By RAVEN PETERS 2021 Richard R . Garland Scholarship Recipient
This summer I had the privilege of working alongside incredible litigators at Shumaker , Loop & Kendrick in Sarasota , Florida .
I am very grateful for the opportunities this summer has afforded me . At Shumaker , I was given the chance to contribute in real , substantive , ways . I was asked to not only complete necessary research but to also draft complaints and motions , which were then filed with the court . Through this process , I further honed my legal writing and research abilities and learned the intricacies of the litigation practice . Moreover , despite the demanding schedules of each of the partners I was working with , they were always willing to answer my questions and offer guidance , when needed .
RICHARD R . GARLAND SCHOLARSHIP Scholarship recipient summers at Shumaker
Raven Peters 2021 Richard R . Garland Scholarship Recipient
Shumaker offered me a unique opportunity to grow and learn while also making true contributions to the legal community . Additionally , while at Shumaker , I participated in a beach clean-up , where we picked up over 700 pounds of trash ( including a soggy queen-sized mattress ), and watched the Rays win at Tropicana Field ( go Rays )! Partners would take me out to lunch where I learned more about their journeys and experiences working in Sarasota . I always felt welcomed and included .
Further , being from Sarasota , returning this summer , was like a homecoming of sorts for me . Following my high school graduation , I moved away for college and then law school . And while I would return for weekends , breaks , and even the lockdown-era of 2020 , seeing my hometown through the lens of a working professional offered an entirely new light . I enjoyed seeing how this small , sleepy , beach town I had grown up in has transformed into a bustling city with national reach and prestige . It was incredibly eye-opening to
See SUMMER , Page 17
By EDWIN FORD , Esq . Edwin L . Ford , P . A .
Judge Kevin Bruning started his legal career at Williams Parker law firm and subsequently formed the law firm formerly known as Bentley and Bruning , P . A . He is now our newest Circuit Court judge sitting in the Family Law Division in Manatee County . He attributes a great deal of his success to his involvement in the Sarasota County Bar Association , of which he was the president in 2013 – 2014 . Kevin first joined the SCBA as a law student at Stetson University College of Law and continued his involvement throughout his legal career .
As a new judge , Kevin is genuinely enthused about learning new aspects of the law to which he had not been exposed during his years as a lawyer . For example ,
SCBA PAST PRESIDENTS Kevin R . Bruning , SCBA President 2013 – 2014
Kevin Bruning , as SCBA President ( left ) and as Circuit Court Judge ( right ). he recently was asked to hire an expert to show that the obligor on payment of child support was intentionally underemployed . So , he went to work studying all the various components of intentional underemployment prior to the hearing . It was his intention to be more conversant with this aspect of family law than anyone else in his courtroom .
When asked to describe the value of the Sarasota County Bar
Association to his career , he said that he had “ no words to express it .” Rather , he cited examples such as when a person appears before him , he knows something about them from having had a personal relationship with them through SCBA involvement ; they have much in common .
Kevin also indicated that involvement in the SCBA has been a means of giving back to the community . In addition to the service aspects , he said he felt the SCBA was a great opportunity to network . “ There is nothing wrong ,” he noted , “ with joining in order to network .” It is the “ perfect system ” for giving and getting work .
Kevin ’ s wife , Nicole ( he calls her Cola ), has a degree in finance from UCF . They have two boys , Cooper ( age 11 ) and Tate ( age
See BRUNING , Page 17
THE DOCKET · JUNE 2021
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