Scott Manion to be honored as Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year

Tallahassee attorney Scott Manion will be honored with the 2026 Florida Bar Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year Award for his commitment to consumer rights in bankruptcy, homeowners in foreclosure, and renters in public housing in North Florida.

Manion was nominated by fellow attorneys.

“I have been in North Florida for thirty years,” said Manion. “This area has a very large number of homeowners who have been in their homes for generations that need legal representation to stay in their homes. This award is much appreciated, and I owe thanks to many private attorneys, The Florida Bar, and other legal aid organizations for supporting my work and providing many mentoring and training opportunities to me along the way.”

The award will be presented June 18 at the 2026 Florida Bar Convention in Orlando.

Manion began working with his first legal aid program in 1975 in Wichita, Kansas. He moved to Florida in 1988 as director of Florida Legal Services, working as a legislative advocate on housing and consumer issues for eight years in the Florida Legislature before he began working with Legal Services of North Florida in 1994. He now specializes in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and public housing advocacy.

“The numbers of foreclosures have been on an upswing for the last five years,” said Manion. “The high insurance rates have caused many homeowners to default on their loans. The options for saving a home are often limited but having expertise in Chapter 13 has been critical to my saving homes in North Florida.”

For almost 30 years, Manion has been corporate counsel for the Orange Avenue United Tenants Association, which represents public housing residents in Leon County. Manion recently received the first award for 30 years of pro bono services to citizens residing in the jurisdiction of the North Florida Bankruptcy Court. He also received the Lifetime Professionalism Award from the Tallahassee Bar Association.

The Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year Award is presented annually to a Florida lawyer in recognition of excellence, character and commitment to the practice of consumer protection law. The award was created in 2011 by the Bar's Consumer Protection Law Committee to honor a public interest, academic, or private attorney whose exceptional contributions to consumer law have strengthened and affirmed the rights of consumers in Florida. To see a list of past winners, click here.