In 1925, John Kenneth Williamson and William Quiggin Cain founded a small law firm in West Palm Beach, Florida. Today, 100 years later, that firm has grown to more than 320 attorneys and consultants with offices across the state of Florida. Beyond being one of the oldest law firms in Florida, Gunster also has one of the largest private wealth practices in the country.
“Our deep connections across Florida have allowed us to grow into a statewide firm with national reach, without compromising our values,” says Managing Shareholder and CEO H. William “Bill” Perry. “We will continue to lead Florida forward—all for the betterment of our colleagues, our clients and our communities.”
THEIR ROOTS
In the early years of the firm, Gunster was located in the Harvey Building, which was a brand-new skyscraper in West Palm Beach. “That was the beginning of the transformation from a frontier town with a railroad stop to a real city during that land boom in the 1920s.”
The firm then rode through two hurricanes and The Great Depression before the post-World War II era brought a new “renaissance” to the area.
“A lot of the GIs who had come down to train on the bases here in Florida liked what they saw and came back to settle here after the war,” Perry says.
This marked the beginning of a huge growth period for both West Palm Beach and consequently, the firm, beginning with the hire of Joseph F. Gunster in 1942 and David “Bud” Yoakley in 1948.
Gunster began to offer corporate legal services as well as trust and estate planning services in addition to the real estate work for which they had become known.
“It was the right place and the right time,” Perry says.
EXPANDING ACROSS FLORIDA
By the 1980s, the firm opened its first office outside of Palm Beach County in Martin County. A merger in the mid-1990s expanded their international and immigration work in Miami following their expansion into Fort Lauderdale.
In the 2000s, the firm made a decision to ex-pand beyond South Florida and become a go-to statewide firm.
“We saw an opportunity. There wasn’t one firm that was considered the best in Florida. We believed we could grow and become that firm,” Perry says. “That’s the mission we’ve been on and it’s a worthy mission in the third largest state in the country.”
This mission began with the opening of an office in Jacksonville. And, after weathering the Great Recession, Gunster continued on its statewide expansion establishing offices in Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa and Boca Raton.
This period also saw the addition of health-care and expanded land use practices, addressing emerging needs for Florida businesses. At the same time, the firm expanded its government affairs presence in Tallahassee and doubled the size of the office in Jacksonville.
In 2023, the firm opened its 12th office in Naples, securing the final foothold in the major Florida markets, and has since expanded its presence in Miami with the addition of its 13th office in Coral Gables.
LOOKING AHEAD
“It is important to look back on our strong century of service and admire what we have accomplished,” Perry says. “But we cannot stare too long. We must look forward into the next 100 years and ask ourselves—what does it hold?”
Perry describes the firm as driven to pursue excellence both in the practice of law and in building a collaborative culture and servant leadership ethos. This focus on culture has been carefully considered as the firm has expanded over the last two decades – ensuring that as offices are added, the culture is maintained.
“A lot has changed over the past 100 years. But Gunster’s commitment to our people, our clients, and our communities has not. The foundation of our firm is based on service and community leadership. In the next century, we will embrace these founding principles, lean into them and empower them to accelerate our efforts.
“With a century of service behind us, and with unbounded faith in our future, we stand ready to help lead Florida forward,” Perry adds.
