Hala Sandridge, Shareholder & Tampa Office Head, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

July 2026 — Invest: sat down with Hala Sandridge, shareholder and Tampa office head of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, to discuss the firm’s growth, AI investment, and the market forces shaping Tampa Bay. “Our growth is a reflection of Tampa’s growth,” Sandridge said.

What key changes over the past year across the broader legal and business environment have had the greatest impact on your work?

I would divide that into two parts. First, firmwide, we had record growth this past year, and I think a lot of it has to do with our recent hires and acquisitions. We opened a Chicago office, which is extremely exciting, and it has experienced phenomenal growth. It was anchored by an IP litigation group, and we now have a significant IP practice nationwide. On top of that, we have a well-known international trade practice based in our DC office. There are so many issues with tariffs and trade right now, and we are really lucky that we have leaders in that space available for our clients. I think that has fueled our growth as well.

Another big accomplishment for our firm is our investment in AI. We have created our own internal AI platform, which sets us apart from other firms. Since its inception in 2023, firm usage and effectiveness has only increased. As a tool, it is important that our attorneys, government relations professionals and business professionals stay ahead of the curve on technology and leverage it as a differentiator in the legal industry. 

Florida is probably what I know best, and I can tell you that our Florida offices are doing so well. I am so proud of all our Florida offices, whether it is Tampa, where I am the office managing shareholder, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Tallahassee. We all work very closely together, we have hired new attorneys, we have grown all practice areas, and the Florida offices are strong, both in terms of how we collaborate and what we can offer to our clients.

How is the legal and professional services sector contributing to Tampa Bay’s growth, particularly as the region attracts new businesses?

Tampa is an important area of opportunity and because there are a lot of growing businesses in Tampa, our corporate and transactional attorneys have really taken off. Our corporate practice group has tripled over the past several years. That says a lot about the growth in the Tampa Bay area: new companies are coming in and existing companies are growing.

Because of that, the services we offer have both increased and grown in the corporate transactional area. Mergers and acquisitions have increased. We also have cybersecurity attorneys here in Tampa who are part of that transactional practice, and they have seen more activity. It is exciting to help local business or businesses coming to the Tampa Bay area maximize their opportunities here. 

As higher education continues to expand in Florida, our higher education practice has greatly increased. We work pretty closely with many different universities, whether it is healthcare, IP work, litigation, construction or campus planning matters. 

As Tampa continues to flourish, our firm continues to grow and see continued success.

What are some of the most pressing challenges your clients are facing right now, and where do you see opportunities emerging?

In the Tampa Bay area, I represent a lot of developers. I think the most pressing issues, and this affects almost every business in the Tampa Bay area, are what we call resiliency issues.

Two years ago, we had two hurricanes that hit the Tampa Bay area in a week, or 10 days. Along with that, the Florida Legislature had to deal with changes in our laws to help everybody who is trying to grow. The laws relate to buildings, infrastructure, or development on coastal areas. The biggest complexity that most of our clients are facing is dealing with those new resiliency issues as they are enacted by the Legislature. It is a big issue in Florida right now, and all my clients are monitoring it and considering how these resiliency issues are going to impact them. 

How are you approaching talent attraction and development in a competitive market like Tampa Bay?

We are doing this in two ways. First, we are not just out there trying to hire attorneys broadly. We are focused and strategic. We know the areas in which we need to grow. We have successfully identified those areas where our clients need more service, and we have been able to successfully go into the market and hire those lateral attorneys.

That is at the top end of the spectrum. These are shareholders with years of experience who have connections in the community or on a statewide level. We bring them in to service our clients.

We have also done a really good job of investing in our summer program. I enjoy teaching and mentoring law students who come straight to the firm out of law school. I’m able to watch their professional development as they begin their legal careers, and they have a loyalty factor that enhances our office culture. We have very much invested in the younger attorney group through our summer program. 

How is the firm engaging with the Tampa Bay community?

I am really proud of our community involvement, and I am a big supporter of it. What I probably love the most is that the firm supports us in our community engagement, both in terms of financial support and the time that we attorneys need to support the community.

Our clients also have special community projects that they support, and we support our clients’ community projects, such as Chapters Health Hospice. We are very supportive of a lot of USF’s community involvement. The Women for Leadership and Philanthropy group is one example. The Chamber of Commerce hosts a variety of community-supporting events, and we support that too.

What I love is that different attorneys in our office are supporting these various organizations. I also love seeing some of our younger professionals come to me and say they also want to get involved. 

What is your near-term outlook for the firm, your clients, and the broader economic landscape in Tampa Bay?

I think the economic landscape is strong in Tampa. We have not felt a downturn in our firm. Usually your corporate attorneys are the first to experience a downturn, but we are not experiencing that. It tells me that the economy is strong in Tampa Bay and will continue to be strong.

For the next couple of years, I see nothing but growth for our firm, and I honestly have a hard time trying to think of what would cause that to change. I do not see it on the horizon, and I do not know what that would be, so I have a rosy lens right now. I do not see anything but upward and onward.