In conjunction with its alliance with the national law firm Jones Walker LLP, Florida’s Dean Mead firm has exited the Tallahassee legal market as of Jan. 1 after a decade of doing business there.
The decision by the 50-attorney firm – which represents numerous industries in the state and provides advice on topics such as tax law, trust and probate, utilities law, and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights – comes amid a national report that Tallahassee is one the U.S. markets where demand for attorneys is highest.
The American Bar Association’s “Profile of the Legal Profession 2023” found that Tallahassee and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach were among the U.S. metro areas with the greatest demand for lawyers in 2022. Specifically, the demand for attorneys in Tallahassee was found to be 2.3 times the national average, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.
“Dean Mead has successfully served clients for over 43 years,” Marc Chapman, president of Dean Mead, said in a prepared statement. “As we focus on continuing to achieve the best outcome for our clients, we are transitioning out of the Tallahassee area to focus on our core clients in the central, southwest and eastern geographies of Florida, including several generationally owned businesses.”
Dean Mead is also working closely with clients and other professionals in Tallahassee to transition their legal work to Jones Walker LLP, according to Chapman. The law firm’s alliance with Jones Walker began five years ago.
Dean Mead stressed that it would continue to provide legal services at its five other Florida offices to leading industries in the state. The law firm has focused on serving clients in the central, southwest and eastern parts of the state for more than four decades, according to law firm spokeswoman Julie Thomas.
“The decision to transition out of the Tallahassee market was made to support this continued focus,” Thomas said in an email to the Florida Record. “Consistent with the alliance which began in 2019, the government and lobbying professionals with Jones Walker will continue to work closely with Dean Mead attorneys in Tallahassee and throughout the state of Florida.”
Dean Mead’s announcement comes at the same time Jones Walker, a national firm with 16 offices in eight states and the District of Columbia, said it is reopening its Tallahassee office. In addition, Jones Walker is expanding its workforce – adding nine lawyers and government relations personnel – to expand client services as it continues to work in conjunction with Dean Mead.
“Jones Walker is looking forward to re-establishing itself in the Tallahassee market,” Bill Hines, Jones Walker’s managing partner, said in a prepared statement. “We are pleased to welcome back an exceptionally talented group of professionals and the premier government relations practice in the Capitol region.”
Jones Walker’s expanded attorney team will strengthen its tax and litigation business practices in the state, according to Hines.
Their addition reinforces Jones Walker’s presence in Florida and expands upon the existing talent in its Miami office. Jones Walker bills itself as among the largest 135 law firms in the nation, handling issues for multinational corporations as well as Fortune 500 companies, banks and insurers.