Williams Parker Law Firm Hosts Swearing-In Ceremony for Two Associates

Williams Parker recently hosted a swearing-in ceremony for two attorneys admitted to the Florida Bar, Kyle D. Elliott and Diana L. Berlin, both of whom previously participated in the firm’s innovative summer associate program. Mr. Elliott joins as an associate with the firm’s real estate group, while Ms. Berlin is completing her LL.M. in Taxation at the University of Florida College of Law and will start with the firm in the summer of 2019 as an associate in the trusts and estates practice.

“Swearing in new attorneys is a time-honored tradition at Williams Parker,” said Ric Gregoria, president of Williams Parker. “Our entire firm came together for the ceremony and to congratulate and welcome Kyle and Diana, who join the growing ranks of talented young professionals our firm has attracted to Sarasota.”

Mr. Elliott, a fourth generation Floridian and a graduate of Duke University School of Law, joins the firm’s real estate practice, which includes 15 attorneys, nine of whom are board certified in real estate or condominium and planned development law. The group provides counsel on a full range of real estate-related issues, including residential closings, commercial transactions, financing, taxation, land use, planned developments, condominiums, and contracting, to real estate buyers, sellers, developers, and investors. Mr. Elliott previously served as a judicial intern with the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida. He obtained his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Florida.

Ms. Berlin earned her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law and her B.S. from the University of Central Florida Burnett Honors College. She previously served as a law clerk for the Florida Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, Probate Division, and volunteered with Gulfcoast Legal Services. Upon earning her LL.M., she will join the firm’s trusts and estates practice, which advises individuals and families on estate and tax planning, estate and trust administration, charitable giving, and business succession. The group includes 17 attorneys, many of whom have at least one advanced degree in taxation, accounting, or business, and many of whom are certified by The Florida Bar as specialists in will, trusts, and estates law or tax law.

Williams Parker’s innovative summer associate program draws students from law schools across the country, offering an opportunity to engage in intellectually stimulating work indicative of real associate life. It introduces law students to life in Sarasota as a Williams Parker attorney and provides them experiences and tools contributing to long-term success in their careers. About 40 percent of the firm’s current attorneys were hired after participation in the summer associate program, including latest arrivals Alyssa L. Shook, Colton F. Castro, Nicole F. Christie, Jamie E. Koepsel, and Ryan P. Portugal.

The firm’s 2019 summer associate program will include law students from Boston University, Florida State University, Georgetown University, University of Michigan, and Vanderbilt University. The firm will begin accepting applications for its 2020 summer associate program in the spring of 2019. For more information about the program, please visit williamsparker.com/careers/law-students.