SARASOTA, Fla. – Almost one-third of the attorneys at the Sarasota office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP graduated from high schools in Sarasota. The law firm is launching a back-to-school campaign this week to highlight these attorneys, who left the area for college and law school and came back to practice in the community they call home.
“As a majority of us are gearing up to send our children back to school, we realized that 10 of our 30 attorneys attended high schools in Sarasota, and we represent clients who did as well,” said Ben Hanan, managing partner of the Sarasota law firm. “We believe these deep roots in the region have helped our firm to prosper, build better business partnerships with our clients and allow us to act with a shared sense of history and vision for our community.”
The campaign, in collaboration with a number of Shumaker’s clients, will showcase the attorneys, their clients and the schools they attended. Through social media, blogging and photos, the campaign will share stories and testimonials, photos of the attorneys and their clients and high school photos from those who were brave enough to supply them.
Using hashtags for Facebook and Twitter, including #LocallyMadeLaw, #ShumakerisSRQ and #MyCareerisHere, the campaign will include the following attorneys: Benjamin Hanan, Pine View; Jennifer Compton, Cardinal Mooney; Juan Villaveces, Riverview; Doug Cherry, Sarasota; Jason Collier, Sarasota; Saralyn Dorill, Riverview; Jeremy Halpern, Pine View; Scott La Porta, Pine View; Jan Pitchford, Sarasota; David Wyant, Pine View. It will also feature the following Shumaker clients: Dimitrios Vafeas, Riverview; Steve Brown, Riverview; Mason Tush, Riverview; Erin Duggan, Riverview; Eric Rosenthal, Pine View; Molly Jackson, Cardinal Mooney; Lee En and Filic Chung, Pine View; Al Purmort Jr., Riverview; and Candice McElyea, Riverview.
“There is a feeling of confidence and security that comes from doing business with people who are going to live in our community alongside us for many years to come – people who are vested in our region’s success too,” said Molly Jackson, co-owner of New Balance Sarasota & University Park, Fleet Feet and a Shumaker client. “When we are making decisions together about our business, I know they are guiding that process with a unique understanding of this area’s past, present and future. They understand the unique community brand and our shared vision of what we can become,” she said.
Sarasota County Commissioner Joseph Barbetta applauded the campaign. "We frequently hear about top graduates who leave our area for larger markets –referred to as the brain drain – but we are remiss in celebrating the many top level executives who have in fact come back to Sarasota to call this home. The attorneys at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick are a fantastic example of a group of extremely talented, highly educated, generous individuals who went to high school here in Sarasota and came back for fulfilling careers and to raise families. Not only are they contributing to the economic development of our region but they are also giving back to the community philanthropically in big ways- creating a positive ripple effect across several areas of our community,” he said.
You can follow the campaign on the #MyCareerisHere Facebook page.
About Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is a full-service business law firm with 234 lawyers, 61 paralegals and 493 employees in five offices: Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Fla.; and Charlotte, N.C. In each of its markets, Shumaker is the premier provider of quality legal services to individuals, small businesses, health care providers, nonprofits and Fortune 500 and international corporations.