Dean Mead Bolsters Government Relations Practice with Powerhouse Team from Jones Walker

Tallahassee, Fla. – January 23, 2019 – Dean Mead announced today that political insiders Marc W. Dunbar, Christopher Moya, and Jennifer P. Ungru will join its statewide government relations and lobbying practice on February 1, 2019.  Hailing from the Tallahassee office of national law firm, Jones Walker LLP, Dunbar, Moya, and Ungru bring three additional team members including Daniel R. Russell, William D. Hall, III, and Angela C. Bonds. The addition bolsters Dean Mead’s footprint making it one of the largest groups of legislative and executive branch lobbyists in Florida.

“Marc, Chris and Jenn will blend their keen insight and political prowess with the exceptional talent of our firm’s lobbying and advocacy team led by Marc’s dad, Pete Dunbar,” said Dean Mead President Marc Chapman.

In just five years, Dean Mead has grown its Tallahassee office to 14 attorneys and three government relations professionals.  The expanded team collectively represents regional and national companies in a variety of industries including insurance, health care, agribusiness, hospitality, education, regulated industries such as gambling, alcohol and cannabis, telecommunications, energy, and utilities.

Chapman added, “Combining our resources greatly benefits both firms. With the addition of these professionals to Dean Mead’s roster, we begin a strategic alliance with Jones Walker that effectively leverages the talents of each firm and creates several unique partnership opportunities to meet the growing needs of the clients we serve.”

“The firm’s continued growth broadens our team’s capabilities in areas such as health care, education, regulated industries, and emergency response and recovery,” said Peter Dunbar, managing shareholder of Dean Mead’s Tallahassee office.  “Additionally, members of the Jones Walker team bring unique knowledge of the inner workings of Florida’s executive and legislative branch agencies having previously served in state leadership roles before entering private practice. The benefit to our clients is a dedicated team of attorneys and advisors who know public policy and have access to the key decision-makers.”

Speaking about the team’s move, Marc Dunbar said, “Joining forces with my father and the stellar lawyers at Dean Mead is the natural next step.  For years we have collaborated on significant matters assisting clients throughout Florida and nationally.  Now we’re taking it to the next level by combining our teams’ expertise under one roof with a collective portfolio that spans national practices and serves industries at the cornerstone of our region’s economy.”

“We are positioned to offer a full range of governmental affairs expertise and strategic business counseling to clients in every major corporate center across Florida,” said Chris Moya.

Below are brief biographies of the highly experienced attorneys and government relations professionals joining Dean Mead.

Marc W. Dunbar joins the Tallahassee office as Shareholder.  For more than 20 years, he has strategically built a niche practice as one of the country’s top lawyers advising businesses in highly regulated industries. His experience encompasses industries such as motor vehicle manufacturing and dealerships, gaming, tobacco, alcohol, healthcare services and providers, and medical cannabis.

Dunbar has twice served in the private sector as a senior executive in large casino operations.  Dunbar also practices ethics and elections law representing a host of statewide campaigns such as the campaign for Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican Governors Association.  He has served as a gubernatorial appointee to one of Florida’s water management districts and presently is an appointee by Florida’s Chief Financial Officer to the board of Citizens Property Insurance Company.

Christopher Moya joins the Tallahassee office as Director, Strategy and Management Consulting. He provides a broad range of strategic development, management, and consulting services in addition to serving on the boards of civic organizations, think tanks, and privately held corporations.  Recently, Moya served on the Inaugural Committee for Governor Ron DeSantis and was appointed to the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL). The commission selects candidates for lifetime appointment to federal judicial posts, whose names are then forwarded to the White House for final consideration.

Jennifer P. Ungru joins the Tallahassee office as Corporate Affairs Advisor. Ungru has served in both the Legislative and Executive branches of Florida state government and has a decade of political experience. Prior to entering private practice, Ungru served as the chief of staff for the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which oversees the state’s Medicaid program and regulates more than 45,000 healthcare facilities. Ungru previously served as deputy chief of staff for Governor Rick Scott overseeing nine agencies. She also served in the Florida House Majority Office. She has extensive political experience on the ground in 13 states, as well as with the Republican National Committee including serving as a senior campaign advisor and lead recount manager for Governor Ron DeSantis.

Daniel Russell joins the Tallahassee office as Of Counsel. He regularly represents clients before federal and circuit courts and, with respect to regulatory matters, before the State of Florida’s Division of Administrative Hearings. He advises a number of executive branch agencies on issues ranging from challenges to proposed agency rules, up to and including complex federal class action litigation.  He has served in the private sector to one of Florida’s top casino operations and as General Counsel to the Florida Lottery.

Will D. Hall joins the Tallahassee office as Of Counsel. He represents private and regulatory entities in trial and appellate litigation. Before entering private practice, Hall was chief attorney for the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering within the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. In that position, he served as lead counsel on several administrative hearings and appeals. Hall served previously as an assistant state attorney in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, where he represented the state in dozens of felony and misdemeanor criminal jury trials.

Angela Bonds joins the Tallahassee office as Government Affairs Manager. She has experience in Legislative and Cabinet Affairs. Prior to joining the firm, Bonds worked as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. In that role, she staffed the Emergency Operation Center for Hurricane Michael to answer hundreds of inquiries from the Florida House of Representatives and Senate.

About Dean Mead:

Dean Mead is a business law firm providing full-service legal representation, government relations and lobbying throughout Florida. The firm has six offices with 65 attorneys and government relations professionals in multiple practice areas including: federal tax, state and local tax, estate and succession planning, business litigation, corporate law, labor and employment, immigration, government relations and lobbying, regulatory compliance, employee benefits, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, commercial real estate, leasing, construction law, lending, environmental, land use, water law, utilities law, and eminent domain. For more information, please visit https://deanmead.deme-prod.findsomewinmore.com.

Dean Mead is a long-standing affiliate member of ALFA International.  ALFA is widely regarded as the premier global network of independent law firms with 150 law firms in the United States and Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

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