Sarasota Attorney Jennifer B. Compton will become the first woman to lead the Shumaker Law Firm—a national firm with offices in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina.
The Shumaker Management Committee voted to promote Compton to chair and Jaime Austrich to vice chair.
Before becoming chair, Compton served as vice chair of the Management Committee for the past two years, in addition to serving as the managing partner of the Sarasota office.
For more than 25 years, she has focused her practice on employment law counseling and litigation.
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to use my years of experience to give back to our teams at Shumaker nationwide,” said Compton, in a statement. “While I may be the first woman to serve in this position, I most certainly won’t be the last. Any time a woman pushes past boundaries, more are sure to follow and I’m humbled to be part of that legacy.”
Compton also is a founding member of the Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization and chair of The Bay Park Conservancy Board.
Shumaker is led by the Management Committee, which is comprised of seven partners, as well as the chief operating and chief financial officers.
