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Chris and Shannon Carlyle of Leesburg have taken great pride in their firm"s reputation as one of Florida"s premier appellate law firms. Since establishing The Carlyle Appellate Law Firm in the mid-1990s, they have counseled and represented clients at every level of Florida"s federal and state appellate court systems.
The Carlyles practice in "America's Friendliest Hometown" — The Villages. Given their impressive track record, one might wonder why they don"t locate their firm in a large city, where it would undoubtedly garner more recognition.
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For Chris and Shannon, the answer to that question is rather simple. They cherish the small towns, sense of community and hometown values found here is Lake County. They have a vested interest in the county, which is evident by their countless hours of community service and volunteerism. And given that they're building a new office at the Laurel Manor Professional Center in The Villages, it's obvious that they plan to stay here for a long, long time.
"We came here because it was important that our children grow up in a small-town environment,"
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Shannon said. "The surrounding area is beautiful, and the people here are extremely friendly."
Of course, Shannon was already familiar with the wonderful advantages of living in Lake County. She was born and raised in Leesburg and graduated from Leesburg High School in 1984. After graduation, she opted to become an attorney, a career that runs in her family's blood. In 1965 her father, Walt S. McLin, III, co-founded McLin and Burnsed, P.A., now the largest law firm in Lake County with 18 lawyers and four offices.
Shannon attended law school at Pepperdine University, which is where she met Chris. They were married between their second and third year of school. After living in Orlando where Chris worked at Holland & Knight and Shannon commuted to Daytona Beach where she was a law clerk at the Fifth District Court of Appeal, the Carlyles moved to Leesburg to be closer to family. "I love it here," said Chris, who is originally from Southern California. They have three children — Blair, 10, Bryce, 8 and Cameron, 7. Each attends The Villages Charter School.
In 2004, they formed The Florida Appellate Alliance, which features nine attorneys with offices in Jacksonville, The Villages and Key Biscayne. Two of the attorneys have argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. John G. Crabtree, P.A. makes up the South Florida office, while Mills and Carlin, P.A. makes up the North Florida office.
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