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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: Management Labour & Employment in Florida
Twenty-eight management, labour and employment specialists from 17 firms make up this chapter, mirroring the current buoyancy of the labour market and reflecting the prosperity of this practice area in Florida. The inclusion of a number of individuals from boutique firms highlights the weight such outfits carry within the market. The lawyers in this chapter have extensive experience in a range of areas, including litigation matters involving class actions, employment discrimination laws, sexual harassment, employee loyalty, wrongful discharge, whistle-blower actions, individual employment contracts and work-related tort claims.
Editorial: Mergers & Acquisitions in Florida
Florida benefits from the high levels of M&A activity in the US in general, and also acts as a hub for cross-border transactions in Latin America. This results in raised levels of corporate activity and transactional work, and as such local commercial firms are particularly strong in this area. Our research has identified 24 practitioners, from 12 leading outfits, who stand out in this field.
Editorial: Patents in Florida
Research for this chapter has identified eight leading practitioners in Florida from six different firms. A number of these lawyers practise at specialised firms.
Editorial: Product Liability in Florida
Product liability lawsuits are as frequent as ever in Florida and the state’s lawyers have an international reputation for excellence. The recent RJ Reynolds litigation, in which a $145 billion verdict was overturned, has brought Florida tobacco litigation into the limelight and many of the state’s lawyers are particularly well known for their work in this area.
Editorial: Project Finance in Florida
Eight individuals from six firms make up our project finance chapter. These eight lawyers have a proven track record in representing sponsors and lenders in project financing and refinancing transactions, many with regard to matters in South America.
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.