A Community Cornerstone Built on Relationships
Bartow Law Firm Remains Vigorous to Help Others After 125 Years
Photos by Jordan Randall and provided by Boswell & Dunlap | Developed in partnership with Boswell & Dunlap
Sitting at the solid oak rolltop desk his grandfather began practicing law from in 1900, Don Wilson proudly shows off the antique ledger book written in timeless cursive that recorded the day-to-day transactions of the law firm 125 years ago. Solon G. Wilson and Judge Clarance A. Boswell founded Wilson & Boswell in 1900.
The building Boswell & Dunlap LLP resides in was built in 1922 and originally was the home to the Polk County Record newspaper. Today, it sits at the heart of a thriving downtown.
In all the years since, highly respected attorneys in the firm now known as Boswell & Dunlap, LLP have practiced law and earned their place as pillars of the communities they serve. Like the old rolltop desk, those attorneys have stood the test of time.
“We’ve been in the business of establishing relationships for a long time now and we’re proud to have represented some of the finest institutions and people in our communities for generations,” the 74-year-old Wilson says humbly and matter of factly.
The firm is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, and a common phrase at the practice is “A good thing about practicing law…is that you get better with experience.”
When the firm was first formed in 1900—a time when the railroad was bringing the outside world into Central Florida and when Bartow experienced a boom from the expanding citrus, phosphate and cattle interests—the firm was located in the Jackson Building over Wilson & Bowers dry goods store on Main Street in Bartow.
Decades later the firm moved into its current location, the original home of the Polk County Record, a now defunct newspaper that served the region for 35 years. In fact, the stately conference room that is a centerpiece of the building today was originally the space where an old printing press once produced the medium used to inform and educate the public. That room serves as a small museum of sorts for the firm with published articles and artifacts from over the years, including an original photograph over the fireplace mantle of the 1899 Florida Bench and Bar.
The firm’s commitment to offering expertise and legal services to the community is as wide as it is constant. There are now 10 attorneys in the firm. The firm has represented the Polk County School Board since 1939, Polk State College since 1963 and the City of Bartow since 1971. The firm also represents a number of the municipal governments in Polk County, as well as local families they have represented for multiple generations.
When asked about some of the most interesting or “wild” things he saw in all his years of practicing law, Wilson grinned and said the best stories were “covered by lawyer-client confidentiality.”
The firm became Boswell & Dunlap LLP in 1998 when it merged with another well-established Bartow law firm, Dunlap & Murphy. George Dunlap, now retired, was for many years the City Attorney for Bartow.
Today, the firm’s attorneys represent clients in litigation in state and federal courts. Their practice areas also include: local and municipal government, community associations, personal injury, commercial and real estate transactions, estate planning, guardianships, probate and more.
Their roster is deep with experienced talent, including board certified attorneys, who know Florida law well and are deeply invested in their local communities. The current attorneys are:, David Carmichael, Savannah Young Cerullo, Robert Chilton, Seth Claytor, W.A. “Drew” Crawford, Keith Miller, John Murphy, Sean Parker, Jillian Spangler and Don Wilson.
As one walks through the hallways of the historic building it’s exciting to see the new life and new traditions of a well-respected firm that is acutely aware of the people who made it what it has become today.
Clarence A. Boswell, the son of Judge Boswell, practiced law for a staggering 81 years and was the senior member of the Florida Bar until his death at the age of 102.
Twenty-five years ago, when the firm was celebrating its 100th anniversary, Boswell had this to say about the firm’s legacy in an article in Florida Bar Journal:
“A lot of things have changed about the way we practice law over the years, but the importance of vigorously pursuing a client’s interests with honesty and integrity has never changed.”
Polk’s Oldest Law Firm
Boswell & Dunlap LLP
245 S. Central Ave., Bartow
www.bosdun.com | 863.533.7117