Lewis, Longman & Walker is a Florida-based law firm begun in 1994 with offices in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach. The local branch was established in 1996.
WHAT IS THEIR SPECIALTY?
Environmental and land use law, employment law, government relations and public finance. Other legal work includes litigation, appeals, mediation and administrative law.
WHICH OFFICES HANDLE WHAT AREAS?
“There are a couple of specializations in the other offices that we don’t have here and we have some specializations here that they don’t have in the other offices,” said Brenna Durden, a shareholder with the firm. “Environmental and land use is our core area. Bill (Birchfield), Bruce (Humphrey) and Jody (Brooks) are focused on eminent domain. The West Palm Beach office has a couple of people that work in public finance. Tallahassee does a lot of the legislative work and public pensions.”
WHAT IS THE HOTTEST ISSUE FOR THIS AREA?
Water supply. “The development of water supply, distribution, who’s got the right to use it and how we’re going to apportion it among users,” said Gross-Arnold.
WHO ARE THEIR CLIENTS?
Those groups the firm represents most are government entities, manufacturers, private developers, businesses, homeowner associations and land owners.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE FIRM?
“To help clients meet their goals and to be good environmental stewards,” said Wayne Flowers, also a shareholder.
HOW MANY WORK IN JACKSONVILLE?
There are four support staff and six attorneys: Bruce Humphrey, W.O. “Bill” Birchfield, Wayne Flowers, Jody Brooks, Brenna Durden and Melissa Gross-Arnold.
WILL THE FIRM MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES?
“We will probably grow this year,” said Durden. “But I’m not sure by how many [people].”
NEW GUY
Humphrey is the newest addition to the firm, and the only one that did not attend the University of Florida. He studied real estate at Florida State University and went on to law school at Stetson University. He left a partnership at Brigham Moore to join Lewis, Longman in August. Prior to his legal career, Humphrey served as a commercial real estate appraiser in Orlando. An Air Force brat, he was born in Texas and traveled all over, but considers Ft. Walton Beach his hometown.
MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE WATER
New mom Brooks is one of six attorneys in their three Florida offices to have a baby this year. Melissa Gross-Arnold is the other lawyer at the Jacksonville firm to have a child in 2003. The two women have also followed a similar career path. Brooks was a legal assistant at Marks Gray, a paralegal at Leon County Attorney’s Office, paralegal specialist for the Florida attorney general and a corporate document examiner for the Florida Department of State. Previously, she worked as manager at a women’s clothing store.
SET COURSE
Working as a paralegal for the firm’s South Florida office encouraged Gross-Arnold to take her profession to the next step. She enrolled in law school at the University of Florida and while she was there gained even more hands-on experience as a research assistant. Her previous occupation was as a real estate closer for a title agency.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
Due to Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. recommendations, the Super Bowl Host Committee has established a speaker’s bureau of which Gross-Arnold is a presenter.
“JCCI did a study on the Super Bowl and discovered other Super Bowls had not really involved the community. One of our recommendations to the committee was to figure out a way that the Super Bowl could happen with the community and not to the community. A speaker’s bureau was recommended to go out and talk to organizations about how they can get involved. The committee has trained us, given us information and supplies.”
BILL BECOMES LAW
Birchfield has practiced law in Jacksonville since 1964. Originally, he hoped to become a veterinarian but switched his degree to agriculture. Until 2000, he was a partner in Martin, Ade, Birchfield & Mickler. He joined McGuire Woods for 10 months, then was hired by Lewis, Longman. “I’m afraid I was not built to practice law with 650 lawyers,” explained Birchfield of why he left McGuire Woods. “That was bigger than my hometown [Mayo, Fla.].” In the 1970s, he served in the Florida House of Representatives for two terms. Today, Birchfield is president of The River Club of Jacksonville and a member of the board of Audubon of Florida.
FLOWER POWER
Flowers claims more than 25 years of legal experience, including eight years as general counsel for the St. Johns River Water Management District. He is a member and vice chair of St. Johns Country Housing Finance Authority.
DURDEN’S DOSSIER
Durden has been with the firm since leaving a decade-long partnership at the now-defunct Mahoney, Adams & Criser. Previously, she was assistant counsel for General Counsel’ s Office. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and has studied urban and regional planning at the California Polytechnic University. She has served in a planning capacity in both California and Florida. Her most recent community activities involve participation in the JCCI litter study last year and acting as legal counsel for the Rhoda L. Martin Cultural Heritage Museum.
IS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW A COMPETITIVE FIELD?
“It’s not like personal injury law where you have 50,000 people come through,” said Flowers. “It’s a small group of firms.”
“I think it’s limited to probably six or seven firms with an expertise in the area,” added Birchfield. “Of those, we devote more time and energy to that area than others.”
— by Monica Tsai