Rod Tennyson, Attorney at Law
Personal:
Born February 16, 1947 and grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota. Married to Elizabeth Beecham for 30 years with two children, Noah age 26, Nathan age 24. Our family home for 29 years is on Hypoluxo Island in Lantana and our summer home is in Bridgton Maine. Elizabeth currently serves on the Lantana Town Council.
Education:
Graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1969, then obtained his juris doctorate degree from the University of Florida Law School in 1972.
Professional Certifications and Memberships:
Member of the Florida Bar since 1972. Member of the Bar for the Federal District Court, Southern District since 1978. Member of the Federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Bar since 1981. Member of the Palm Beach County Bar since 1976. Charter Member of American Inns of Court (Palm Beach County).
Professional Experience:
Assistant Special Consumer Counsel to the Governor of Florida 1973. Consumer counsel to the Florida Attorney General 1974-1975. Drafted Florida's Little FCT Act and initial regulations under the Act. Litigated the first condominium cases for the Attorney General in 1975. Private practice from 1976 to present in West Palm Beach, Florida practicing exclusively in the following areas of law:
A. High technology litigation including trade secrets and intellectual property rights.
B. Class actions;
C. Construction defects and commercial litigation; and
D. Lead counsel in Camden I v. Dunkle, 805 F.2d 1530 (11th Cir. 1986), 946 F.2d 768 (11th Cir. 1991) and State Farm v. Palma, 629 So.2d 830 (Fla. 1993) on remand for attorneys fees.
E. Lead counsel in the eleven class actions against the largest landlords in Florida. See: Equity Residential v. Yates, 910 So.2d 401 (Fla. 4th DCA, 2005); Olen Properties v. Moss, 981 So.2d 515 (Fla. 4th DCA, 2008); Olen Properties v. Moss, 984 So.2d 558 (Fla. 4th DCA, 2008)
E. Condominium and homeowner association in Palm Beach County;
Mr. Tennyson authored the Florida Consumer Law Manual, D & S Publishing Co., and numerous other articles for law journals on consumer and condominium law.
Community Affairs:
In 1976 he was appointed to the State Board of Medical Examiners as the first non-physician to serve on that Board. President of the Florida Consumers Federation from 1978 to 1983. Participant in the Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches business project 1985-1986. Board Member and Treasurer of The Children's House of the Palm Beaches from 1988 to 1990. Winner of the 1988 Palm Beach County Legal Aid Society's consumer law award. Little League coach from 1991-1995. He sat on the Board of Directors for Unity School of Delray (Endowment Fund) and is general counsel for the Land Trust of the Palm Beaches, Inc. a public interest environmental organization.