Keith W. Rizzardi
Education:
- B.A., University of Virginia, 1991
- J.D., University of Florida, 1994
- M.P.A., Florida Atlantic University, 1998
Professor of Law Keith W. Rizzardi joined the Nova Southeastern University College of Law faculty in 2023. Before joining NSU, he spent twelve years as a law professor at St. Thomas University. Internationally, he has lectured in the Netherlands at the UNESCO IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, and in Beijing at the China University of Political Science and Law.
In the first year NSU curriculum, Professor Rizzardi routinely teaches Civil Procedure, using knowledge shaped by his co-authorship of Cases and Materials on Civil Procedure (Carolina Press, 7th Ed). In addition, he teaches environmental law, Florida constitutional law and professional responsibility. His scholarship frequently explores ethical and litigation problems in both administrative law and government practice. His article, Sunburned: How Misuse of the Public Records Laws Creates an Overburdened, More Expensive, and Less Transparent Government, along with his testimony before the Florida House and Florida Senate, led to significant reforms to Florida law.
Professor Rizzardi is licensed by the D.C. Bar and the Florida Bar and recognized as a Board Certified Specialist in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice. At the federal level, as served as a Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and as Chair of the NOAA Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. At the state level, he worked on the Everglades restoration and the regulation of Florida water resources for the South Florida Water Management District. Finally, as Special Counsel to GrayRobinson, P.A., in Fort Lauderdale, he occasionally helps clients navigate local environmental and water law problems. Over the course of his career, he appeared in dozens of state and federal administrative, trial, and appellate courts, from Florida to Washington, D.C. to Hawaii.
A believer in servanthood leadership, Professor Rizzardi is an active member of the Florida Bar who twice chaired the Government Lawyer Section, and who served on its professionalism and ethics committees. His article on Defining Professionalism: I Know It When I See It, helped shape the professionalism movement. And for nearly 20 years, he has volunteered his time as an Ombudsman for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves, helping service members and their civilian employers resolve employment disputes.
Areas of Interest
- Administrative Procedure
- Civil Procedure
- Environmental law
- Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiation
- Professional Responsibility