Feb 4, 2021 - Spotlights by Walton Lantaff
Bernard I. Probst is a Senior Partner with Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson, LLP. In addition to his role as a Senior Partner with the Firm, Mr. Probst was the Managing Partner of the Firm from 2002-2008. Mr. Probst is one of the Firm’s litigation partners. Throughout his career, Mr. Probst has practiced primarily in the area of insurance defense litigation. In this capacity, Mr. Probst has handled virtually every form of insurance defense matter in numerous jurisdictions and venues throughout the State of Florida. As a result, he has tried numerous jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, and handled many administrative hearings. He is also frequently retained as an attorney fee expert and has testified in this capacity on numerous occasions.
Mr. Probst is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of The Florida Bar, and is admitted in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida; the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Dade County Bar Association and is the former chairman of Florida Bar Grievance Committee “ll-D”. With regard to his education, Mr. Probst earned his juris doctor degree from Nova University Law Center in 1978, where he graduated with honors. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1975 where he graduated cum laude. While in law school, Mr. Probst worked as a licensed insurance adjuster in the State of Florida wherein he worked for the independent adjusting firm Lally Adjustment Bureau. After graduating from law school, Mr. Probst joined Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson LLP in 1978.
In addition to his litigation work, Mr. Probst served as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Counsel for Florida International University College of Law. Mr. Probst is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the South Florida Workers’ Compensation organization, The Friends of 440, Inc., and is one of it’s past Presidents. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, Inc. This organization provides college scholarships to young men and women who are children of employees and injured workers of the workers’ compensation system. In 1997, Mr. Probst was honored when he was awarded the Defense Attorney of the Year Award by the Friends of 440, Inc. He was the 2007-2008 recipient of The Richard A. Sadow Achievement Award from The Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund. Mr. Probst has also been named as one of South Florida’s top lawyers from 2006 thru 2020 by the South Florida Legal Guide and has been named on multiple occasions as one of Florida’s top lawyers in Florida Super Lawyers. He is also past President of the Notre Dame Club of Greater Miami as well as the Board of Directors of Boystown of Florida, Inc. He has also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami. In addition, Mr. Probst served as a member of the Our Lady of Lourdes Academy Advisory Board, wherein he also served as Chair of the Board for two years. In addition, Mr. Probst has served for numerous years as a member of the Board of Directors of His House which provides charitable care and assistance for children, including unaccompanied minors who come to this Country seeking freedom, and he currently is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of His House.
Mr. Probst is certified by the Department of Insurance, State of Florida, as an instructor for continuing education credit for insurance adjusters. In this capacity, he has lectured throughout the southeastern United States for many years. Mr. Probst has also appeared as a guest on the television show “Workers’ Compensation Today”.
Mr. Probst is married to his beautiful wife, Esther, for 38 years. They have six wonderful children and twelve beautiful grandchildren. In addition to devotion to his family and his firm, he also, when time permits, enjoys golfing, fishing, and kayaking.
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