Phelps announced that on May 1, 2025, it will combine with Beggs & Lane, the oldest law firm in Pensacola, Florida. Operating as Phelps, this combination will expand the super-regional law firm to over 425 lawyers in 17 offices.
This combination builds on Phelps’ ongoing growth with an expanded presence in Florida, offering a connection across the Florida Panhandle and bridging the firm’s existing Gulf Coast offices. The joining of these two storied firms deepens Phelps’ service offerings to clients in employment, health care, energy, real estate, tax, white-collar defense, and intellectual property.
Phelps, established in 1853, and Beggs & Lane, in 1883, share a history of maintaining respected brands with strong market ties by providing trusted, responsive, and solution-based legal services.
Beggs & Lane has a strong industry presence in employment, health care, energy, real estate, business, tax, trusts and estates, white-collar defense, and UO.
The partners and counsel joining Phelps in Pensacola are:
— J. Nixon Daniel, III guides clients in high-stakes cases. With his experience in trying more than 100 cases to verdict, businesses and individuals turn to him to resolve significant personal injury claims, class actions, and business disputes involving real property and health care payments. Nix represents both defendants and plaintiffs.
— W. Lee Elebash navigates complex commercial disputes and liability claims to protect clients’ businesses and reputations. Business owners rely on his knowledge of corporate structure and risk management to map out the ripple effects lawsuits may have on their operations. And he finds creative solutions to issues that require careful handling, including contract, shareholder, and competitor challenges. He defends manufacturers and professionals against business torts, fraud claims, and liability demands.
— Thomas F. Gonzalez helps health care providers resolve claims before juries and regulators. He steers clients through high-profile lawsuits, licensure investigations, and administrative actions. And Tom combines trial and board hearing experience to build pre-suit mediation strategies and defend clients through verdict and appeal. He is also called on to try cases stemming from premises liability and transportation accidents. And he handles copyright, product liability, insurance, and contract disputes.
— Steven R. Griffin facilitates infrastructure initiatives across the Gulf Coast Corridor. He works with public utilities, developers, independent power producers, and energy services contractors to structure deals and finalize large-scale energy projects. Steve is a go-to lawyer for renewable projects, benefiting clients who are investing in significant purchases and installations. He negotiates contracts, prepares proposals, and manages regulatory proceedings to get innovative energy programs running.
— Marcus A. Huff preserves clients’ assets through secure succession planning, including structuring and executing trusts and administering estates. Strategic foresight, gained from deep estate planning experience and multi-generational client relationships, guides his counsel. And he helps fiduciaries and individuals find creative solutions to estate, probate, and trust disputes involving trust, construction, contests, undue influence challenges, and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Marc is an established leader for estate planning issues throughout Northwest Florida.
— Matthew P. Massey is a former federal prosecutor who defends clients in government investigations and high-stakes commercial litigation. He has first-chaired more than 20 jury trials and is skilled at handling the added scrutiny of cases facing significant headlines. As a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Matthew understands investigator perspectives and approaches. This helps him negotiate with officials, health care professionals, business owners, and government contractors to close investigations and handle regulatory, grand jury, and other special hearings. Clients rely on his experience and agency insight to navigate white collar, health care enforcement, and corporate compliance issues.
— William H. Mitchem brings lenders, brokers, builders, developers, and health care groups together to secure financing, negotiate contracts, and drive real estate deals forward. He centers transactions around clients’ long-term business needs. Bill often closes deals involving subdivisions, medical office buildings, and other residential and commercial sales, purchases, and leases. He helps clients manage their real estate portfolios through strategic acquisitions and divestitures. He protects them against risk and completes due diligence as an agent for three Big Four title insurers.
— David B. Taylor III secures financing for major commercial and residential real estate deals across the Gulf South. He works with owners, investors, developers, and lenders to structure the proper backing for each project’s needs, including construction and term loans, asset-based lending, and mezzanine financing. An agent with leading title insurers, he’s experienced in closing purchases, sales, and leases on various projects, including office, medical, multi-family, hospitality, condominium, and mixed-use developments. He also counsels on business formation, contracts, and other corporate matters as developments progress. If issues arise once a project is complete, he guides clients through loan workouts, restructurings, and foreclosures.
