TRENAM LAW ADDS NINE ATTORNEYS AS PART OF FIRMWIDE GROWTH STRATEGY
Five Senior Counsel and Four Associates Join in Tampa and St. Pete
JUNE 9, 2021, TAMPA, FLA. – Trenam Law announces the addition of eight experienced attorneys across a variety of key practice areas where increased demand for talented legal counsel is emerging. Senior Counsel Jessica West and Associates Diana B. Arnaoutakis and Reid E. Buchanan join in Tampa, and Senior Counsel Joseph A. DiVito, Maggie Knaust, Erica K. Smith and Walter A. Trauner, and Associate John Farris II are based in St. Petersburg. The attorneys are welcome additions to Trenam’s Business Transactions, Healthcare, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Private Client Services, and Real Estate and Lending Transactions Practice Groups.
“As businesses emerge from the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to deepening and broadening our various practice areas to be able to continue providing excellent client service as we respond to increased client need for experienced legal counsel in areas such as business transactions, real estate, private client services and litigation, among other practices,” said Marie Tomassi, President and Managing Shareholder of Trenam. “These talented attorneys all come to us with impressive backgrounds, and we are excited to have them join our team. We will continue to add more attorneys over the next 12 to 18 months, so stay tuned.”
Diana B. Arnaoutakis
Arnaoutakis, an associate in Tampa, serves clients in Trenam’s Private Client Services Practice Group. Her work includes estate planning, tax planning, wealth preservation, and administration of trusts and estates. Arnaoutakis holds her CPA license and previously practiced as an auditor.
She earned her undergraduate degree in financial consulting from Southern Methodist University, her master’s degree in accounting from Northeastern University, her law degree from Boston College School of Law and her LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
She is a member of The Florida Bar, and is active in the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, and Tax Law Sections. She is also a member of the Junior League of Tampa.
Reid E. Buchanan
Buchanan counsels investment advisers, investment managers, their pooled investment vehicles, portfolio companies, startups, sponsors and founders as a member of Trenam’s Business Transaction Practice Group. He regularly advises on formation, structuring, compliance, financing and corporate governance. Earlier in his career, he served as an intern for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Investment Management.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Albany and his law degree from Emory University School of Law.
Joseph A. DiVito
DiVito, senior counsel in St. Petersburg, arrives at Trenam from DiVito Higham & Vasti, a firm that he founded. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Lending Transactions Practice Group. In the area of affordable housing, DiVito brings established experience with loan and grant closings funded or insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), having served as closing attorney for more than 150 HUD housing facilities for the elderly and handicapped. His most prominent client is the Pinellas Archdiocese
He earned his undergraduate degree from Spring Hill College and his law degree from Stetson University College of Law.
DiVito is an active member of numerous professional organizations, including The Florida Bar, the St. Petersburg Bar Association, the Catholic Lawyers Guild and the National Diocesan Attorneys Association of the United States Catholic Conference. He has been named regularly by Tampa Bay Magazine as one of the area’s top lawyers.
John P. Farris II
Farris, an associate in St. Petersburg, serves clients from Trenam’s Real Estate Practice Group. He will be assisting clients in the representation of sales and acquisitions as well as lending transactions.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and his law degree and LL.M. in Real Estate Development from the University of Miami School of Law. He also holds a commercial real estate certificate from Cornell University and a business foundations certificate from the University of Texas at Austin.
Sarah E. Jacobi
Jacobi, an associate in the Tampa office, serves clients from the Business Transactions Group. She received an LL.M., in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D. from Stetson University and B.S. from University of Central Florida.
Maggie Knaust
Knaust, senior counsel in St. Petersburg, serves clients from Trenam’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She counsels clients involved in a wide variety of business, real estate and healthcare disputes.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, her M.B.A. from Stetson University and her law degree from the Stetson University College of Law.
An active member of The Florida Bar and the St. Petersburg Bar, Knaust also serves as a community advocate through her work with Leadership St. Pete.
Erica K. Smith
Smith, senior counsel in St. Petersburg, joins Trenam’s Private Client Services Practice Group, where she advises clients on estate planning, tax planning, charitable giving, and estate and trust administration.
She earned her undergraduate degree from The College of William and Mary and her law degree from Stetson University’s College of Law.
She is the past president of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, where she has been an active member for more than 13 years. She occupies a leadership role in various professional and charitable organizations, including the Suncoast Estate Planning Council, Pinellas Community Foundation, St. Petersburg Free Clinic, and First United Methodist Church, and she volunteers with Lawyers for Literacy as a third-grade reading tutor.
Walter A. Trauner
Trauner, senior counsel based in St. Petersburg, joins Trenam’s Real Estate and Lending Transactions Practice Group, counseling clients involved in the acquisitions, disposition, development and leasing of residential and commercial properties. His experience has included guiding REITs, developers, investors, property owners and other business leaders in projects that involve multifamily housing, medical, office, retail and senior housing facilities.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Jessica West
West, senior counsel based in Tampa, joins Trenam’s Healthcare Industry Group. She advises healthcare providers on regulatory and compliance matters, as well as emerging areas of health law. Her clients include physicians and physicians groups, hospitals, pharmacies, medical spas, clinical laboratories and long-term care facilities, among other providers. Counseling on a range of legal areas from fraud and abuse to HIPAA compliance and licensing matters, West is also a frequent speaker and media source on healthcare law topics. She is included among the Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
About Trenam Law
Founded in 1970, Trenam Law, a full-service law firm, ranks among the largest law firms in Florida, with offices in Tampa and St. Petersburg. The attorneys at Trenam Law work regionally with clients in the following practice areas: bankruptcy, creditors’ rights & insolvency, business transactions, commercial litigation, construction law and government contracting, employment law, health care, employee benefits, private client services and real estate transactions and lending. The firm is committed to the service of its clients, the community and the improvement of the legal profession. For more information, visit Trenam Law online at www.trenam.com.
