Diane M. Barnes-Reynolds

PARTNER - TAMPA

Partner
Phone: 813 448 1575

ABOUT

Ms. Barnes-Reynolds is Managing Partner of the Tampa office at Simon Reed & Salazar, P.A. Ms. Barnes-Reynolds’ practice focuses upon first-party personal and commercial coverage, including windstorm, water damage, collapse, sinkhole, builder’s risk, theft, jewelry, and business interruption claims, with additional experience in insurance fraud and inflated claims.

EXPERIENCE

Before joining Simon Reed & Salazar, P.A., Ms. Barnes-Reynolds was a partner in a large insurance defense firm where she practiced in first-party coverage litigation for 13 years. Ms. Barnes-Reynolds began her legal career practicing in franchise law before entering the insurance defense practice. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Barnes-Reynolds spent 10 years working with two Florida law enforcement agencies in civilian investigative and analytical fields.

EDUCATION

  • Florida State University College of Law, J.D. 2003
  • University of Florida, B.A 2000

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Florida State Courts
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
  • Western District of Michigan
  • District of Colorado

PUBLICATIONS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / INDUSTRY MEMBERSHIPS

  • Ms. Barnes-Reynolds authored “Punitive Damages–The Rationale of Ratios” for Mealey’s Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith (Vol. 21, #16, Dec. 18, 2007). She is a co-author of LexisNexis Practice Guide: Florida Insurance Litigation.
  • Ms. Barnes-Reynolds presented Core Learning Course, “Actual Cash Value, An Element-by-Element Analysis” for The Property & Liability Resource Bureau Claims Conferences in 2013 and 2014. She also presented “Denials, Denial Letters and Documentation” for The Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB) Claims Conferences in 2015 and 2016. Ms. Barnes-Reynolds presented “Claim Evaluation With Large Deteriorated Properties” at the 2020-2023 PLRB Claims Conferences and will present “Claims Handling for Iconic Hotels” at the 2024 PLRB Claims Conference.
  • Ms. Barnes-Reynolds was a member of the Claims Conference Committee for the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB) for 2016-2019. She is a former Chair of the CLM Insurance Fraud Committee Publications Sub-Committee of the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) and is a current Member of the CLM and the CLM Insurance Fraud Committee. Ms. Barnes-Reynolds is also a member of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association.

RECOGNITION

Ms. Barnes-Reynolds is an alumna of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Trial Academy and of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Leadership Institute. She is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and a former Board Member of Tallahassee Women Lawyers. Ms. Barnes-Reynolds is Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence.