Curt Creely, Partner, Foley & Lardner – Tampa

July 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Curt Creely, partner at Foley & Lardner, discussed Tampa Bay’s business environment, M&A activity, the impact of AI on legal services, and how law firms support growing companies. “Our goal is to continue to provide outstanding and valuable service to our clients, while also being on the cutting edge of some of the changes that are happening in the industry,” Creely said.

What key changes over the past year have impacted Foley & Lardner, and in what ways?

One of the key changes is the inflationary environment we are living in. That is driving certain types of business. Interest rates are also continuing to negatively impact the private equity M&A deal volume than we saw before rates increased, although that is not necessarily unique to this year, as it has been the case for the past few years.

Otherwise, business is still robust, as there is a lot of activity, even without the heightened level of private equity-fueled transactions. There are certainly a lot of strategic deals happening.

Business continues to be very good and vibrant, both nationally and in Tampa Bay. We are a national firm with a strong Florida presence and five offices in Florida. Florida continues to be a great market for our firm.

What trends are you seeing in M&A activity right now?

Buyers are starting to do more extensive and detailed due diligence. They are not as desperate to get deals done, and they are being more deliberate. They are not succumbing to pressure to move super quickly whenever a seller or investment banker tells them to.

There is a lot of activity in Tampa Bay specifically, and many companies are moving into the area. It is not always happening with a splash. Some companies may relocate their executive team or entire groups here more quietly. We are seeing new faces and new businesses popping up all over the Tampa Bay area.

In terms of our office’s transactional practice, most of our work has traditionally been on the technology side, but not in a narrow niche of technology. We have worked on everything from biotech deals to small defense industry acquisitions, as well as an IPO for a local client, Exzeo, an insurtech company. 

How are current challenges, such as interest rates and uncertainty, impacting transaction strategy?

There are a lot of companies that could be sold, but many buyers are vying for a relatively small number of quality deals.

That is good for sellers because it creates competition. It can be challenging for buyers because they may spend a significant amount of time and energy on a potential deal and then, after doing extensive diligence, determine that the deal does not meet the profile they are trying to achieve or what their investors expect, or they get out-competed by other buyers. That is one of the main challenges: too few quality deals for the number of buyers.

In the legal industry, competition is also wide ranging. Among larger firms, there is a lot of competition for the same work. We have formidable, smart competitors going after the same workshare we are pursuing. The challenge is finding the angle and the element that allows you to distinguish yourself among the competition and to provide outstanding client service.

How are investors approaching deals differently today compared with the post-pandemic period?

They are being more deliberate and more selective. They want to do deals, and they have the money to do deals, but they are not going to do them at all costs.

During periods of exuberance, people were willing to take a little more risk than they are willing to take right now. There is still a lot of uncertainty around inflation, where interest rates will go, and now AI. AI is fundamentally changing some businesses and how they operate. There is a lot of uncertainty, but there are still many opportunities for those willing to open the checkbook.

What legal or transactional implications are emerging for companies as AI continues to reshape industries?

Where we have seen significant changes caused by AI is in anything that depends on workflow or project management. For clients, that can be a good thing. For professional services providers, it creates more pressure.

Ultimately, it means we will be able to do more for less money and do it a lot faster. My practice is transactional, which is different from litigation, and many of the AI applications and use cases we are seeing are focused on making the transaction process more automated and cutting down workflow steps and the number of associates involved.

Our expectation is that clients are going to start expecting and demanding to see efficiencies from these efficiencies. 

How is the legal sector adapting to evolving workforce expectations and competition for talent?

It is similar to many other businesses, where jobs are changing. A lot of people’s jobs are going to be focused on how to more effectively use AI-based technology tools– getting familiar with them and using them in a way that is effective and good for clients.

At the end of the day, we are in the business of providing services to clients and making them happy. A lot of our internal training, policies, and procedures around the use of AI are necessarily going to be client-focused.

What role do law firms and legal advisory services play in supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development in fast-growing regions like Tampa Bay?

Law firms are one part of the toolkit that early-stage companies use to help grow. As companies grow, their legal and compliance needs change. When a company has five people in a small office or virtual environment, it may not, for example, need much labor and employment assistance. Once it starts getting larger and hiring more employees, it needs a lot more help in that regard. The same applies to employee benefits, taxes, and other practice areas.

The best thing law firms can do is grow along with clients, understand what their needs are when they are smaller, and also understand how those needs evolve as they grow larger.

We support local entrepreneurial organizations, such as Tampa Bay Wave, and help some of their portfolio companies in ways they need without charging them full freight.

Looking ahead to the next two to three years, what are the key goals and priorities for Foley & Lardner?

The key goals are really about managing through the changing landscape that AI is thrusting upon us. That includes evolving with technology and best positioning ourselves to be one of the winners that come out of it, because we do think there is a fundamental shift coming in how legal services are delivered and in how all professional services are delivered.

Our goal is to continue to provide outstanding and effective services to our clients, while also being on the cutting edge of some of the changes that are happening in the industry.