TAMPA, FL – Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is pleased to announce that Tampa Partner Willard A. Blair has been appointed as Chair of the Corporations, Securities & Financial Services Committee (CSFS Committee) of the Florida Bar Business Law Section. The CSFS Committee includes pre-eminent lawyers and scholars in corporate, securities, mergers and acquisitions, financial services, and transactional law who focus on legislative and regulatory initiatives, including restatements and major amendments of Florida's laws governing corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and proposals to amend securities laws. The Committee continues to monitor federal and state legislation, regulations, and judicial decisions and to advise on and develop legislative proposals.

Practicing for thirteen years, Will focuses on corporate and securities law, and mergers and acquisitions. His practical, solutions-oriented approach allows him to successfully counsel clients in all aspects of public and private company representation, including private placements, reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, general corporate governance matters, and mergers and acquisitions for both publicly traded corporations and privately held entities.

Will focuses on understanding his clients’ business objectives at the outset of a transaction and guides clients with practical, business-oriented solutions.

While at the University of Florida, Will served as the galleys editor of the Florida Law Review and as an Executive Board Member of the University of Florida Trial Team. He also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Maurice M. Paul, United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Florida. Additionally, Will earned Book Awards in Corporate Taxation and Trial Practice and was a teaching assistant for Legal Research and Writing and Appellate Advocacy. He was also a pro bono volunteer for the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida.

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Founded in 1925, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 260 lawyers and seven offices in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Shumaker is a premier provider of quality legal services. Whether it's commitment to clients or work in the community, involvement lies at the core of all of Shumaker’s initiatives.