Florida trusts and estates law firms merge to form Diamond & Lile

Two Florida law firms specializing in trusts and estates have merged, combining practices in St. Petersburg and Naples.

St. Petersburg’s The Diamond Law Firm and Naples-based Laird A. Lile PLLC announced Monday that they have formed Diamond & Lile — a firm dedicated to estate planning, probate, trust administration, fiduciary litigation and related matters throughout Florida.

Attorneys Sandra Diamond and Laird A. Lile will lead the firm. Its other attorneys are Ben Diamond, Rachel Barlow, Langdon Lile and Marguerite Mills.

The merger gives clients access to a larger group of attorneys and additional legal resources while allowing them to continue working with the professionals they know, the new firm says in an announcement Monday. 

“This merger brings together attorneys who share exceptionally high standards of legal counsel and a deep commitment to client service,” Lile says in the release. 

Lile is a board-certified wills, trusts and estates attorney who previously served nine consecutive terms on The Florida Bar Board of Governors. He has also chaired the bar’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and served in leadership positions with the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

His Naples practice has represented individuals, families, fiduciaries and advisers in estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate litigation and estate-related tax planning.

Sandra Diamond is also a board-certified wills, trusts and estates attorney, and focuses on estate planning and trust administration, serving as an expert witness in cases involving those areas. She is a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors and a past chair of its Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section.

“Our firms share a commitment to excellence, integrity and highly personalized representation,” Diamond says in the release. “Diamond & Lile creates a stronger platform from which to serve clients across Florida and to address increasingly complex legal needs with greater depth and perspective.”

The Diamond Law Firm has represented clients in estate planning, probate, trust administration and litigation.

Diamond & Lile will maintain offices at 150 Second Ave. N., Suite 570, in downtown St. Petersburg and at 3033 Riviera Drive, Suite 104, in Naples. The firm will represent individuals, families, fiduciaries and businesses across Florida.