Clay M. Townsend - Orlando, FL
Attorney at Morgan & Morgan
Entertainment Law Lawyers in Orlando, FL
20 North Orange Avenue Suite 1600 Orlando, FL 32801
- Free Consultation
Orlando Entertainment Law Lawyer
Updated: 03/10/2026
Areas of Practice
- Entertainment Law
- Personal Injury
- Sports Law
Attorney Information
Overview
Mr. Townsend formed the law firm of Griffin, Morgan, Linder and Townsend, P.A. in 1985 with John Morgan. He has represented clients in personal injury claims, as well as commercial, entertainment, and intellectual property litigation in multiple jurisdictions - state and federal - resulting in numerous million-dollar-plus verdicts, judgments, and settlements. Mr. Townsend has handled such high-profile cases, including suit against Britney Spears by her former manager, suit by the Backstreet Boys against their former manager, suit by Harlem Globetrotters legends like Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon against The Harlem Globetrotters, intellectual property cases for Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and suit against Steven Spielberg regarding the iconic "Rear Window" to name a few.
Mr. Townsend's recent verdicts include a $17.5 million judgment in October 2014 after an almost 3-week long trial in Orange County, Florida (Good Gateway, LLC and SEG Gateway, LLC v. Orlando Gateway Partners, LLC, et al) and a $900,000.00 verdict in June 2015 after a one-week trial (Blackwell v. Simmons) in West Palm Beach County, Florida.
He is active in a variety of community activities, including the Boone High School Athletic Board, President of the Gator Football Parents Association, being a founding member of The Orlando Shakespeare Festival, SunTrust Advisory Board, social chairman of The Orange County Bar Association and host/sponsor for 28 years of Central Florida's Largest educational living history event - The Battle of Townsend's Plantation - a Civil War re-enactment.
He founded Townsend's Fish House and Tavern, a restaurant and night club, which he owned and operated from 1980 - 2000. He also developed the historic Townsend's Plantation in Apopka, Florida, the site of numerous outdoor music festivals featuring national acts. Mr. Townsend has also managed artists, written and produced a play, "Your Humble Servant, Samuel Johnson," and composed the original music.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Book Awards in Constitutional Law, Family Law and Comparative Law
Education
-
Legal Education
-
University of Florida College of Law,
Gainesville,
Florida, 1982
J.D.
Honors: cum laude
Honors: Vice President, Florida Blue Key, 1978
Honors: Savant -
Oxford University Faculty of Law,
Oxford,
England, 1979
English Common Law
-
University of Florida College of Law,
Gainesville,
Florida, 1982
-
Non Legal Education
-
University of Florida, 1977
B.A.
Honors: cum laude
-
University of Florida, 1977
Past Positions
- Townsend's Fish House and Tavern, Founder/Owner, 1980 - 2000
- Griffin, Morgan, Linder and Townsend, P.A., - 1985
Representative Cases
-
Good Gateway v. Orlando Gateway Partners
- Year: 2014
-
Isham v. City of Ft. Lauderdale
- Year: 2008
Published Works
Articles
-
Personal Injury Lawsuits in Orlando
A resource for individuals looking to file a personal injury claim in Orlando, Florida. -
Your Car Accident Lawsuit: Orlando, FL
Legal information for car accident victims in the Orlando area.
Bar Admissions
- Florida, 1983
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
Other Affiliations
- Florida Bar Trial Lawyer's Section (Member)
- Florida Bar Entertainment Law Section (Member)
- American Bar Association, Entertainment and Sports Law section (Member)
- Florida Justice Association (Member)
- Tennessee Bar Association (Member)
Photo
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