Adams & Reese adds seasoned construction litigator Ric Asfar as partner in Tampa

Asfar joins an Adams & Reese Tampa office that has close to 30 construction attorneys.

The AmLaw 200 firm of Adams & Reese continues to grow its nationally ranked construction practice with the addition of Richard “Ric” Asfar as a partner in the Tampa office. Asfar is a civil litigator and appellate advocate with nearly two decades of experience representing individuals, government entities, interest groups and businesses in construction litigation, insurance coverage, employment litigation, appellate advocacy and commercial disputes.

Asfar has been “AV-Preeminent” rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 2016, and is recognized by clients and peers in Best Lawyers in America, Florida Super Lawyers, Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” and Tampa Magazine’s “Top Lawyers.” Asfar is licensed in Florida and California, where he began his career in 2006. Since 2009, Asfar has practiced at several firms across Florida, including with Cotney Attorneys & Consultants, formerly owned by Adams & Reese Tampa Partner and Construction Team Leader Trent Cotney. 

“I have had the pleasure of working with Ric for years, and it is an honor and long overdue to work with him again,” says Cotney. “Ric has a well-deserved reputation as an exceptionally detail-oriented litigator who stays ahead of the curve on litigation trends and legislative changes in construction law. Ric’s unparalleled familiarity with the local construction industry and the unique litigation landscape of Tampa makes him a tremendous addition.”

In 2022, Cotney’s former firm merged with Adams & Reese, and since, under the leadership of Construction Practice Group Leader Chris Derden and construction team leaders David Toney and Cotney, the Adams & Reese Construction Practice has grown into one of the largest groups in the country. The group has close to 100 construction attorneys licensed to practice in more than 35 states with construction executive ranking Adams & Reese among the Top 20 construction law firms over the last three years. 

Asfar joins an Adams & Reese Tampa office that has close to 30 construction attorneys, including those who are Florida Bar board-certified in construction law, AAA and Florida-certified arbitrators and construction mediators who have served in numerous construction disputes, general counsels of roofing associations and former general contractors in the industry.     

“Why would any lawyer not want to join this team? They are an exceptional group, and I’m excited to join Adams & Reese,” says Asfar. “The Tampa office is unique in its construction focus with people at the forefront of thought leadership on the intersection of construction and law. I have worked with many of these lawyers for years and know not just how talented they are, but what great people they are in working with clients and with one another.”

Asfar’s construction law experience includes complex construction defect cases, construction delay, insurance disputes, catastrophic personal injury and property damage claims, bond claims, lien claims, contracting and employment matters, among other industry issues. Throughout his career, Asfar has also developed a reputation as “a lawyer’s lawyer,” derived from the many cases in which other experienced attorneys have sought him out to address the kinds of thorny legal issues that can derail a client’s case. 

Asfar earned his J.D. from the University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law (2006) and his B.A. from Baruch College (2002). 

In the Tampa community, Asfar is a former big brother with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and a Class of 2013 graduate of The Tampa Connection.