Shutts & Bowen is pleased to announce that Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Ricky Polston joined its Tallahassee office as a Partner in the Appellate Practice Group on July 5 and head of the firm’s Constitutional Law Section.
According to Justice Polston, the legal platform provided by Shutts is something that will not only support his vibrant trial and appellate practice, but also his broad constitutional law experience.
“The opportunity to join a statewide firm with immense legal talent and a full-service platform was too great to pass up,” said Polston. “For me, this is the chance to join a group of lawyers I greatly respect who practice law with the utmost integrity, professionalism and skill and who are on the front lines of important legal battles, not only in Tallahassee but throughout Florida. I could not be more excited for the opportunities to come.”
Firmwide Managing Partner Jack C. McElroy said:
“Justice Polston has served the state of Florida well throughout his exemplary career, first as an appellate judge and then as a Supreme Court Justice, for the last fifteen years. His intellectual depth, character and commitment to the rule of law have benefitted our state immensely. We are honored that Justice Polston is joining our law firm and are confident he will provide immense value to our broad and diverse clientele across all practice areas. This is a great day for Shutts.”
Benjamin J. Gibson, the firm’s Tallahassee Office Managing Partner, said that as the firm continues to expand its reach in Florida’s capital, he is excited about working with Justice Polston and the expertise he will provide to Shutts’ diverse range of clients in the firm’s 30+ practice areas.
“For over two decades, Justice Polston has shaped Florida jurisprudence with his faithful and steadfast commitment to the rule of law and our constitutions, and I am now thrilled that he is joining our Shutts Tallahassee team,” said Gibson. “Justice Polston is a man of integrity and character and someone I will be honored to call my law partner. His addition will be of great strategic importance for the future of our firm.”
Justice Polston became a judge at the Florida First District Court of Appeal in 2001 until becoming a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court in 2008. He served a two-year term as Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court in 2012-14, as Administrative Justice for many terms, and has been on numerous Bar and Court committees and as the Court’s liaison to them. Since 2003, he has been an adjunct professor at the Florida State University College of Law, teaching various courses including Florida Constitutional Law, Insurance Law and Florida Alternative Dispute Resolution.
A native of Graceville, a small farming community in the panhandle of Florida, Justice Polston graduated from Chipola College in 1975 with an Associate’s degree. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Florida State University, where he was named FSU’s Most Outstanding Accounting Student and was inducted into the Beta Alpha Psi Honorary Accounting Society. In 1986, Polston obtained his juris doctorate with high honors from Florida State University College of Law. After becoming a member of The Florida Bar, he worked in private law practice in Tallahassee for 14 years. He was a member of the Tallahassee Bar Association and Tallahassee’s American Inn of Court (former Treasurer).
About Shutts & Bowen LLP
Shutts & Bowen, established in 1910, is a full-service business law firm with approximately 300 lawyers in offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. Learn more about Shutts & Bowen at www.shutts.com.
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