McLeod Law Firm is celebrating its 75th anniversary in January, cementing its legacy as the second-oldest business in Apopka behind Ryan Brothers, Inc. 

Johnie McLeod, a former WWII Marine, established the firm in January 1951 after graduating from Stetson University College of Law.  

“He always said that he went to law school because he saw people with no power being controlled and taken advantage of by people with power,” said Raymond “Ray” McLeod, Johnie McLeod’s eldest son and current attorney at McLeod Law. “We called ourselves a legal aid society. We represent a lot of people who aren’t wealthy.” 

Johnie McLeod’s daughter, Anne Nelson, attributes her father’s commitment to the less fortunate to his childhood. He grew up as the youngest of eight children raised by a single mother. 

“He never forgot where he came from, and he helped a lot of poor people,” Nelson said. “If they couldn’t afford legal work, he would still fight for ‘em and not charge ‘em, ‘cause he knew what it was like to not have anything.” 

In his career as Justice of the Peace-Coroner District 2 for Orange County, Johnie McLeod focused on “misdemeanors, not felonies,” according to Ray McLeod. Similarly, Johnie served as a general practice lawyer at his firm and refrained from larger cases. His sons continued that practice when they started at their father’s law firm in 1981. 

“We did a little bit of everything,” Ray McLeod said. “We did mortgage foreclosures, real estate transactions, business transactions. We’ve done a lot of different things, because it’s hard to specialize in the little town of Apopka.” 

Ray wanted to be a lawyer for the respect that comes with the practice, while William “Bill” McLeod was just “looking for a job” after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Central Florida.  

“He [Johnie] took Ray when he would have a long case and Ray was just younger. Ray sometimes would go with him to sit there, and he’dask the judge’s permission for Ray to sit at the table with him during a case,” said Charles Nelson, Anne Nelson’s husband. 

Johnie had suggested to his sons that they start their careers at a large law firm in Orlando, where they could be trained at that firm’s expense. When the McLeod brothers decided to work for their father instead, McLeod Law’s secretaries and the courthouse clerks trained Ray and Bill.  

Bill McLeod said there hasn’t been a single defining case for the brothers’ career trajectory since the brothers are “meat and potato attorneys.” Ray and Bill said they focus instead on carrying out their father’s commitment to honesty in legal practice. 

“Some [lawyers] don’t like to satisfy cases,” Ray McLeod said. “They don’t want to settle them. They want to keep it running up a big fee. And we tell the client, ‘This guy’s going to cost a lot more money because they’re not reasonable, so you need to keep that in mind when you’re negotiating settlements.’” 

Charles Nelson said Johnie Nelson’s principles even meant ruling against friends. 

“He’d have court cases where he would serve papers on some of his dear friends,” Nelson said. “And they remained friends because the friends knew he was doing what was correct.” 

The McLeod brothers attribute the longevity of their firm to the loyalty of their clientele. They said they also appreciate the ability to choose which clients they want to represent based on the clients’ integrity and manners.  

“I want a good workplace,” Ray McLeod said. “We’ve had clients that got ugly with assistants or they were inappropriate, and we don’tput up with that.” 

However, most of their clients are located outside of Apopka.  

“When you’re in a small town, they don’t want you to know what their problems are,” Ray McLeod said. 

The McLeods had to travel across multiple counties as a result, including Lake, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. Since COVID-19’s arrival, however, the brothers spend most of their work time in the office. 

“We’ve been fortunate, but we’re slowing down,” Ray McLeod said. “We’re not working 60 hours a week or whatever. You still have tohave quality time with family — we still get along with our wives.” 

The brothers said they do not expect the business to last another 75 years, since there is no one in the family to inherit it. Unless someone purchases McLeod Law Firm, the brothers will close the firm when they wish to. In the meantime, they continue to work from the historic red brick Hawthorne building downtown. 

“We have represented multiple generations of clients,” Ray McLeod said. “We’re there to protect our clients.”