Jeffrey W. Gutchess

“One has to try to strike for the jugular and let the rest go.”- Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes 

Jeff Gutchess is a veteran trial lawyer who combines superior courtroom advocacy with strategic focus and common sense.

After spending 20 years defending multinational companies, Jeff started AXS LAW to assist High-Net-Worth individuals in matters where, in just the last five years, he has recovered more than $500 million for his clients. Jeff represents a wide range of clients spanning public and private companies and their executives, entrepreneurs, college professors, and victims of sexual harassment, among many others. The list of defendants Jeff has sued is equally diverse and includes General Electric, Apple, Samsung, Norwegian Cruise Lines, CIGNA, the Virgin Group, and a sitting Miami City Commissioner. Jeff has filed confidential arbitration claims against many other companies, and has settled many suits before ever having to file anything in court. 

Jeff won the “Most Effective Lawyer” award for his defense of an international beverage company in nationwide class actions and led the firm to win the award for Commercial Litigation Department of the Year “Best Litigation Firm” in South Florida twice over. These awards have been based upon spectacular courtroom results in a wide variety of cases, most recently in the firm’s high- profile $63.5 million jury verdict against Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo, and securing $8.5 million jury verdict for trademark infringement in favor of the creator of the famous Baoli restaurant and club in Cannes, France. 

As a founding member of AXS LAW, Jeff works to create a uniquely healthy culture that serves the interests of both clients and their counsel alike. First, the firm promotes the talents of young lawyers by encouraging them to argue motions, develop strategy, and manage client relations, resulting in lower costs for clients. Second, it treats lawyers fairly, equitably, and transparently in their compensation, resulting in happier, better compensated, and motivated attorneys. Third, it encourages lawyers to enjoy their lives to the fullest, including extensive travel and outside interests, rather than just “billing hours.” This firm culture has attracted many of Miami’s best young lawyers who have formed one the most formidable legal teams in all of Miami.

Jeff graduated with honors from Cornell Law School and was the winner of the American Jurisprudence award for best student in his advocacy class. Jeff soon thereafter won the New York Legal Aid Society award for best pro bono brief, which secured the release from prison of an individual who had been wrongfully convicted of manslaughter.