By William Jacko
Special to The Laker/Lutz News
When people need a good lawyer, they often turn to a big downtown firm. With the opening of its new building in North Tampa, Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace now provides this big-firm quality and prestige for Pasco and North Hillsborough residents.
“We’re right on the corner of Florida and Bearss. We’re convenient for people who want the service that a well-established Tampa firm offers, but don’t want the hassle of having to go downtown,” said Jonathan Newlon, partner.
Although BBD&G represents many large commercial and institutional clients, it also is devoted to representing smaller businesses and individuals. Newlon specializes in estate and tax planning, probate and trust administration and litigation, guardianship and fiduciary litigation, and family law litigation.
He also specializes in listening to his clients.
“What I pride myself most on is paying attention to what people actually want,” said Newlon. “I make sure I sit down and listen to the clients, and try to understand exactly what they want.”
Newlon grew up in rural Pasco County in San Antonio. His small-town roots give him an affinity for Pasco and North Tampa, and many of his clients are from this area.
Newlon deals largely with death and divorce, and advises prospective clients to seek general advice early to help them in their decision-making process.
“I’ve had a lot of people come in and talk to me about a divorce,” said Newlon. “Sometimes I don’t hear from them again. Other times I’ll hear from them a year later, and they say, ‘I’m glad that I didn’t pull the trigger rashly before.’ Most of the time those people are grateful that I listened to them and gave them some options, instead of just saying, ‘OK, hire me, and let’s do this.’ There’s nothing wrong with going to get some advice and then not doing anything with it other than thinking about it.”
Clients can feel confident in the advice they receive at BBD&G. The firm has received a prestigious AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the gold standard in the legal ratings business.
“The A represents the legal skill and capabilities that we have here, and A is obviously the highest rating that you can have. The V stands for the highest ethical rating that you can have, so the AV rating is considered a preeminent rating of lawyers in the Martindale-Hubbell system,” explains Newlon.
Many of BBD&G’s partners gained experience working for big downtown law firms before founding BBD&G, and Newlon considers that big-firm experience a valuable asset.
“We can deliver that level of service and legal skill, and at the same time, we know that people ultimately want to be treated like people. We all appreciate family, fellowship and civic duty. We’re a firm that has a lot of legal acumen, but that also really enjoys helping our clients,” said Newlon.
The firm welcomes visitors to its North Tampa office, but is also prepared to assist clients abiding by COVID-19 safety recommendations.
“We have all kinds of tech capacity, including large conference rooms with large screens for video conferencing, “ said Newlon. “My advice is to get guidance sooner rather than later, and we have the tech capacity to allow people to do that now without having to compromise their health.”
813-221-3759 • www.bbdglaw.com
Published on 7/1/20
