Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, is pleased to announce that its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee recently hosted its second annual Leadership Training Academy (LTA) for law students.
Over 30 2L and 3L students from law schools across Florida attended the Academy, which was established to serve and inspire the next generation of Florida attorneys by providing them with substantive leadership, legal training and mentorship opportunities.
The theme for this year’s program was “Exploring Avenues to a Meaningful Career,” and it featured a “View from the State Bench” session with the Honorable Fabienne Fahnestock of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court; a visit from Gary Lesser, President of The Florida Bar; and lively panel discussions with attorneys from leading in-house legal departments, including Russell King (McDonald’s), Danica Sun (Cleveland Clinic Florida) and Alexander White (Bank of America), as well as attorneys from law firms of various sizes and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami. Gunster attorneys moderated these panel discussions and participants gained invaluable takeaways from presenters, who highlighted their own journeys and paths to success.
“It was my great honor to speak at Gunster’s Leadership Training Academy,” said Florida Bar President Gary S. Lesser. “It’s really an exceptional program, providing mentorship, leadership training, career counseling and more. It’s the gold standard that other firms should emulate.”
“Each year, our goal is that the LTA will bring together an array of speakers from around the state and, eventually, across the country, who have demonstrated a commitment to servant leadership in their career,” added Jonathan K. Osborne, Gunster shareholder and DE&I committee member. “This year’s students were incredibly engaged and have already shown their enthusiasm to develop as leaders, while exploring their own avenues to a meaningful career. Gunster is proud to serve the students and law schools of Florida through the LTA.”
Gunster’s DE&I Committee develops and implements strategies designed to ensure the law firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is met. It hosts the Leadership Training Academy annually along with other programming designed to foster meaningful dialogue to advance DE&I both within the firm and the community at large.
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About Gunster
Gunster, Florida’s law firm for business, provides full-service legal counsel to leading organizations and individuals from its 12 offices statewide. Established in 1925, the firm has expanded, diversified and evolved, but always with a singular focus: Florida and its clients’ stake in it. A magnet for business-savvy attorneys who embrace collaboration for the greatest advantage of clients, Gunster’s growth has not been at the expense of personalized service but because of it. The firm serves clients from its offices in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, Stuart, Tallahassee, Tampa, Vero Beach, and its headquarters in West Palm Beach. With more than 240 attorneys and consultants, and over 240 committed support staff, Gunster is ranked among the National Law Journal’s list of the 500 largest law firms and has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Diverse Law Firms by Law360. More information about its practice areas and offices is available at www.gunster.com.
