BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida-based Bryant Miller Olive PA has elected Grace Dunlap as its new managing shareholder.
Dunlap, a public finance and bond attorney, will also serve on the firm’s board of directors. She will be responsible for day-to-day management and long-term strategic planning. She succeeds Randy Hanna, who had been managing shareholder since 1997.
“Grace has been very involved with the firm’s growth and success, and she personally represents all that is good about the firm’s culture,” said Fred Springer, who recently was elected chairman of the board. “Her leadership and experience will keep us on the right path and be invaluable to our clients.”
Dunlap joined Bryant Miller in 1993, opening the firm’s Tampa office as office managing shareholder and bond counsel for numerous Florida governments and governmental entities in the utility, transportation, education, and health care sectors.
Before joining BMO, she began practicing public finance law at Foley & Lardner.
In her new role, Dunlap said she will continue to provide services to her clients while maintaining the “collegial and happy” work environment begun under Hanna’s leadership.
“We all place a high value on our culture, and my present desire is to maintain that balance,” she said.
Dunlap received a bachelor’s degree at George Mason University and a law degree at Stetson University College of Law. She is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and the Florida Bar Local Government Law Section.
During Hanna’s tenure as managing shareholder, Bryant Miller grew from 10 attorneys and consultants to 50, and added four new offices to three that existed.
He also expanded beyond the public finance practice that began when the firm was established in 1970 to include areas such as state and local government, affordable housing, energy and utility, labor and employment, property, public private partnerships, public policy, government consulting, corporate trust, litigation, bankruptcy, and creditors’ rights.
“Grace has the trust of everyone who works at BMO and has the vision to continue to move the firm forward,” Hanna said. “I could not be happier with this selection.”
In the first half of this year, Bryant Miller ranked 10th among bond counsel firms in the Southeast, according to Thomson Reuters. In 2010, the firm ranked 38th in the nation, advising on $2.64 billion of offerings.
