GARY L. SASSO

PRESIDENT & CEO, CARLTON FIELDS, TAMPA

Carlton Fields, which specializes in business and litigation matters, was founded in Tampa in 1901 and has offices in six states and Washington, D.C. Sasso, a Miami native, joined the firm in 1987 following a stint in the nation’s capital, where he clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White. He has served as president and CEO of the firm since 2006. He serves on the board of the Florida Council of 100 and has served as chair of the boards of the Tampa Bay Partnership, United Way Suncoast and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. He’s also held professional leadership positions in the American Bar Association, the American Law Institute and the Federal Bar Association.

EDUCATION: University of Pennsylvania (BS, JD)

FIRST JOB: Shelving canned goods in my great uncle’s grocery store when I was 3 years old.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I have several candidates for this endeavor: military service, anthropologist, archeologist, architect and law professor.

MENTEE IMPACT: I have worked with numerous younger lawyers to help them grow their professional skills as lawyers.

INDUSTRY TREND
“Consolidation and quantitative growth. At our firm, we are focused on qualitative growth.”