Three Senior Lawyers Added to WPB Office
Jul 07, 2009
July 7, 2009 – Shutts & Bowen LLP has added three senior lawyers to its West Palm Beach office, strengthening its reputation in immigration, litigation and land use law.
The hires include Hank Jackson as partner in the Business Litigation Group, Raymond “Ray” Royce as partner in the Real Estate and Land Use Practice Groups, and Lawrence Lataif as Senior Immigration Counsel.
“We are sure that Hank, Ray, and Larry will strengthen our reputation as a ‘go-to’ full-service law firm in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast and will add to Shutts’ already-considerable firmwide depth,” said West Palm Beach Managing Partner Art Menor. “While other firms have been pulling back, we are pressing forward with our plan of careful, strategic expansion and are continuing to emphasize leadership, both in the legal field and in our community.”
Hank Jackson is a partner in the Business Litigation Practice Group. With 20 years’ experience as a trial lawyer with Holland & Knight, he represents clients in health care, real estate, hospitality, agriculture, insurance, telecommunications, accounting and manufacturing. He is the author of numerous articles and a frequent speaker in the areas of non-competition restrictions and trade secrets. He received his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Arkansas. He lives in Boca Raton.
Raymond ‘Ray” Royce, a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group, has practiced law in Palm Beach County since 1961, most recently with Holland & Knight, He has extensive experience in land use, development and real property matters. He is a past President of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and former Member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors. He is one of the preeminent land use lawyers in Palm Beach County. He received his J.D. and Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Florida. He lives in Palm Beach Gardens.
Lawrence P. Lataif is a Senior Immigration Counsel in Shutts & Bowen’s West Palm Beach office, and brings more than 30 years’ experience representing individuals and business clients in all aspects of federal immigration law. Before joining Shutts, he was President of Lataif & Associates in Fort Lauderdale. Before that, he headed the firm-wide business immigration practice groups of national firms McDermott, Will & Emery and Jones Day Reavis & Pogue (now Jones Day). He received his J.D. and Master of Laws from Georgetown University and his B.A. from Brown University. He lives in Fort Lauderdale.
“Recent additions of top-flight lawyers in our West Palm Beach office will improve service and efficiency for our growing stable of Florida, national, and international clients,” said Shutts & Bowen Managing Partner Joe Bolton. “Our goal is ultimate success for our clients through wise, ethical counsel and aggressive advocacy in good times and bad. While other firms have struggled, we have been fortunate to continue our success financially during the current recession, posting record revenues and profits in 2008 and showing continued strong performance in 2009 year-to-date. The growth of our West Palm Beach office is a priority component of our firm-wide strategic plan and the addition of these fine lawyers is a major step in that direction. We welcome Hank, Ray, and Larry to our closely-knit team.”
The West Palm Beach office opened with one lawyer in 1978 and now has 20 lawyers, a high number of whom are leaders in both the legal field and the community in groups such as the United Way of Palm Beach County, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, among many other organizations. The office recently celebrated its one-year anniversary as a tenant in cutting-edge new space in CityPlace Tower.
