Dean of Advisors
Tallahassee
Overview
A shareholder in Gunster’s Tallahassee office and the head of its lobbying practice, J. Larry Williams offers more than three decades of experience representing clients at all levels of government. Throughout his legal career, Larry has worked with a range of clients from a diverse cross section of industries, including transportation, entertainment, educational instruction, energy, affordable housing, regulated industries, environmental, and health care.
He has consulted for clients on affairs before the Legislature and governmental agencies in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, as well as before the Florida Cabinet. Larry is focused on steadily advancing the interests and position of his clients, and he strives to shape the law on behalf of his clients, rather than let the law shape them. Committed to understanding law and policy from the inside out, he seeks to continuously develop and nurture relationships throughout Florida and beyond with elected officials and policymakers, regulatory officials, and legislative leadership and staff.
Larry is dedicated to forging consensus when and where it is needed most, and reinforces such conviction by developing communication strategies that focus not only on how a bill or policy will further the interests of his client but also upon how it overlaps with an official’s own standards or benefits their constituencies. He understands, from personal experience, that reputations can be fortified or broken in an instant. As a result, he strives to establish immediate credibility and confidence with his clients, colleagues, and constituents alike that is backed by responsiveness, service, and practical legal counsel.
Education
Florida State University College of Law, J.D., 1975
Florida State University, B.A. in Business Administration, 1968
Admissions
Florida Bar, 1976
Honors
The Best Lawyers in America©, Government Relations Practice, 2009-25
Involvement
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Fellows of the American Bar Association