Sarasota law practice becomes part of St. Louis firm

A Sarasota law firm is now part of a St. Louis company. Dunlap Moran, with offices on Links Avenue and in Lakewood Ranch, has joined Missouri-headquartered firm Sandberg Phoenix.

The entire Dunlap Moran team — 30 members, including 15 attorneys and paralegals — joined Sandberg Phoenix, effective June 16, according to a statement. They will continue operating out of both offices in the Sarasota area.

Sandberg Phoenix has a team of more than 180 attorneys across Missouri, Illinois and now Florida. The firm specializes in business litigation, health law, intellectual property, products liability and individual and family law. 

“This combination is far more than a geographic expansion,” Sandberg Phoenix CEO Bhavik Patel says in the statement. “It gives our clients access to one of the most respected practices on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and it gives Dunlap Moran’s clients the breadth of a growing platform without losing the trusted relationships they have come to expect.”

For decades, Dunlap Moran has provided services around estate planning, real property, business law, litigation, alternative dispute resolution and guardianship matters. Officials say that uniting with Sandberg Phoenix will provide more resources for clients and attorneys alike.

“Joining Sandberg Phoenix lets us continue serving the Sarasota community we have called home for decades, while giving our clients a deeper bench, expanded practice capabilities and the kind of full-service platform that is increasingly valuable in today’s market,” shareholder John Moran says in the statement. 

This is the third Sarasota firm to join forces with another practice in the past couple of months. On June 1, Norton Hammersley Lopez & Skokos united with Tampa-based Trenam Law. In April, Syprett Meshad and Eastmoore Crauwels & DuBos merged under the name Syprett Meshad & DuBos.