Denis L. Durkin is a civil trial lawyer who practices in Baker Hostetler LLP’s Orlando office. He has acted as trial counsel in diverse matters, including a $53 million junk bond securities fraud class action, multimillion-dollar construction contract disputes, copyright, trademark and patent claims, federal and state employment discrimination claims, ad valorem tax assessment appeals, defamation claims, eminent domain claims, product liability defense, personal injury and wrongful death claims.

Mr. Durkin has extensive jury and non-jury experience in Florida state and federal courts and in jurisdictions throughout the United States. His trial experience includes the successful defense of numerous employment cases asserting age, race, disability and sex discrimination. He also has successfully tried a variety of construction contract claims, including a recent significant multimillion-dollar dispute before the Veterans Administration Board of contract Appeals. Mr. Durkin was lead trial and appellate counsel for the taxpayer in a landmark ad valorem tax assessment decision in Havill v. Scripps Howard Cable Company, 742 So. 2d 210 (Fla. 1998), which held that the Lake County property appraiser had employed an unconstitutional appraisal methodology in assessing the tangible personal property of a cable TV company. The client realized a multi-million dollar tax and interest savings. Mr. Durkin has successfully defended Florida newspapers, television stations and their reporters against defamation and invasion of privacy claims. He also advises clients on risk management issues and federal procurement and government contract matters.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Durkin was a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. His assignments included Labor Counsel and assistant procurement legal counsel at Fort Ord, California, and government appellate counsel at the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency in Washington, D.C. Mr. Durkin graduated from Emory Law School in 1973 where he was the executive research editor of the Journal of Public Law, which later became the Emory Law Journal.
Mr. Durkin is rated AV-preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of the Georgia, California and Florida Bars and of the trial bar of all Florida federal district courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th and 11th Circuits and various other federal courts throughout the United States.