Meet our sponsors!
1. What is the name of your firm?
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
2. What services does your firm provide?
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney provides a full range of legal and government relations services to businesses and individuals throughout the State of Florida and the eight other jurisdictions in which we maintain offices. Our clients include entrepreneurs with start-up enterprises, individuals with wealth management and estate planning needs, venture capital investors, universities and other places of higher education, hospital chains, banks, private equity investors, international investors seeking to establish a footprint in the US, and businesses of every size and shape in virtually every industry, with a firmwide focus on the life sciences, health care, finance, and energy industry sectors. Our multi-disciplinary team approach allows us to support our clients’ legal needs in areas including intellectual property, creditors’ rights, Federal, state and local government regulations, litigation and appellate work, labor and employment, immigration, tax, real property, mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and general corporate law.
3. What is your name?
Leslie Wager Hudock
4. What is your position/role in the firm?
I am a shareholder in the firm’s Corporate Section and am board certified in real property law by The Florida Bar, so I have a dual affiliation with our Real Property group.
5. What do you see as the greatest economic challenge in your industry right now?
For over 35 years, I have represented Florida car dealers as outside general counsel and in their acquisition and finance activities. The industry is currently facing unique challenges with the development of autonomous and electric vehicles, persistent supply shortages, and potential changes to the dealership landscape resulting from competition from manufacturers such as Tesla and consumer preferences for online shopping. The industry continues to consolidate, with traditional single point dealers giving way to public and private equity led ownership groups having the resilience to overcome challenges and the resources to adapt to changing conditions.
6. What are the top 3 things that you would want the BLS membership to know about working with your firm?
We respect your relationship with your clients, and we value you as a referral source. If you need support in an esoteric area of the law that we serve, or if you can’t accept an engagement due to a conflict of interest, you can refer your client to us with the confidence that we will not overstep your relationship.
We value multi-culturalism and different perspectives. This core value is reflected in the variety of activities in which our attorneys are involved on a pro bono and community basis, and in our deep commitment to developing future firm leaders from a diverse base of attorneys.
The Florida offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney work together seamlessly to serve clients’ needs throughout the state. I am proud of our strong and inclusive female leadership bench in Florida, including Rocky Rodriguez and Jennifer Olmedo-Rodriguez in Miami, Adele Stone in Fort Lauderdale, and Hala Sandridge in Tampa.
Fun Facts About You:
1. This or That: Run indoors or outdoors?
I’m an outdoor girl, but these days my exercise mostly consists of enjoying the breeze off the water as I power my golf cart up and down the picturesque streets near my home on Davis Islands.
2. What is your favorite football team?
What’s football? From September through January, I have hours of freedom to read on Sundays (and also Monday and Thursday nights) while my husband is glued to the TV rooting for his Philadelphia Eagles and plotting against their rivals. I’m on track to have read 70 books in 2022.
3. On a Sunday, we will find you doing what?
Sundays are for sleeping in, day dreaming about international travel, and checking out the latest exhibit at one of the many fabulous art venues in Tampa Bay.
4. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
I can’t stand the smell of fast food restaurants. I think it’s the lingering aroma of used frying oil. My idea of fast food is a cup of homemade soup from Woody’s Deli in Tampa. I also believe strongly that lukewarm roasted brussel sprouts are overrated.
5. What is your favorite Marvel character?
I am missing the comic book gene. My childhood literary hero is Nancy Drew.