About Tom
Tom Hunker studied business and law at Florida State University. He earned a B.S. in Multinational Business Operations in 2002 and completed his J.D. at the Florida State University College of Law in 2006. Those years in Tallahassee shaped an interest in public law and appellate work. He spent a summer as a legislative intern in the Florida House of Representatives in 2005, an early exposure to how statutes and policy debates are formed.
After law school he worked at the Florida Supreme Court as a law clerk and staff lawyer in 2006. That role placed him close to the mechanics of appellate decision-making and the written reasoning that underpins judicial rulings. In 2008 he moved into private practice as an appellate lawyer for United Automobile Insurance Company, where he handled appeals and related briefing for a corporate litigant.
Hunker began leading his own practice in 2014 when he became a partner at The Hunker Law Group, P.A. Two years later he joined Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. as a partner. In 2021 he took a partner role at Hunker Paxton Appeals & Trials, the firm where he currently practices. Those moves reflect a career built around appellate work and litigation that can extend from trial to the next level of review.
He is board certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar, an acknowledgment that he meets defined standards in appellate procedure and advocacy. His admissions include state licenses in Florida and Illinois and several federal courts and circuits, among them the U.S. Supreme Court, the 7th and 11th Circuits, and district courts in the Northern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He appears in places where appellate questions are litigated on both state and federal tracks.
Hunker remains involved in the legal community. He is a current member of the Broward County Bar Association. Since 2018 he has served on The Florida Bar Association Appellate Practice Certification Committee, participating in the work that helps set standards for appellate practitioners in the state.
Clients and colleagues describe him as methodical in preparing briefs and direct in oral argument. He draws on experience from the courthouse and from in-house appellate practice to frame issues on appeal and to anticipate the questions judges will ask. He now practices at Hunker Paxton Appeals & Trials, handling appellate work and trial-related matters.