— Russell F. Van Sickle partners with private and public employers and senior management to resolve complex employment and labor disputes. He manages discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, employee classification, noncompete, and trade secret claims, from pre-suit mediations to trial. He also designs compliant policies and effective labor relations strategies to address risks before they become problems. Long-term partnerships with employers give him a deep understanding of their business goals, and clients often call on him to navigate commercial lawsuits on various issues. He is board-certified in labor and employment law by The Florida Bar.
— Charlie Wiggins brings his strong track record in the courtroom as he guides clients through tort claims and business disputes. Banking, energy, health care, and real estate leaders trust his ability to anticipate and manage the risks of high-stakes disputes, informed by trying more than 75 jury trials. He defends clients against injury and wrongful death claims involving product defects, industrial and utility accidents, premises liability, transportation accidents, and nursing home claims. His time spent as a felony prosecutor gives clients insight into court priorities and procedure. Charlie is board-certified by The Florida Bar in civil trial law.
— Stephen D. Wilson protects clients’ global intellectual property (IP) rights. Clients across all industries turn to him to protect and enforce their competitive interests across the country and internationally. He brings deep experience working with intellectual property offices and a firm grasp of fast-moving IP law to resolve trademark, copyright, trade secret, cybersquatting, publicity, privacy rights, and business disputes. He also conducts IP audits, prosecutes and manages global IP portfolios covering over 140 countries, forms IP holding companies and operating companies, and structures IP licenses, assignments, work-for-hire agreements, nondisclosure agreements, website and software terms of use and privacy policies, and other agreements to protect valuable assets and safeguard against infringement and litigation risks. When contentious matters cannot be amicably resolved, he represents clients in IP litigation, opposition and cancellation proceedings, arbitration, mediation, and appeals. A leading author on evolving IP issues, he is often asked to speak on the latest in data protection, privacy compliance, and other IP topics.
— Jena M. Wise defends business and health care professionals when their livelihoods are on the line. Medical providers and facilities trust her experience managing trials to resolve tort claims, including vicarious liability claims. Jena guides clients through complex, often high-profile complaints involving injuries, errors, and standards of care. She also defends professional licensure investigations and complaints by Florida’s Department of Health and Department of Business and Professional Regulation to find solutions for clients.
— John R. Zoesch III protects clients’ competitive edge and intellectual property. Jack pursues and defends against claims of trademark infringement, cybersquatting, copyright infringement,t and trade secret misappropriation. Companies use his commercial litigation knowledge to manage high-stakes business disputes, from breach-of-contract and business tort claims to government contracting disputes. Jack also shields his clients’ IP to avoid issues on the front end. He prosecutes trademarks and copyrights, designs safeguards for confidential information, and protects IP rights during transactions.
Joining Phelps are other experienced lawyers and associates:
— Mary Jane Bass
— Terrie Didier
— Ed Holland
— David McGee
— Jerry Miller
— Susan Salamone
— Reed Taylor
— Maggie Zinsel
KEY QUOTES:
“Beggs & Lane is a team of energetic and ambitious lawyers who have earned a long-standing reputation of trust for solving client problems – this all fits really nicely together with our culture, client service and strategic growth approach. Pensacola has always appealed to us as a strategic location that offers a vital connection across the Gulf Crescent from Houston to Tampa. We are delighted to join forces with one of the most well-respected firms in the state.”
– Marshall Redmon, managing partner of Phelps
“It became clear over the past nine months in our talks together that Phelps shared our pride in maintaining strong long-term client relationships and running successful and efficient businesses. Phelps’ culture fits ours, and the firm’s service offerings nicely complement our capabilities to offer clients a broader platform and expanded list of practice areas.”
– Beggs & Lane Managing Partner Bill Mitchem
