Gunster (law firm)

Headquarters	West Palm Beach, Florida
No. of offices	13
No. of attorneys	Approximately 170
Major practice areas	Appellate Banking and Financial Services Construction Business Litigation Corporate Creditor's rights and Bankruptcy Emerging Companies Eminent Domain and Property Rights Environmental and Land Use Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Government Affairs Law and Lobbying Health Care Hospitality and Leisure Immigration Insurance Intellectual Property Litigation International Labor and Employment Private Wealth Services Probate, Trust, and Guardianship Litigation Real Estate Securities and Corporate Governance Tax Technology White-Collar Criminal Defense
Key people	H. William 'Bill' Perry, Managing Shareholder Stephen McDermott, Chief Operating Officer George Lemieux, Board of Directors David Bates, Board of Directors Elaine Bucher, Board of Directors Clint Losego, Board of Directors David Wells, Board of Directors Donald J. Beuttenmuller, General Counsel
Date founded	1925
Website
http://gunster.com/

Gunster is a law firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was established in 1925 and has offices in The Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Palm Beach, Stuart, Florida, Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando and Vero Beach.^[1] The firm's areas of specialty include litigation, real estate, corporate and private wealth services.^[2] Gunster is headed by managing shareholder Bill Perry^[3] and its headquarters are on the 4th, 5th and 6th floors of Phillips Point in West Palm Beach.

Domain attorney Amy Brigham Boulris^[4][5] and Michael Robert Cavendish are with the firm. Marshall Criser was part of the firm for 30 years, including when it was Gunster, Yoakley, Criser & Stewart. George LeMieux was Chairman of the firm when it was Gunster Yoakley & Stewart. Other attorneys at the firm include Angel A. Cortiñas, a former judge on the 3rd District Court of Appeals in Miami. Simon Ferro, former U.S. ambassador to Panama, and Steve Muscatello, who worked at the Heritage Foundation before law school.^[6] John Cole and Jorge D. Guttman also an attorneys at the firm.^[7][8]

As of 2012, Gunster was one of the largest firms in Florida and one of the largest 250 firms in the U.S.^[9] Florida Trend ranked Gunster 9th in Florida according to the number of attorneys.^[3]

History

Gunster began in 1925 as a solo practice of John Kenneth Williamson in West Palm Beach. By 1970, the firm had 10 attorneys. In 1989, the firm became Gunster Yoakley and had 55 employees. By 2006, it had 130 attorneys and six offices.^[2] As of 2013, the firm had 175 attorneys and 11 offices.^[10]

The firm expanded to Tampa in 2012.^[10] In 2013, the firm expanded to Orlando. The practice there is focused on legal issues including governmental law.^[11]

References