Top brass at several of South Florida's prominent law firms have a strong sense of optimism looking ahead to 2019, a year they expect will keep transactional, real estate, land use, tax and immigration lawyers busy.

Interviews with managing partners and executives at statewide and national firms with a large presence in South Florida revealed the leaders are bullish amid speculation the U.S. economy is due for a recession. They said they expect Florida's economy to stay hot regardless of what happens nationwide — but some have plans in mind if demand drops for certain practice areas.

William Perry, CEO and managing shareholder of Gunster, said Florida remains a highly attractive place for investors and other newcomers. He explained the federal tax overhaul passed late last year has heightened that attraction since other states were more heavily impacted by limits on deductions for state and local taxes.

“We're still in a growth mode of some 1,000 people a day moving into the state,” he said. “We've certainly seen an uptick since the tax reform act, and more people making a decision to — sooner rather than later — move to Florida.”

Perry also voiced optimism about the impact of the Brightline high-speed rail line connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. He anticipates rising ridership will open the door for developers along the train's path.

“It's up and running and gaining ridership,” he said. “As that becomes more common and rail acceptance gets fully indoctrinated into the minds of Floridians, I think we're going to see a lot for development in the rail corridors.”

Harvey W. Gurland, Jr.

Harvey Gurland Jr., managing partner of Duane Morris' Miami and Boca Raton offices, also offered a rosy view of the legal market's near future, specifically noting deal flow picked up in the second half of the year.

“We saw, in the early-to-middle part of 2018, a little bit of a slowdown in some transactional areas, but there's been a pretty significant uptick in transactions” toward the latter part of the year, Gurland said. “I anticipate that will continue.”

BUSY PRACTICE AREAS

Firm leaders point to a number of practice areas, including real estate, land use, mergers and acquisitions, and private wealth management, as key business drivers that they expect to remain active in 2019.

As global investors looked to Florida as a place to park their money, Gurland said Duane Morris has seen its international tax practice do well. He also expects his firm's lawyers will stay active in the areas of intellectual property, particularly in the life sciences sector, along with construction litigation and transactions.

Perry, who runs the firm from West Palm Beach, said its private wealth group has been humming, and he expects that will continue into 2019 and beyond.

“That's a practice that we're very bullish on,” he said. “It's interesting how Miami attracts capital from all over the world.”

Mary Leslie Smith.

Mary Leslie Smith, managing partner of Foley & Lardner's Miami office, named a few other areas that she believes will keep her firm's Florida lawyers busy in 2019, including immigration, an area that's undergone dramatic change amid new enforcement priorities by the Trump administration.

Smith said she also would be keeping an eye on the hospitality industry, which is a big focus of her individual practice. She noted, for example, the extended reach in 2018 of the red tide toxic algae blooms that have plagued the waters off both Florida coasts and raised concerns for the tourism industry. Environmental factors, she said, might also impact development in the renewable energy sector.