Breck Brannen recently joined Smith, Hulsey & Busey.
WHAT SPARKED AN INTEREST
IN LAW?
“Towards the end of my time at Auburn I thought that I might like to go ahead and get my MBA. I talked it over with my dad, who is also an attorney, and we both decided that I’d be able to do more with a law degree in the long run.”
GETTING STARTED
“While I was in Tallahassee I clerked for the general counsel of the Department of Banking and Finance. That was an invaluable experience because I got a real edge on the legal community. When I started practicing after I graduated, I really had a better idea of what to expect.”
WHY PRACTICE IN JACKSONVILLE?
“I knew I wanted to stay in Florida. I have family here and that was important to me but I knew I didn’t want to live any further south than Inverness. From there I just had to look at my options. In Tallahassee, there are attorneys on every corner. Jacksonville just seemed like a wise choice.”
WHAT TYPE OF LAW DO
YOU PRACTICE?
Brannen says, so far, he’s been really lucky with the types of assignments he’s been given. “I get a great mix. When you’re in law school you get a little taste of everything and I liked that. Right now, I do a lot of real estate work because I like working with land issues. I also do some litigating, though.”
FAMILY NAME
“My full name is Joseph Breckenridge Brannen,” he said. “Joseph is my dad’s name. Breck is short for Breckenridge, which is my mom’s maiden name.”
EDUCATION
Brannen was part of the third generation of his family to attend Citrus High School in Inverness: both of his parents and grandparents went there. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Auburn. While there, Brannen pledged the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. His father, brother, uncle and two cousins had also been pledges. He met his wife, Laura, at Auburn, too. Brannen earned his law degree at Florida State University.
OFF THE CLOCK
Brannen is a hunting and fishing enthusiast. “If I could spend all my time doing one thing,” he said. “That would be it.”
BIGGEST INFLUENCE
“My dad is definitely my biggest influence. He had his own legal practice for 20 years and he really had a lot to do with me becoming an attorney.”
— by J. Brooks Terry