Akerman was founded in 1920; it was formerly known as Akerman Senterfitt LLP and changed its name to Akerman LLP in 2013. It was founded by former United States District Court Judges John Moses Cheney and Alexander Akerman as Cheney & Akerman, with offices in Orlando, Florida. By 1925, Alexander Akerman partnered with Hugh Akerman as Akerman & Akerman, after Cheney died. In 1936, Hugh Akerman and Billy Dial, who was instrumental in the founding of what is now known as SunTrust Bank, formed a partnership with William Akerman. These three men were largely responsible for the success of the firm through the 1950s, under the name Akerman, Dial & Akerman. George T. Eidson and American Bankers Association President Donald T. Senterfitt later became name partners and played significant roles in the growth and success of the firm from the 1950s through the 1980s. Akerman acquired its first office outside of Orlando in May 1958 when the firm merged with Turnbull & Senterfitt. In 1982, a Miami office was opened.
Other recognition
The Legal 500: In 2016, Akerman was top-ranked nationally in middle market M&A and recognized nationally for the fifth consecutive year as a leading law firm for real estate, land use, construction, and immigration law. U.S. News – Best Lawyers: In 2015, Akerman was recognized with 83 "Tier One" national and regional practice rankings; corporate, real estate, and financial litigation practices top-ranked nationally. The firm also achieved significant results with 140 lawyers named to the 2016 list ofThe Best Lawyers in America. Benchmark Litigation: In 2016, Akerman's Litigation Practice Group was recognized for its multi-state capabilities and acknowledged for its litigation "stars and achievements." Chambers Global: In 2015, Akerman's Latin America & the Caribbean Practice was recognized for a third consecutive year as among the best in international arbitration. Chambers Latin America recognized Akerman as having a top Cuba practice, the lone U.S. law firm represented on the Cuba Practice ranking. Financial Times: In 2019, Akerman was recognized as one of the nation's most innovative law firms by the Financial Times for the fifth consecutive year.
