Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, is pleased to announce that 22 of its attorneys have been honored as 2017 “Leaders in their Field” by Chambers USA, a UK-based organization that identifies and ranks lawyers and law firms based on evaluation of applications and interviews conducted by its research team.
Gunster’s 2017 “Leaders in their Field” honorees and the practice areas they are being recognized for are:
In addition, 10 Gunster law practice areas were noted for the following in Chambers USA 2017 edition:
Banking & Finance: “Clients describe them as 'an excellent team that works very well together.' Also 'The Gunster team is very effective in handling our needs. They are excellent at taking complex legal issues and boiling them down to practical solutions from our business. They are key to our success.'"
Gunster’s banking and finance legal team offers broad transactional and regulatory experience in the banking and finance arena, with significant activity on large-scale mergers and acquisitions; represents a range of institutional clients on complex commercial lending transactions including broker-dealers, investment advisers and consumer finance companies; also offers significant expertise in real estate finance and acts on both the borrowing and the lending sides.
Commercial Litigation: According to Chambers editors, “The ‘terrific’ David Wells is regularly sought for his counsel in high-stakes litigation and is recognized for his strong abilities in professional negligence disputes and litigation arising out of the construction sector. He is also frequently called upon for his expertise in alternative dispute resolution.”
Gunster has a broad commercial litigation practice, noted for its strengths in antitrust, intellectual property, real estate and product liability disputes; also enjoys a very strong reputation for professional malpractice defense work; represents an array of clients including financial institutions and prominent accountancy and law firms.
Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions & Private Equity: “Sources praise the team, saying: ‘They are all deeply experienced and efficient lawyers.’ Another source states the firm provides the ‘same quality as New York or DC firms’ but ‘at much lower cost.’"
Gunster has a full-service corporate practice with a strong Florida offering and established connections with larger national firms; is well-versed in mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments and international transactions; represents clients across a wide range of industries, including aerospace, agriculture and financial services; deals with a broad variety of entities, from private startups to large public companies.
Environment: “The team is praised by sources who say: ‘They work well together, provide sound advice, are available at any time and go above and beyond.’ A client says: ‘They are the most thorough and responsive law firm I have worked with in over 20 years.’"
Gunster’s environmental law team has a strong Florida base with a broad geographical spread, offering statewide expertise in water, air and land issues; is experienced in advising clients before the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the South Florida Water Management District; represents public and private clients across a variety of industry areas including food, real estate and manufacturing.
Health Care: "’It's an excellent team that was able to gather the necessary resources when we needed it. They were able to work very efficiently and we were very impressed,’ according to one commentator who awards the team ‘five stars.’ Sources also consistently highlight the group's responsiveness.”
Gunster’s health care law practice features a broad team well versed in professional regulation matters in the health care field, including medical staff issues and government investigations; regularly handles dispute resolution for hospitals, as well as transactional work for a range of clients.
Immigration: “Clients say: ‘The team is incredibly thorough, experts in their field and good to work with.’ One client notes that the team ‘really goes above and beyond to examine every aspect of the case, anticipate issues that may come up and has built-in contingency plans,’ adding: ‘We were fully prepared for any complications that might have occurred.’"
Gunster has highly experienced business immigration lawyers with extensive experience in both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa matters; adept at handling a variety of immigration issues for national and international clients, including those in Latin America; particular strength in customizing compliance programs and advising on the immigration consequences of mergers and acquisitions.
Private Wealth Law:* "’There is something about Gunster's culture that separates them from the rest,’ says one interviewee, who adds: ‘Their attorneys, both young and old, are all very bright, personable and caring. The firm provides outstanding services to their clients.’"
Gunster's sizeable private wealth services group consists of 23 partners and 15 associates. The estate planning team benefits from close interaction with the firm's well-known probate litigation group, and the firm wins praise from multiple sources for its collegiate approach to private client work.
Real Estate and Zoning & Land Use: “One impressed client notes that the Gunster real estate group offers ‘an excellent cross-section of specialties that allow for a wide variety of cases to be accommodated.’ The source continues: ‘There are local specialists, statewide influencers and broad support staff to take on any issue or project.’"
Gunster has a broad real estate practice with experience covering a full range of matters including financing, leasing, acquisitions and development; also noted for its representation of clients in land use proceedings and real estate litigation; clients include owners, developers, investors and public bodies.
Tax: “According to impressed interviewees, ‘the partners in charge are very detail-oriented, very competent and very skilled.’ One client labels Gunster ‘our go-to firm, particularly in tax.’"
Gunster fields a broad bench of experienced tax practitioners, well-versed in a wide range of tax and private wealth issues, with specific strengths in controversy, transactional and tax-planning work; the firm attracts a broad client base that includes startups, investment funds, family businesses and entrepreneurs.
About Gunster
Gunster, Florida’s law firm for business, provides full-service legal counsel to leading organizations and individuals from its 13 offices statewide. Established in 1925, the firm has expanded, diversified and evolved, but always with a singular focus: Florida and its clients’ stake in it. A magnet for business-savvy attorneys who embrace collaboration for the greatest advantage of clients, Gunster’s growth has not been at the expense of personalized service but because of it. The firm serves clients from its offices in Boca Raton Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, Stuart, Tallahassee, Tampa, The Florida Keys, Vero Beach, Winter Park, and its headquarters in West Palm Beach. With more than 180 attorneys and 200 committed support staff, Gunster is ranked among the National Law Journal’s list of the 500 largest law firms and has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Diverse Law Firms by Law360. More information about its practice areas, offices and insider’s view newsletters is available at www.gunster.com.
