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Florida In Brief
Florida In Brief
Florida is the fourth largest state in the US in terms of population, and the cities of Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami in particular are all major business hubs for the southeastern US as well as for international business in Latin America.The state’s nominal GDP in 2006 was over $713.5 billion, the fourth largest in the country and among the 20 largest in the world. 34 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Florida, and it is home to four of the 100 fastest growing companies in the US. Among the leading Florida based companies based are Publix Supermarkets, the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the United States with 2006 retail sales of $21.7 billion; IT product distributor Tech Data; AutoNation car dealers; home building company Lennar and Office Depot, which sold $15 billion of products and services in the 2006 fiscal year.
This range of industry and strength of economy is matched by a similar level of legal expertise, and this is reflected in the selection of over 400 leading lawyers in the following pages. Drawn from a range of firms, from boutiques to national and international entities, we have classified these experts under 24 areas of law. The following firms in this introduction stood out from the field for the depth and breadth of the expertise they command in Florida, and should be considered as the leaders in the state.
Editorial
Editorial: Florida
Editorial: Corporate Tax in Florida
The research for this chapter has identified 13 leaders in the practice of corporate tax law from 11 firms within the state of Florida. The following pages identify experts with a wide range of specialisations: international tax experts are included alongside authorities on domestic tax, direct taxation practitioners feature in a list, that also includes indirect tax lawyers and specialists on transfer pricing and tax issues deriving from M&A and dispositions. All however are recognised for their outstanding ability in the legal aspects of corporate taxation.
Editorial: Employee Benefits in Florida
Employee benefits and related fields of law such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) are areas of major concern to US companies, with potential liability in this area stretching to millions of dollars. As such, clients rely on outside counsel to provide drafting skills, advice and, when necessary, representation in this area. This chapter lists 17 individuals who should be considered the leaders in the field, drawn from 13 firms.
Editorial: Environment in Florida
The research for this chapter identifies 36 highly rated environment experts from 17 firms. The practice of environmental law is diverse, the individuals featured offering advice on transactional, litigation and regulatory matters. Almost half of the 36 practise out of state capital Tallahassee, a centre for regulatory and lobbying activity. A number of the firms also focus on transactions, advising on environmental risks associated with M&A, the structuring of deals to allocate risk, environmental due diligence and parent successor liability. There is also a sizeable contingent that covers litigation involving toxic tort defence, Superfund cases, defence of enforcement actions, as well as claims against insurance carriers and government investigations. Land use is another prominent theme, a number of the leading practitioners spending significant time in that field. No matter the speciality, however, it is evident that Florida is home to some of the US’s leading environmental attorneys.
Editorial: Franchise in Florida
The strength of Florida’s economy and growth of international franchising activity is reflected in the quality of the counsel found in the following pages. These figures are recognised as the leading lights of Florida’s franchise bar, representing franchisors, franchisees and companies of all sizes, in diverse industries.
Editorial: Insolvency & Restructuring in Florida
Florida’s leading commercial law firms are home to many leading experts in bankruptcy and restructuring. Both general commercial and boutique firms made an impact in the research, and this chapter identifies 24 outstanding lawyers from 15 firms. Many are fellows of the American College of Bankruptcy, and all are recognised for their representation of creditors, debtors and the full range of other related parties.
Profiled Firms
Firm Profiles: Florida
Akerman Senterfitt
Akerman Senterfitt traces its origins back to the 1920s, when Orlando attorneys Alexander Akerman and John Cheney founded the firm. Since that date it has become central to the Florida legal market; one of the firm’s earliest partners was instrumental in the routing of Interstate 4 through the Orlando area, the procurement of land for Disney World, and the founding of Sun Banks, now SunTrust.
Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP
Bilzin Sumberg’s Miami office is home to over 100 attorneys from a range of legal backgrounds. The firm serves national and international clients in a wide spectrum of industries, including construction, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing, technology and real estate. Ten Bilzin Sumberg partners are included in the following pages across six practice areas.
Carlton Fields PA
A Florida firm with an international profile, Carlton Fields PA is was one of the top performers in the research for this state book, with lawyers from the firm featuring 27 times in a total of 14 chapters.
Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP was founded in 1842 in Milwaukee and began operating in Florida in 1981. The following ten years witnessed mergers with Orlando firm van den Berg Gay Burke Wilson & Arkin PA, Tampa firm Hill Hill & Dickenson PA and Jacksonville’s Commander Legler Werber Dawes Sadler & Howell PA.
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Greenberg Traurig LLP is an international full service law firm with over 1,700 lawyers in offices throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Strategic alliances with Olswang in London and Brussels, Studio Santa Maria in Rome and Milan, and Hayabusa Asuka Law Offices in Tokyo strengthen its global footprint. With 36 listings on the following pages, Greenberg Traurig is as one of the publication’s best-represented firms. The nominations are divided between 16 of the 22 practice areas, highlighting the breadth and depth of expertise on offer to clients.
Focus On Corporate Counsel
Corporate Counsel Q&A: Florida
Florida Corporate Counsel: David Vetter
Senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, Tech Data Corporation
Tech Data Corporation was founded in 1974 and began expanding rapidly in 1983, developing its target markets and redirecting its efforts toward servicing microcomputer resellers as a wholesale distributor. The company has emerged as a leading global provider of IT products, logistics management and other value-added services. Based in Clearwater, Florida, Tech Data and its subsidiaries operate in 26 fulfilment centres in the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. With more than 90,000 customers in over 100 countries, Tech Data generated $21.4 billion in sales for its fiscal year ended 31 January 2007.