Adam Towers went to great lengths to help the Ronald McDonald House this past Christmas season.
Towers, the managing partner in the Gainesville office of Bogin, Munns & Munns, P.A., directed the musical “Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection” produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a cast of over 100 — resurrecting his penchant for musical theater that had been dormant for 20 years.
Towers and other male cast members grew long hair and beards, increasing the sense of authenticity to the Bible-based drama.
“My drastic change in appearance proved to be one of the best opportunities to tell people about the play,” he said.
In lieu of an admission charge to the show’s five sold-out performances at the Oak Hall Theatre, donations were requested from the wish list of the local Ronald McDonald House. As a result of the generosity of those attending the performances, they were able to stock not only the food and supply the cupboards of the Ronald McDonald House, but also the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the University of Florida Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Sherry Houston, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charity of North Central Florida, is impressed with the help of Towers and Phil Kabler, senior counsel at the Bogin, Munns & Munns office.
“They really care about people,” she said. “Adam and Phil are generous, kind and compassionate.”
The attorneys bring these same characteristics to their legal practice.
“I look at myself less as a lawyer and more as someone who finds solutions,” Kabler said.
He’s dedicated to adding value to his client’s businesses.
“Life is better for both sides of a transaction or a dispute when attorneys are effective, efficient and economical,” he said.
Kabler and Towers practice different types of law but work closely together. Kabler focusses on real estate, business and banking transactions, while Towers handles the litigation side as well as probate and guardianships.
“We work as a team from start to finish,” Towers said. “Phil seeks my input on deals in order to reduce the potential for litigation, and I seek his transactional experience to further assist my clients.”
The Gainesville team goes beyond Kabler and Towers. The most recent addition is Howard Rosenblatt, an estate planning and elder law attorney with many years of experience in Gainesville.
Other attorneys in the office are:
- Bill Galione – personal injury and PIP insurance litigation
- Greg Buckley – family law, including divorce and support actions
- David Hallstrom – generalist
Orlando-based Bogin, Munns & Munns has 10 offices that support clients throughout the state. Areas of practice beyond those in Gainesville include employment law, tax law, intellectual property and bankruptcy law.
“Attorneys in our firm experienced in other practice areas often come here to meet with local clients so they don’t have to travel out of town,” Towers said.
Kabler is an adjunct faculty member at both the UF Levin College of Law and the UF Warrington College of Business Administration. He also serves on various committees of the Florida Bar and chairs the Commercial Investment Council of the Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors.
This level of involvement is important, said David Wilson, market president for Renasant Bank (formerly Alarion Bank).
“Phil does a super job,” Wilson said. “He’s on top of everything.”
In addition to its service to the Ronald McDonald House, the office staff is active in many other community organizations.
“Many people are familiar with Bogin, Munns & Munns because of our TV ads, but they may not realize that most of the team members in our Gainesville office are longtime local residents who are heavily invested in the community,” Towers said.
“We see our clients at church, soccer league sidelines and horse shows,” he explained.
Towers took a personal interest in the work done by the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation, particularly the Swim For Safety event, following a 2008 personal tragedy in his family. He lost a nephew to a pool drowning that year.
“He had not had swim lessons at that point and could have,” Towers said. “By sponsoring this event every year since 2009, we keep alive the hope that somebody will benefit from this program and avoid a similar tragedy.”
The office also donates money or supplies to various local groups including the Child Advocacy Center, local schools and the Guardian ad Litem program. Kabler serves as a board member with Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN) while Galione volunteers for Three Rivers Legal Services.
“We love being part of the community and making a difference,” Towers said.