GARY L. SASSO
PRESIDENT & CEO, CARLTON FIELDS, TAMPA
Celebrating 125 years in business in 2026, Tampa law firm Carlton Fields was founded in 1901 and today has offices in six states, plus Washington, D.C., and 350 attorneys. Sasso, who hails from Miami, joined the firm in 1987 and became president and CEO in 2006. Prior to Carlton Fields, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White in the nation's capital. Sasso serves on the board of the Florida Council of 100, and he's been part of the leadership of the American Bar Association, Tampa Bay Partnership, United Way Suncoast, Federal Bar Association, American Law Institute and Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
EDUCATION: University of Pennsylvania (BS, JD)
NOTABLE TREND: The consolidation of law firms, increasing the size of law firms substantially, and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence.
NEXT GEN ADVICE: Compete only against yourself and work very hard to be the best you are capable of being.
IN MY DOWNTIME: I enjoy painting, writing and having cigars occasionally with friends.
FOOD FIX: A medium-rare Snake River Farms char-grilled ribeye or New York strip steak.