Johnson Pope Welcomes Ford & Ford to the Firm

August 2020 – Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP is pleased to announce that Ford & Ford, P.A. has joined the firm’s St. Petersburg office.

Ford & Ford is a business law firm that has been embedded in the St. Petersburg community for more than five decades having been established by Harvey Ford’s mother, Lucille Fleet Ford, and her sister, Ruth Fleet Thurman. Harvey and his son, Drew, represent the corporate and real estate needs of clients in the Tampa Bay region, around the state of Florida, and throughout the eastern U.S.

A fourth-generation resident of St. Petersburg, Harvey Ford has 40+ years of experience in commercial transactional matters. Closely held businesses, investment firms and developers rely upon his knowledge and reputation for everything from preparation of organizational documents to complex multi-state commercial real estate transactions.

Drew Ford serves as outside general counsel to closely held entities, providing the full range of corporate advice. He also represents developers and investors in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions – from acquisitions and dispositions to financing, development and leasing.

According to Harvey, “We have worked across the table from JP lawyers on numerous transactions and have been impressed.” Drew added, “With our generations of history in St. Petersburg, it makes sense to join another firm that has deep roots in the Tampa Bay community. This will enable us to expand our array of services and to better serve our clients.”

Johnson Pope, a Bay Area firm also has offices in Clearwater and Tampa. The firm began its initial launch in St. Petersburg in November of 2013, and almost seven years later, that office continues to grow. According to Guy M. Burns, managing partner, “We remain committed to expanding in Tampa Bay, including St. Petersburg. We are very pleased to welcome Ford & Ford who share a common vision for the future and a great respect for the past, particularly the women legal pioneers like Lucille Ford and her sister.

Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP is a full-service business-oriented law firm with offices in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.