J. Brent Allen
Biography
Brent Allen is the Managing Partner of Hall Booth Smith’s Jacksonville, Florida, office and Chair of the firm’s Opioid Strategic Team. He has also served on the firm’s Executive Committee since 2020.
He is a seasoned civil trial lawyer and specializes in the litigation of batch claims, high exposure cases including malpractice, commercial litigation, long-term care, negligent security, and premises liability on national, regional, and local levels. He has represented prominent corporations, nonprofits, and individuals in their most challenging civil cases, including at jury and bench trials, before arbitration panels, and governmental investigations.
He regularly advises senior executives and boards of directors in internal governance issues. Brent has been retained by national clients and appointed by State and Federal Courts to serve as lead counsel in various matters. Most recently, Brent served as lead counsel in one of the nation’s largest batch malpractice claims of all time.
Brent has been AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review rating system. He has been named a “Person on the Move,” a “Legal Listmaker,” and an “Ultimate Attorney” by the Jacksonville Business Journal numerous times. He has also been identified as a “Bet the Company” litigator by Florida Trend Magazine.
A native of Jacksonville, Brent is active in the local community. He was appointed by the Mayor to serve on the Downtown Development Review Board and most recently held the position of Vice Chair. He is also a past Mayoral appointee and sat on the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Housing Authority. He is an Eagle Scout and serves in various leadership roles with The Boy Scouts of America.
Brent is also actively involved in many professional and civic organizations including The Rotary Club of Jacksonville – Downtown, The Chester Bedell Inn of Court, The Florida Bar, and The Jacksonville Bar Association. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife, daughter, and son. In his spare time, he enjoys being outdoors and coaching youth athletics.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- Florida
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. Courts of Appeal:
- U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit
Education
- J.D., high honors, Florida Coastal School of Law
- B.A., high honors, Auburn University
Memberships
- City of Jacksonville Housing Authority: Commissioner (Former)
- City of Jacksonville Downtown Development Review Board: Vice-Chair (Former)
- Chester Bedell Inn of Court
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Insurance, Best Lawyers®, 2024-2025
- Forty Under Forty, Jacksonville Business Journal, 2022
- 20 Under 40, Auburn University
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™, Martindale-Hubbell
- Bet the Company Litigator, Florida Trend
- List Maker Legal Elite, Jacksonville Business Journal
- People on the Move, Jacksonville Business Journal
- Ultimate Attorney, Jacksonville Business Journal
- Eagle Scout
Presentations
- Effect of Litigation Trends on Reinsurers
Cayman Captive Forum, November 2022 - Taking Back Control of Healthcare Litigation and Negotiations
NCMIC Biennial Seminar, October 2021 - Future of Med Mal: A Rise in Frequency & Severity and How to Combat It
DRI Medical Liability Health Care Law Seminar, July 2021 - Opioid Defense Task Force – Litigating Opioid Overdose Claims
Baptist Health South Florida, June 2019
- Handling Opioid Exposure in the Emergency Room
University of Miami Health System, May 2019 - Mastering Deposition Preparation
Federal Bar Association, April 2019 - Amendment 7 and The Impact on Litigating the Big Picture
Ascension, Inc., March 2019 - Preventing Against Opioid Exposure
Florida Defense Lawyers Association, February 2019 - Navigating High Stakes Nursing Home Litigation
DRI, January 2019 - Drafting Better Incident Reports and Performing Thorough Investigations
St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Inc., October 2018 - Defending High Stakes Massive Exposure Cases
Western Litigation, August 2018 - Curtailing The Opioid Crisis
DRI, May 2018 - How the Outcome of Claims Can Be Influenced by Social Media, Wearable Devices and the Internet
Florida Society for Risk Management and Patient Safety, March 2018 - Reptile Tactics: A Defense Counsel’s Guide
Markel Corp. Underwriting and Claims Summit, March 2018 - Defending High Exposure Dental Malpractice Claims
Markel Corp. Underwriting and Claims Summit, March 2018 - Opioid Defense Task Force – Litigating Opioid Overdose Claims
MedMal Direct, Inc., November 2017 - Opioid Defense Task Force – Litigating Opioid Overdose Claims
Ascension, Inc., August 2017 - Conflicts of Interest in the Practice of Law
Chester Bedell Inn of Court, October 2016 - Social Media Discovery
Ascension, Inc., May 2015
Publications
- Landmark Decision in Ohio Finds CVS, Walgreens & Walmart Liable in Opioid Epidemic
HBS Opioid Task Force Blog, December 2021 - A Comprehensive Guide for Defending Opioid Claims
Hall Booth Smith, March 2018 - What to do if a Health Care Provider Receives a Notice of Intent to Initiate Medical Malpractice
MedMal Direct, Inc.; June 14, 2014 - American Corporate Law: So You Want to Sit on The Board, Huh?
Hanks Livingston, Inc.; August 1, 2010