Hala Sandbrige, Shareholder & Co-Head, Tampa, Buchanan

In an interview with Invest:, Hala Sandridge, shareholder and co-head of Buchanan’s Tampa Office, highlighted the law firm’s growth, driven by strong corporate and healthcare practices. The firm uses advanced technology to improve efficiency and client service, while fostering a collaborative culture to retain talent, she added.

What have been some notable achievements or highlights for the firm over the past year?

Buchanan has a national footprint and spans the Eastern seaboard, with four offices in Florida, including my role in leading the Tampa office. In the Tampa region, we’ve been doing exceedingly well in terms of growing our practice areas, increasing revenues, and adapting to technology, all of which have been supported by our firmwide model of technology investment. These combined efforts have provided great results for clients, and I don’t anticipate any changes to that momentum.

The firm is growing across the country, and we are expanding nationwide. We kicked off 2025 by launching an office in Chicago. We continue to add great talent to our litigation, healthcare, international trade, labor and employment, real estate, and government relations practices across our 17 offices. We have a strong strategy for continued growth, and we are focused on making investments that will sustain our strength for many years to come. 

What has been driving your growth, and how do you plan to move forward?

Our regional office growth is largely driven by Tampa, given how much is happening in the area. However, we don’t just serve the Tampa Bay area; for instance, a significant portion of our work extends to the Naples and Fort Myers areas. Our attorneys also collaborate across offices and work in teams when additional support is needed. We have the transactional, regulatory, and litigation experience coupled with the industry knowledge to meet clients’ needs and surpass expectations. 

That said, there’s no doubt that Tampa’s success fuels our overall success. We now have a robust corporate practice that has truly blossomed, and our growth is further fueled by our transactional healthcare work and corporate mergers and acquisitions work.

How are you leveraging technology to create efficiencies for your team and better support clients?

Our BuchananInnovate platform continues to be an industry leader for law firm technology. Led by our Chief Information Officer Scott Angelo, BuchananInnvoate is our digital solutions center designed to leverage cutting-edge technology to better our professional development and create innovative solutions that increase value to clients. The BuchananInnovate team also built BuchananArtifex, the firm’s proprietary AI platform. It has allowed the firm to enhance our research capabilities and understanding of legal and legislative issues that affect clients and the industries that we serve.

Since its inception, the team has launched more than 20 solutions-focused projects that have increased revenue and profitability. Here in Tampa, the firm’s advanced technology has allowed tasks that once took 10–20 hours to be reduced to just 10 minutes, resulting in substantial efficiencies and significant cost savings for our clients.

How are you addressing the challenge of talent retention and culture?

We foster a dynamic and high-performing culture in our office and across the firm. Starting at the top, we retain our partners because we’re so collaborative. We support each other, help one another grow, and often make introductions to shared clients that benefit everyone involved. For associates, we focus on their growth with the help of mentors and coaches, which is a priority for us. We dedicate a lot of time to ensure their success. For our professional staff, it’s crucial that they feel valued and important as key members of our teams. Many of them worry that technology will replace them, but we make sure they know that’s not the case. They play a crucial role in delivering the service our clients expect, and they are key to the firm’s continuing success. 

What regulations are you keeping an eye on?

I’m closely monitoring anything related to growth and resilience. In Florida, how we grow is directly affected by resilience concerns. This comes into play in various ways, but especially for development clients. That’s high on both their lists and mine. A current example is FEMA’s new regulations on minimum building height requirements. However, many locations already have height limits in place, meaning more changes are needed within the resilience framework to adjust appropriately. 

Regulations will also need to be adapted to the environmental conditions and natural events that we’re seeing now — conditions that don’t compare to those of years past.

We also have a strong and active legislative group in Tallahassee that helps clients navigate and, when possible, influence regulatory changes to favor business needs.

What are some of the ways you are engaging with the local community?

The Tampa office is actively involved in many local philanthropic and community initiatives, such as the Heart Walk, Moffitt Cancer Center events, and supporting Bay Area Legal Services. Many of our attorneys also engage in pro bono work and contribute to their own philanthropic efforts.

What are your top priorities for the next two to three years?

Our priority over the next couple of years is ensuring a smooth transition in our practice areas. Many of the senior attorneys are planning for retirement, which requires careful planning. We want to make sure that specific practice areas have the right succession plan in place, ensuring that clients experience a seamless transition to new advisers.

How do you see the Tampa Bay region evolving in the near term?

Tampa has experienced a lot in the past few months, and I believe these changes will impact our growth trajectory to some extent. However, overall, nothing has really changed in terms of industries seeing growth. Key sectors like higher education, land use and development, technology, and likely tourism are four dynamic markets that are expected to continue their upward momentum.