John Patterson is a partner in the Sarasota office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the Corporate Practice Group.
John is a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney with over 50 years of experience. A former litigator and appellate lawyer, John regularly represents clients in commercial real estate, business, and financing matters in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, hotels and resorts, retail, marinas, personal storage, mobile home parks, and real estate development. He was selected as Lawyer of the Year for 2025 in Sarasota in the field of Real Estate Law by the Best Lawyers in America.
John has held numerous leadership positions in the community, across the state and at The Florida Bar. He is a former member of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar, a past director and past president of The Florida Bar Foundation and the Sarasota County Bar Association. He served eight years on the board of Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc., and is currently a member of the finance committee of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. He currently serves as board chair of Innocence Project of Florida, Inc. He was appointed by the governor to the Second District Court of Appeal Nominating Commission. He has been consistently recognized for his pro bono efforts, earning The Florida Bar Foundation’s Medal of Honor award in 2022 and the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award in 1986. He is a board member of Legal Aid of Manasota. He received the Kirk G. Hass Award from the Florida Bar in 2024 for meritorious service to the legal profession.
Credentials
Education
- University of Florida, J.D., 1969
- Duke University, B.A., 1966
Bar Admissions
- Florida
Court Admissions
- All Florida courts
Professional and Civic
- Board Member and Chair, The Innocence Project of Florida
- Past President, The Florida Bar Foundation
- Past President, Sarasota County Bar Association
- Past President, Legal Aid of Manasota
- The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission
- Florida Second District Court of Appeal Nominating Commission
- Past Board Member and President, Sarasota Tiger Bay Club
- Fellow, American Bar Association
- Former Member, Board of Governors, The Florida Bar
- Former Board Member, Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc.
- Former Member, Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Access to and Delivery of Legal Services of Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice
- Former Board Member and Chair, Plymouth Harbor, Inc.
News & Insights
Presentations
- Speaker and panelist for a number of seminars produced by Real Property Section of Sarasota County Bar Association, most recently in June of 2011.
- Speaker and panelist, Environmental Aspects of Real Property Law, Florida Legal Assistants, Inc. (1995)
- Speaker and panelist, Environmental Aspects of Real Property Law, Real Property Section of the Sarasota County Bar Association (1993-1994)
- Adjunct Professor, Manatee Community College (corporations and business law) (1991-1992, 1972-1978)
- Speaker and panelist for course for real estate specialty certification, Florida Legal Assistants, Inc. (1987)
- Speaker and panelist, appellate law topics, Hampton Seminars (1984-85)
Publications
- "Past Sarasota County Bar Association President Interview - John Patterson," The Docket (November 2020)
- "Legal Aid Benefits the Community as a Whole", The Docket (April 2017)
- "Appeal of Non-Final Orders" in Florida Appellate Practice (The Florida Bar, 1986)
- "Interlocutory Appeals" in Florida Appellate Practice (The Florida Bar, 1978)
- "Orders and Judgments" in Florida Civil Practice (The Florida Bar, 1977)
- Prosecutorial Disclosure: In Camera and Beyond, University of Florida Law Review (1970)
- Aircraft Hijacking: Civil and Criminal Aspects, University of Florida Law Review (1969)
- Case Note, University of Florida Law Review (1967)
News & Speaking Engagements
Practice Areas
Industry Focus
Accolades
- Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Rated, 5.0 out of 5.0
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Lawyer of the Year (Real Estate Law), 2021, 2025
- Real Estate Law, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Corporate Law, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Business Organizations (Including LLCs and Partnerships), 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Florida’s Legal Elite, Florida Trend, 2009
- Community Youth Development Leadership Award, 2009
- The Florida Bar Foundation President’s Award of Excellence, 2007
- Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County Visionary Award, 2005
- C. L. McKaig Award for Distinguished Service to the Sarasota County Bar Association, 2001
- The Florida Bar President’s Award for Pro Bono Legal Service, 1986
