Anonycat
Crusader
CLEARWATER — One of Pinellas County's most successful and high-profile attorneys is leaving the firm where he's worked for 30 years to open a small Pinellas outpost of Tampa-based Hill Ward Henderson.
Ed Armstrong, 55, went to work at Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns right out of law school and is now a shareholder in the firm, which is considered the biggest law firm based in Pinellas with some 38 attorneys in Clearwater and Tampa.
But on Monday, Armstrong announced that around May 1, he will go to work for Hill Ward Henderson in a two-attorney office the firm will open in the Clearwater area. Joining him in the office will be another Johnson Pope lawyer, Katie Cole, whom Armstrong mentored.
At Johnson Pope, Armstrong built a reputation as a winning land use attorney, specializing in the kinds of cases that required interaction with or approval by government officials.
He has represented many of the bay area's most successful developers, including JMC Communities, Ocean Properties, Ryland Homes, David Mack, Nickel Plate Properties, and others who developed Walmarts, grocery stores, shopping centers and residential communities.
Other high-profile clients have included the Tampa Bay Rays, Countryside Mall and the Church of Scientology.
He also established a reputation in another arena: politics. A Republican, Armstrong, of Dunedin, became known as a local rainmaker. Candidates for city, county and even state offices, especially in mid- and North Pinellas, often make an early visit to Armstrong seeking advice and his approval, knowing campaign cash from his associates could follow.
Armstrong declined to say why he has decided to leave Johnson Pope, saying only that "it's a great law firm and will continue to be a great law firm."
However, Johnson Pope managing partner Guy Burns said it was an "economic decision."
"I think he determined, for whatever reason, that his financial circumstances would be better there than here," Burns said.
Armstrong reeled in many of the firm's clients through the years, but Burns said the parting will be amicable and the firm wil be fine. He called Armstrong "a good friend" who will be missed.
Complete article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/busine...rmstrong-plans-to-leave-longtime-firm/2106965
Ed Armstrong, 55, went to work at Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns right out of law school and is now a shareholder in the firm, which is considered the biggest law firm based in Pinellas with some 38 attorneys in Clearwater and Tampa.
But on Monday, Armstrong announced that around May 1, he will go to work for Hill Ward Henderson in a two-attorney office the firm will open in the Clearwater area. Joining him in the office will be another Johnson Pope lawyer, Katie Cole, whom Armstrong mentored.
At Johnson Pope, Armstrong built a reputation as a winning land use attorney, specializing in the kinds of cases that required interaction with or approval by government officials.
He has represented many of the bay area's most successful developers, including JMC Communities, Ocean Properties, Ryland Homes, David Mack, Nickel Plate Properties, and others who developed Walmarts, grocery stores, shopping centers and residential communities.
Other high-profile clients have included the Tampa Bay Rays, Countryside Mall and the Church of Scientology.
He also established a reputation in another arena: politics. A Republican, Armstrong, of Dunedin, became known as a local rainmaker. Candidates for city, county and even state offices, especially in mid- and North Pinellas, often make an early visit to Armstrong seeking advice and his approval, knowing campaign cash from his associates could follow.
Armstrong declined to say why he has decided to leave Johnson Pope, saying only that "it's a great law firm and will continue to be a great law firm."
However, Johnson Pope managing partner Guy Burns said it was an "economic decision."
"I think he determined, for whatever reason, that his financial circumstances would be better there than here," Burns said.
Armstrong reeled in many of the firm's clients through the years, but Burns said the parting will be amicable and the firm wil be fine. He called Armstrong "a good friend" who will be missed.
Complete article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/busine...rmstrong-plans-to-leave-longtime-firm/2106965
