2008
Administrative Law Practice, Jacksonville Bar Association, Special Needs of Children CLE Event, 2008
Representing Disabled Clients, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, September 2008
Recognizing Employment Law Issues, Jacksonville Bar Association, 2007
Navigating PERA (Public Employee Relations Act) National Employment Lawyers Association, 2006
Standard for Recovering Attorney’s Fees & Costs, Florida Chapter of National Employment Law Association, 2006
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act/ No Child Left Behind, Lorman Seminars 2005
.Administrative Procedures, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, 2004
Representing Law Enforcement Personnel, Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers Association, 2002.
Police Liability, Lorman Seminars, 2002
Law Enforcement Grievances and Disciplinary Issues Labor Relations Information Systems, 2001
Civil Rights Litigation in Florida, Lorman Seminars, 2000
Law and the Disabled, Jacksonville Bar Association, 2000
