WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (March 3, 2016)- Gunster, Florida's law firm for business, is pleased to announce the promotion of four associates in offices across Florida to shareholder. Each year, the firm chooses its highest achieving senior associates to promote to the rank of shareholder. According to Bill Perry, Gunster's managing shareholder, "This is a memorable milestone in every lawyer's career, and one that we should celebrate." When selecting associates for the promotion, shareholders consider hard work, community involvement, collegiality and teamwork.
This year Joe Chase, Kevin Kane, Cristina Papanikos and Preethi Sekharan were promoted.
Joe Chase works in Gunster's West Palm Beach office and is a member of the corporate practice group. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other complex business transactions. Chase has represented private companies, private equity firms and venture capital firms. He is on the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce for the Palm Beaches, the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, the YMCA of the Palm Beaches and Friends of the West Palm Beach Public Library. Chase joined the firm in 2010 and achieved his B.A. at Harvard University and J.D. at Vanderbilt University
Kevin Kane is a private wealth services attorney based in the Jacksonville office who focuses on tax and estate planning. Kane primarily advises entrepreneurs, professionals and financially successful people on business and personal legal issues. He is the former president of Partnership for Philanthropic Planning of Northeast Florida and currently serves on the St. Augustine Professional Advisory Council. Kane started at Gunster in 2011. He earned his B.A. from Denison University, J.D. from Suffolk University, and L.L.M. from the University of Miami.
Cristina Papanikos works in Gunster's Miami office and focuses her practice on estate, trust and guardianship litigation within Gunster's private wealth services practice. She is also a member of the firm's Women's Leadership Forum. Papanikos is actively involved in shaping Florida’s laws, court rules and standards for ethical and competent practice in her field through her work in the Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Litigation Section and Florida Probate Rules Committee. Papanikos began working at Gunster in 2007 and holds both a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Florida.
Preethi Sekharan is a litigator who focuses on intellectual property and complex business litigation. She works from the firm’s Stuart and West Palm Beach offices. Sekharan is a past president of the Martin County Bar Association and currently serves as chair of its Judicial Relations Committee. She is also the president of the Martin County Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and an active board member of the Justice Major B. Harding American Inn of Court. Sekharan came to Gunster in 2013. She has a B.S. from Judson College, M.P.H. from Tulane University and J.D. from New York Law School.
In addition to the recent promotion of these four attorneys, in 2015 Gunster hired seven associates and ten lateral hires. The firm also opened two offices, located in Winter Park and Boca Raton.
