Overview

Ryan P. Forrest focuses his practice on high-risk litigation in federal and state courts. He has a wide range of experience litigating matters involving class actions, technology, financial services, administrative law, and international law.

Prior to joining Littler, Ryan clerked for U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. While there, he handled civil and criminal cases at the trial level, and worked on appellate matters when Judge Chappell sat by designation on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Before that, he was an attorney at a litigation boutique, where he handled numerous federal class action matters involving global technology companies. He also advised clients on issues involving trademark law and international trade with Cuba, and he worked with members of Congress to form a pediatric cancer research reform bill.

During law school, Ryan was an articles and comments editor for the Inter-American Law Review.

Selected Matters

Ryan has litigated numerous cases where he obtained favorable results for clients, including: 

  • Securing a complete defense verdict for a multistate services company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in a case involving several separate Florida Civil Rights Act claims.
  • Defeating a petition for certiorari in the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of a major financial institution in a case involving a complex issue of third-party standing to enforce the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Defeating a petition for certiorari in the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of a major financial institution in a case involving alleged violations of the Florida Whistleblower Act and Florida’s Civil Remedies for Criminal Practices Act.
  • Securing summary judgment for a major air carrier in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in a heavily-litigated failure to accommodate case under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  • Securing a complete defense ruling for a multistate technology installation company in an arbitration involving Fair Labor Standards Act claims for allegedly unpaid overtime wages.
  • Securing summary judgment for a national landscaping company in an arbitration involving claims for defamation and retaliation under the Florida Whistleblower Act.
  • Securing summary judgment for a regional product company in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in a case featuring claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Florida Minimum Wage Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Florida Whistleblower Act.
  • Professional & Community Affiliations

    Appointed Member

    Florida Bar Federal Court Practice Committee

    Member

    Leadership Miami

    Appointed Member

    Miami-Dade County Nuisance Abatement Board

    2019-2021

    Member

    Law Firm Antiracism Alliance

    Member

    Federal Bar Association

    Member

    Dade County Bar Association

    Recognition

    Recipient, Dean’s Merit Scholarship

    University of Miami School of Law

    Dean's List

    University of Miami School of Law

    Recipient, Book Award

    Immigration Law

    University of Miami School of Law

    Recipient, CALI Excellence for the Future Award

    International Finance

    University of Miami School of Law

    News, Analysis & Press

    Cuba: Deja Vu or New Beginnings

    University of Miami Business Law Review

    December 2017

    Speaking Engagements

    2024 Florida Regional Employer Conference

    Orlando, FL

    November 14, 2024

    Education

    • J.D., University of Miami School of Law, 2014cum laude
    • B.A., Benedictine University, 2010

    Bar Admission

    Florida
    California
    District of Columbia

    Courts

    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
    • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
    • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California