History

WALTON LANTAFF SCHROEDER & CARSON LLP

OUR HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY

Our story begins in Augusta, Georgia, when a young man of untapped brilliance set his sights on the promise of an esteemed legal career. 

Miller Walton, son of a prominent Georgia family whose ancestors included a signer of the Declaration of Independence (George Walton) and a founding leader within the Territory of Florida, extended his family’s legacy of legal ingenuity when he ventured south to Fort Lauderdale. There, after establishing his legal practice in 1924, he fatefully met his future partner, Lawrence Casey. Less than a decade later, the two-man team founded Casey & Walton, unknowingly launching what would become the second longest-standing law firm in Miami. 

In December 1946, the firm relocated to the Alfred I. duPont Building – Miami’s first air-conditioned skyscraper – and the firsts didn’t stop there. From being the first firm in Florida to embrace hourly billing (thanks to Congressman and name partner Bill Lantaff), to opening the state’s first branch office of a law firm, to becoming the first and only firm to furnish two Florida Bar Presidents, and, perhaps infamously, being the first firm to have seven names – we’ve never shied away from being leaders in our field. 

Over the next nine decades, Walton Lantaff continued to elevate, propelled by the brilliance of its leaders past and present. Our community is our paramount pride, and our notable employees and alumni have set new standards for legal excellence. 

Among them: Samuel “Kit” Carson, Navy veteran and former law clerk to the Florida Supreme Court; Larry Schroeder, Ivy-educated leader whose wife’s portraits of our name partners still hang proudly in our halls; Bill Lantaff, prominent statesman and founding member of what is now The Miami Foundation (previously the “Dade Community Foundation”); Honorable C. Clyde Atkins, a United States District Judge whose name adorns the Miami federal courthouse; his brother, Ed Atkins, who shared both a practice at Walton Lantaff and a respective presidency of the Florida Bar Association; and General Carey A. Randall, a decorated Major General of the U.S. Marine Corps recognized for his valor in WWII and beyond. 

From Capitol Hill to the courthouse steps, Baptist Hospital to Bar presidencies, our alumni have shaped the legal and civic fabric of Florida for nearly a century. Since 1943, Walton Lantaff has appeared in over 1,200 published appellate decisions across Florida and federal courts, and our work has directly contributed to landmark advances in Florida law. Walton Lantaff attorneys have been members of the State and Federal Judiciaries, Florida State Legislature, Presidents and leading members of local Bar Associations, veterans, philanthropists and even one of the founders of Baptist Hospital of Miami (Miller Walton), epitomizing the rare blend of rigor, service and excellence common to all Walton Lantaff members. 

From 1934 to today, our legacy stands as a living promise to deliver the innovation, integrity and devotion that defined our founding to every client who seeks our counsel. While we have a reputation for firsts, our enduring impact, community stewardship and unwavering standards fuel our commitment to the continuous elevation of our firm, our team, our clients and the legal profession at large. 

The Walton Lantaff family boasts numerous standout attorneys, each of whom shaped and upheld the firm’s vision. To read more about these individuals, visit “Our Attorneys & Alumni” page.

Name Partners & Notable Alumni:

• Miller Walton
• Lawrence Casey
• William “Bill” Lantaff
• Samuel “Kit” Carson
• Honorable C. Clyde Atkins
• Edward Atkins
• Brigadier General Carey Randall

Judiciaries:

• Joseph P. Metzger
• David Crow
• Amy Smith
• Diana Lewis
• Gill Freeman
• George Orr
• Mark Massey
• Larry King Jr.
• David Stone

Retired Partners:

• Bernard “Bernie” Probst
• David Tharp
• Chip Mirman
• Mike Jenks
• Bob Strunin
• Jonathan Davis
• Wayne Gill
• Deborah Fitzgerald

Leaders & Presidents:

• Honorable C. Clyde Atkins
  • President of FL Bar.
  • Dade County Bar President.
• Edward Atkins
  • President of FL Bar.
  • Dade County Bar President.
• Allison Hartnett
  • 1st Female Managing Partner in 9 decades.
  • President of Friends of 440.
• Deborah Fitzgerald
  • Broward County Bar President.
• Richard Cole
  • Dade County Bar President.
• Melissa Jordon
  • Dade County Bar VP.
• Bernard “Bernie” Probst
  • President of Friends of 440.
• Jay White
  • Palm Beach County Bar President.
• Greg Coleman
  • Palm Beach County Bar President.
• Sara Sandler
  • Broward County, Young Lawyers Bar President.
• Amy Smith
  • Palm Beach County, Young Lawyers Bar President.