Matthew Plummer, 37

Blalock Walters Managing Partner Matthew Plummer believes it’s the job of attorneys to take their clients’ problems and make them their own. He learned that his first day at the law firm, when he met with past managing partner Cliff Walters. “I took it to heart and try to do it on a daily basis,” Plummer says.

At Blalock Walters, with offices in Bradenton and Sarasota, Plummer leads the firm’s staff members and its 26 attorneys. “I view myself as a captain trying to do what’s best for the team,” he says. “You’re only as good as your weakest link, so I’m trying to make sure everyone is rowing in the right direction.”

Nine or so attorneys in the office are millennials, and Plummer says he has an advantage when it comes to relating to them. “It’s a lot easier to connect with millennials when you are a millennial,” he says. “I have a different perspective than my predecessors because of my age.”