Brigham Moore, LLP is Florida’s oldest and largest law firm providing eminent domain/condemnation representation for private property owners affected by government takings or intrusive land use regulations. The Brigham Moore law firm has, as its stated mission, the zealous and effective protection of individual private property rights. Those rights include freedom from violations of due process rights, as well as the guarantee of full compensation for takings by government.

The firm’s history dates back to even before the founding of the first office in Miami. In 1950, Miami lawyer E.F.P. Brigham became a pioneer in the field of eminent domain/condemnation when property that he owned was condemned by Dade County. Brigham argued that Florida’s constitutional guarantee of “full compensation” required reimbursement of an owner’s costs in condemnation proceedings by the condemning authority. The issue was ultimately decided by the Florida Supreme Court in the landmark decision of Dade County v. Brigham (view case in pdf format) which determined that Florida’s constitutional full compensation requires condemning authorities to reimburse owners’ costs in eminent domain/condemnation proceedings. E.F.P. Brigham’s son, Toby Prince Brigham took up the cause and in 1960 opened a firm in Miami devoted exclusively to defending owners from governmental land seizures.

The firm’s second office was founded by S. William Moore in Sarasota in 1978. Today, the firm has five offices across the state with 21 lawyers who continue the tradition of defending private property rights throughout Florida.

The firm has also devoted significant resources to maintaining and improving property rights protection by consistent advocacy for legislative and constitutional reforms in Florida. The firm was instrumental in the enactment of Florida’s landmark 1995 Private Property Rights Protection Act, and is currently engaged in similar property rights advocacy before the state legislature.