Florida Adoption and Surrogacy Attorneys

Robert L. Webster III


 

ATTORNEY

Robert L. Webster III
Board Certified in Adoption Law

Rob is a board-certified adoption attorney in the firm’s Tampa office whose practice focuses on litigation & appeals arising from contested adoptions and includes the representation of adoption agencies, adoptive parents, and other adoption attorneys in contested adoption proceedings. Rob has filed briefs in each district court of appeal in Florida, the Florida Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court. He also specializes in DCF Interventions, enabling children in the foster care system to be adopted privately. Rob presents often to fellow attorneys and professionals on issues surrounding contested adoption litigation and appeals.

Rob received a B.A. degree in Government & World Affairs with a minor in Law & Justice from the University of Tampa in 2005, where he graduated magna cum laude and first in his major. Rob was also selected by the Faculty Honors Committee to study European Union Law and The Intelligence Services at New College, Oxford University for the Hilary Term, where he earned the U.S. equivalent of a 4.0 GPA. Rob then received his J.D. with an emphasis in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution from the Chapman University School of Law in Orange County, California, where he was an executive member of the Moot Court Board and won an ABA Moot Court Regional Championship, eventually placing in the top ten nationwide. Rob received book awards in Trial Advocacy and the Appellate Law Clinic and was also the first law student in school history to argue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit as part of a pro bono clinic.

Rob is on the Board of Directors for the Florida Adoption Council (FAC) and in October 2015, was elected as Vice-President of the organization. Rob also chairs the FAC's Amicus Brief Committee. He became board-certified in adoption law in 2016 and was subsequently appointed to serve on the Adoption Law Certification Committee through June 2022. In 2021, Rob was awarded the Best in Tampa Award in the Adoption category. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Rob and his wife Chelsea are the parents to a dog named Woodford and two boys, Rip (a/k/a Robert L. Webster IV) and Atticus.

Education

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
J.D., Emphasis Certificate in Advocacy & Dispute Resolution, 2008

UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA
B.A., Government and World Affairs, magna cum laude, 2005

 

Awards & Affiliations

  • Board Certified in Adoption Law

  • Adoption Law Certification Committee, Florida Bar

  • Vice President, Florida Adoption Council (FAC)

  • Chairman, Amicus Brief Committee - Florida Adoption Council (FAC)

  • 2021 Best in Tampa, Adoption Category

  • Member, Florida Bar

  • Member, Hillsborough County Bar Association

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • Judicial Panel - A View From the Bench, Moderator, Florida Adoption Council Conference, 2021

  • Contested Adoption Litigation Seminar, Florida Adoption Council Conference, 2019 & 2020

  • Adoption Myths vs. Realities, Adopting! The Podcast, 2021

  • Day in the Life of an Adoption Attorney, Hillsborough County Bar Association/Stetson Law, 2021

  • What Lawyers and Tax Advisors Need to Know When Planning for a Couples’ Adoption, Bloomberg BNA

  • Current State of Second Parent Adoptions in Florida, Florida Adoption Council Conference