Spencer's
Professional Experience
Spencer Silverglate is President of Clarke Silverglate, P.A., the business litigation law firm he co-founded with Mercer K. “Bud” Clarke in 1993 after practicing with an Am Law 100 firm. The firm’s founding vision was to provide clients with the sophistication, experience, and results of a large national firm while delivering the responsiveness, efficiency, and personal attention of a boutique practice. More than three decades later, that philosophy continues to define every aspect of the Firm.
Spencer has earned a national reputation for handling complex business, insurance, and employment disputes, as well as defending high-exposure personal injury, product liability, mass tort, and class action litigation. He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Business Litigation, one of the Bar’s most selective credentials. Only 213 lawyers in Florida hold this certification—less than one-quarter of one percent of all Florida attorneys. Under Florida Bar rules, only board-certified lawyers may identify themselves as specialists or experts in their certified area of practice.
Spencer is ranked by Chambers USA for Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation and holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent® rating. He has been consistently recognized by leading legal publications as one of Florida’s and the nation’s top attorneys. Who’s Who Legal describes him as “an extremely well-regarded lawyer” who “is looked upon with enormous favor by peers for his exceptional work in high-value product liability proceedings.” Chambers USA describes Spencer as “an outstanding attorney and strategic thinker who will work around the clock to ensure the best representation for his clients.”
In addition to his litigation practice, Spencer serves on the American Arbitration Association’s National Roster of Commercial and Employment Arbitrators. He is a widely published author and frequent speaker on legal and leadership topics and is the author of Fight the Good Fight: A Battle Plan for Life.
Spencer served as President of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), the premier invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys representing corporate and insurance interests. In 2026, he served as Dean of the IADC Corporate Counsel College. He also served as Director of the IADC Trial Academy at Stanford Law School, an intensive, “learn-by-doing” trial advocacy program for practicing attorneys taught by many of the nation’s leading trial lawyers.
Throughout his career, Spencer has held numerous leadership positions within the legal profession, including President of the Florida Association of Managing Partners (FAMP), President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA), Chair of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Employment and Labor Law Committee, Chair of the DRI Jury Preservation Task Force, Chair of the IADC Trial Tactics Committee, Chair of A Place in Time Christian Ministries, and Chair of numerous continuing legal education and convention committees.
Spencer is also a Prime Member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA), an invitation-only organization limited to one civil defense attorney for every one million people in a geographic area. The Best Lawyers in America has recognized Spencer as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Management-Side Employment Law in South Florida.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Spencer has served as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has mentored college students and young lawyers throughout his career. He enjoys fitness, mountain biking, golf, and travel, and holds the rank of black belt in Atemi Ryu Jiu Jitsu.
“Fight the good fight” is my personal motto and the title of a book I wrote about facing life’s hardships through the lens of faith. We all experience challenges; the question is how we respond to them. Will we shrink from the battle or engage it? And how will we fight? A good fight combines purpose, wisdom and courage: fighting for a worthy cause; fighting skillfully and within the rules; fighting hard to the end. These words resonate with attorneys who litigate for a living. May all of our fights be good fights.
Get to Know
Spencer Silverglate
Spencer is dedicated to his faith, his family, his friends and his law firm. He enjoys all things leadership, especially serving, teaching, mentoring, and learning. He is also a fanatic about fitness and recreation, particularly weight training, cycling, swimming, running, golfing, boating, scuba diving, hiking, and travel.
A few things he likes
Faith
Family
Leadership
