Marc Chapman, President, Dean Mead – Orlando

April 2026 — Invest: spoke with Marc Chapman, president of law firm Dean Mead, about the firm’s expansion across Central Florida, the rise of private equity and real estate activity, and how technology is reshaping legal services. “Artificial intelligence is changing how legal services are delivered. It has made us significantly more efficient and economically feasible, allowing us to complete tasks in minutes that previously took hours or days,” Chapman said.

How would you characterize the legal and business climate in Orlando?

The legal and business climate in Greater Orlando is robust. Since 2020, Florida has experienced sustained economic growth driven by wealth migration, corporate relocations, and business expansions. Dean Mead attorneys are supporting companies as they open new offices in Florida or expand existing ones, and from a mergers and acquisitions standpoint, we are frequently representing clients in buyouts and private equity transactions.

Private equity has become particularly active in Florida over the last few years. We have handled numerous transactions where clients either sold fully or partially to private equity groups. Those deals involve corporate structuring, tax planning, and complex closings. The pace and scale of that activity exceeded what many economic experts expected in the immediate post-COVID environment.

Technology has also been transformative. Artificial intelligence is changing how legal services are delivered, driving greater efficiencies. That efficiency benefits clients directly, both in cost savings and responsiveness. It also strengthens the attorney’s knowledge base by accelerating research and access to material information.

What regulatory, tax, or legislative developments are having the greatest impact on Central Florida businesses today?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025 continues to dominate the tax landscape. Regardless of political perspective, it impacts every business. We are advising clients on how to utilize tax-favorable provisions and how best to structure their entities under the new framework. For many business owners, there are dual considerations: the tax implications at the corporate level and at the individual level, particularly when operating through pass-through entities.

We are also closely monitoring property tax reform debates in Florida and tourism tax reform discussions, which are particularly relevant to Greater Orlando. These conversations affect zoning controls, redevelopment projects, and infrastructure funding. Our real estate, finance, environmental, corporate, and tax attorneys are working with clients to navigate those evolving issues.

From a Dean Mead standpoint, one of our differentiators is how integrated those services are. From the beginning, Dean Mead was built around tax and corporate depth, and that remains central to how we advise clients today. Many of our corporate and estate planning attorneys hold advanced tax credentials, which allows us to address business planning, transaction structuring, and long-term wealth strategy.

What shifts are you seeing in M&A activity and succession planning in Orlando and the broader Florida market?

Florida has benefited from significant wealth migration over the last decade, and that trend accelerated in the past several years. The relocation of high-net-worth individuals to Miami and Palm Beach has caused a ripple effect throughout the state, including Central Florida. Businesses connected to tourism, defense, aerospace, and technology are expanding operations here. Between Universal and Disney expansions, major defense contractors, and the presence of aerospace activity on the Space Coast, we are seeing a steady influx of high-tech and engineering-driven companies.

Florida’s business-friendly environment has been a major driver. As other states introduced regulatory or tax changes that made expansion more challenging, Florida became a natural alternative. Companies expanding into Florida require local counsel to navigate state-specific regulations, tax structures, and compliance frameworks.

We also see how policy and economic development priorities shape that momentum in real time. I sit on the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, so we often have early visibility into what is moving through Tallahassee and how it may affect communities and businesses. Locally, organizations focused on economic development and downtown vitality play an important role in keeping the region attractive for employers, investment, and talent.

On the succession planning side, our estate planning and wealth management practices have expanded significantly. We have a large group of estate planning attorneys, most with tax credentials, who handle long-term generational planning. As wealth migrates into Florida or as business owners prepare for private equity exits, comprehensive estate, tax, and corporate planning becomes essential. We are often advising clients well in advance to position them properly before a liquidity event.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities and risks in Central Florida’s real estate and construction markets?

Orlando’s geographic versatility is a major advantage. Unlike coastal cities constrained by water or environmental boundaries, Orlando has the ability to grow in multiple directions. Lake, Osceola, Seminole, and Orange counties have all experienced significant residential and commercial development.

Our real estate attorneys have been busier in the past five years than at any other point in my 36 years with the firm. National homebuilders and commercial developers are actively acquiring land for both current and future projects. Industrial development has expanded dramatically as well, particularly near logistics corridors in and around Orlando International Airport. Even with interest rates and other headwinds, demand for land remains strong, and developers continue to pursue large-scale opportunities throughout the region.

The risks primarily involve zoning, environmental compliance, and regulatory complexity. Florida has 67 counties, each with distinct zoning and variance requirements, and cities within those counties often have additional layers of regulation. You cannot acquire and develop land in Florida without environmental diligence and a clear understanding of what is permissible under state and local codes. We have expanded our construction, environmental, and zoning practices accordingly to help clients manage those variables efficiently.

One other point is perception versus reality. People outside Central Florida often assume the economy revolves around tourism and theme parks. In practice, a substantial share of business activity here is broader commercial growth, corporate expansion, real estate development, and wealth planning that has little to do with the visitor economy.

How are you approaching talent recruitment in such a competitive environment?

We have been proactive. As demand increased, we hired laterals with specialized expertise, including attorneys with prior experience inside municipal zoning departments. We have expanded in markets such as Vero Beach, Naples, and Brevard County to support wealth planning and development activity, and we have added attorneys to increase capacity in areas where client demand has been growing.

Relationships matter in this business. Having attorneys who understand the local regulatory landscape and maintain professional relationships with city and county officials makes a meaningful difference. We also emphasize to new attorneys that we are in a service industry, and the focus must always be on delivering value to the client efficiently and effectively. At the end of the day, the work is about helping clients accomplish their goals in the most practical and economically feasible way.

What are your strategic priorities for the next three to five years?

We believe we are well positioned for the next three to five years because we have already invested in talent and technology. We carefully evaluated and implemented AI solutions that integrate with our legal research platforms to enhance efficiency. Technology will continue to evolve quickly, and we are committed to staying ahead of those changes, especially as new products enter the market and expectations shift.

COVID forced businesses to reevaluate operations and accelerate technological adoption. For example, many court hearings that once required in-person appearances are now conducted virtually. That shift improved efficiency and reduced costs for clients. Firms that adapted and invested in technology were better positioned to compete.

As a mid-sized law firm, we compete daily with much larger national and international firms. Over the past several years, general counsel have increasingly recognized that mid-sized firms provide expertise and technology with greater responsiveness coupled with a competitive pricing structure. That shift has been beneficial to us. We have been awarded opportunities that historically would have defaulted to much larger firms simply because they were perceived as the “safest choice.”

The broader Orlando outlook remains strong. While we monitor economic indicators such as isolated bankruptcies or sector-specific adjustments, we do not see conditions resembling prior downturns. Real estate and development demand remain steady, and investment activity continues. Orlando’s collaborative business culture is also a strength. The more quality companies and professional services firms the region attracts, the more opportunity it creates across the market, and we have grown alongside that momentum.

Want more? Read the Invest: Greater Orlando report.