Control What You Can Control
Biography
Nicholas Bykowsky has been practicing law in Florida for over twenty years, primarily focusing on business litigation. He has represented the Florida Department of Revenue in tax controversies, the state securities regulator, as well as private businesses in both corporate matters and health care law. Nicholas has extensive knowledge of the Florida court system, giving him the skills to facilitate the best possible outcome for his clients.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. degree having a double major in Economics as well as Political Science and was awarded his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He has appeared as lead trial counsel in Florida circuit courts in every major metropolitan area of the State of Florida and as appellate counsel on behalf of the State of Florida in the District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court.
Nicholas was born and raised in northern New Jersey and has been a resident of Florida since 1996. Nicholas has a love of music and has performed as a member of local concert bands, orchestras, and jazz bands throughout his entire life. He is an accomplished professional-level trombonist. In 1994 he completed his first - and last - marathon run in just under five hours. In his spare time, he likes to compose music and work on completing his first novel. He thoroughly enjoys outdoor activities and travels out west for hiking in the mountains of Wyoming. Football season beckons every fall, and having lived and worked in Green Bay for nearly eight years he continues to support and follow both the Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Practice Areas
- Business Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Oklahoma, 1978
- Wisconsin, 1978
- Florida, 1997
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
- U.S. Tax Court
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
Education
- Oklahoma City University School of Law, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Doctor of Jurisprudence - 1977
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
- B.A. - 1974
- Major: Economics
- Major: Political Science
- University of Wisconsin - Graduate School of Business, La Crosse, Wisconsin
- M.A.
- Major: Uniform Certified Public Accounting
Professional Associations
- Private Panel of Bankruptcy Trustees for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Chapter 11 Trustee, 1987 to 1990
- Tallahassee Bar Association, Member
- Florida Government Lawyers Bar Association, Treasurer, 2005 to 2007
- Florida Government Lawyers Bar Association, President, 2007 to 2008
- Tallahassee Bar Presidents Council, 2007 to 2008
- Palm Beach County Bar Association, Member
- State Bar of Wisconsin, President, Non-Resident Lawyers Division, North Florida Chapter, 1999 to 2001
Classes & Seminars
- Instructor, Business Law, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse College of Business, Department of Accountancy, 1991 to 1993
- Program Speaker - Continuing Professional Education Institute of Management Accountants, Northern Region Convention, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1993 - Present
Pro-Bono Activities
- Member, Committee on Relations with Florida Certified Public Accountants, Florida Bar, 1999 to 2002
- Member, Clients Security Fund Committee, Florida Bar, 2008 to 2010
- General Counsel, The Big Bend Victims’ Assistance Coalition, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida
- Treasurer, Fort Lauderdale Road Runners, Inc., 1996 to 1998
- Principal/Co-principal Trombone, The Broward Symphony Orchestra, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1998 to 2007
Representative Cases
- Department of Revenue v. City of Gainesville, 918 So. 2d 250 (Fla. 2005)
- Department of Revenue v. Howard, 916 So. 2d 640 (2005)
- Department of Revenue v. Howard, 859 So. 2d 619 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)
- Weeks, et al. v. The Crossings at Fleming Island Community Development District, 960 So. 2d 20 (Fla. 1st DCA 2007)
- Department of Revenue v. Catalina Marketing Corporation and Subsidiaries, 20 So. 3d 1029 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2009)
- Department of Revenue v. Pepperidge Farm, Inc., 847 So. 2d 575 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2003)
- Department of Revenue v. New Sea Escape Cruises, Inc., 894 So. 2d 954 (Fla. 2005)
- Department of Revenue v. New Sea Escape Cruises, Inc. v. Department of Revenue, 823 So. 2d 161, (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)
- Dream Boat, v. Department of Revenue, 921 So. 1 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)
- The Wiccan Religious Cooperative of Florida, Inc. v. Department of Revenue, 898 So. 2d 134 (Fla. 1st DCA 2005), review dismissed (Fla. 2006)
- Department of Revenue v. WHI Limited Partnership, 754 So. 2d 205 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000)
- Department of Revenue v. The School Board of Hillsborough County, 62 So. 3rd 686 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2011)
- Office of Financial Regulation v. Home Equity Mortgage Corporation, et al. Miami-Dade Circuit Court Case No. 09-10521 CA03
Past Positions
- Moen Sheehan Meyer & Henke, Associate Attorney
- Tax Section of the Office of the Florida Attorney General in Tallahassee, Assistant Attorney General, 1998 to 2011
- Open MRI Inc., General Counsel, 2011 to 2014
- Florida Office of Financial Regulation - Division of Securities, Assistant General Counsel, 2014 to 2016