In memoriam: L. David Shear

By Hugh William Perry on Apr272016

It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of Mr. David Shear, one of our colleagues in the Tampa office of Gunster. While David was a well-known and accomplished attorney, he was perhaps more noted for his kind and gentle spirit, generosity to his community and his commitment to the legal industry. David was from Tampa, attended Vanderbilt University and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Upon graduation from law school in 1960, he became a founding member of Shear, Newman, Hahn & Rosenkranz, P.A., and in May, 2000, Shear and many shareholders and associates of his firm joined the Florida firm of Ruden McClosky, P.A. On December 1, 2011, David joined Gunster, where he practiced as a member of the firm's corporate and real estate practice groups. After serving as the Florida Bar president, he became active in the American Bar Association and was appointed by the Florida Bar to pioneer the IOLTA (Interest on Trust Accounts) Implementation Commission, creating the first IOLTA program in the United States, which benefited the Florida Bar Foundation. David became an advocate for children and was recognized by numerous organizations for his time and dedication to his community. He was dedicated to development for Bay Area Legal Services and in recognition of his efforts and contributions, Bay Area Legal Services has named its Children’s Law Center in David’s honor. He is a lifetime board member and past chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay. In recognition of that service, the David and Casey Shear North Tampa Boys & Girls Club has been named in their honor. As a member of the Florida Bar for more than 50 years, David strived to ensure that individuals from every walk of life had access to legal services. He will be remembered for his spirit of service above self. Our thoughts are with his family: his wife Casey, his sons Jeff and Steve, and his four grandchildren. Services will be Thursday, April 28 at 2:00 at Rodeph Shalom. It is located at 2713 Bayshore Blvd, Tampa, Florida. Contributions can be directed through an endowment to the L. David Shear Children’s Law Center at Bay Area Legal Services. Please join me in recollecting fond memories of David and keep his family, friends and community in your thoughts.