Business law firm acquired by larger area practice

ST. PETERSBURG — Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns LLP has acquired Ford & Ford P.A., a family-owned St. Petersburg business law firm.

Founded by Lucille Fleet Ford and her sister Ruth Fleet Thurman, Ford & Ford, according to a press release, has served St. Pete for more than five decades. Lucille Fleet Ford’s son Harvey Ford and grandson Drew Ford run the firm today, specializing in corporate and real estate law for clients throughout the Tampa Bay region, Florida and the Southeast. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. 

“We have worked across the table from JP lawyers on numerous transactions and have been impressed,” Harvey Ford states in the release. 

Drew Ford adds, via the release, “With our generations of history in St. Petersburg, it makes sense to join another firm that has deep roots in the Tampa Bay community. This will enable us to expand our array of services and to better serve our clients.”

Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, founded in 2013, is a full-service business law firm based in Tampa with offices in Clearwater and St. Pete. 

“We remain committed to expanding in Tampa Bay, including St. Petersburg,” Managing Partner Guy Burns states in the release. “We are very pleased to welcome Ford & Ford, who share a common vision for the future and a great respect for the past, particularly the women legal pioneers like Lucille Ford and her sister.”