Scott A. Underwood Named Statewide Leader of the Business and Appellate Litigation Practice Group

March 4, 2013 - PRLog -- Tampa, FL – Scott A. Underwood has been named statewide Practice Group Leader of Fowler White Boggs’ Business and Appellate Litigation Practice Group.  Underwood practices in bankruptcy, distressed business situations, and business workouts, with a focus on Chapter 11 bankruptcies and related litigation.

   “Scott Underwood is one of our Firm’s rising stars, both internally and externally in the legal community,” said John D. Emmanuel, one of Fowler’s veteran bankruptcy and commercial litigation attorneys and the Firm’s Associate General Counsel.

   “We are delighted that Scott is taking this exciting next step with the Firm and in his career,” said Rhea Law, CEO and Chair of Fowler’s Board of Directors.  “He has all the right qualities of not only a great lawyer but a great leader, and we are committed to developing our young leaders as one of our Firm’s strengths.”

   Underwood is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida, and the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar. He earned his JD magna cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He was named a Florida Rising Star in 2009-2012 by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, and a Florida Legal Elite Up & Comer in 2012 by Florida Trend.

   About half of Fowler White Boggs’ 130 attorneys are commercial litigators across the state, including such notables as Terrence Russell and Jesse Diner in the Firm’s Ft. Lauderdale Office, both former Florida Bar Presidents; Joseph Coleman, the Firm’s President and Office Managing Shareholder of the Ft. Myers Office; Thomas Dearing, a member of the Board of Directors who founded the Jacksonville Office along with John Marino and EK Cottrell; and Donald Cox, Edward Waller and Carl Nelson in Tampa.

     After spinning off its insurance defense practice in 2008 in a bold strategic move, Fowler White Boggs grew in clients, attorneys and revenue over the next three years in the midst of a down economy when many firms were cutting back.

   “We focused on expanding the breadth and depth of the business litigation practice statewide by enhancing our people and work,” Law said.  “To date, much of that growth has been outside the Tampa Bay area.  The changes we have experienced over the last few years represent the next step in our strategic plans, which we are calling Fowler 20/20 Vision.  We have a successful track record of timing and managing such changes effectively.”

   Being aggressive and fighting for what we believe in are among the “70 Reasons Why Clients Choose Fowler,” which is the center of the Firm’s 70th anniversary celebration in 2013. Fowler White Boggs is one of Florida’s most respected law firms, providing both a legacy and the next generation of leadership.  Fowler White Boggs is internationally connected with a Florida focus with 130 attorneys in five offices located in Tampa, Ft. Myers, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale.