Cobb Cole & Bell Enterprise Award
The Chamber is pleased to honor the law firm of Cobb Cole & Bell with its coveted Enterprise Award. The firm has a rich history of professionalism and community service and is widely known as one of Florida's leading law firms.
The firm's history dates back to 1925 when William M. Cobb opened a law office in Daytona Beach. His son, Thomas Cobb, joined his father in 1939 and continued in practice alone after his father's death. In 1950, a young Duke University graduate joined Tom Cobb. That newly graduated lawyer was Warren Cole and the firm became known as Cobb & Cole.
The firm was featured in "The News Journal" as a partnership changing with the times. Tom Cobb and Warren Cole were committed to serving the changing needs of the community. The partnership flourished.
Growth, however, was never a goal unto itself. Rather, it has been the result of the firm's commitment to the principles articulated by Tom Cobb in the firm's early years. Today, through the selective recruitment of both promising and accomplished attorneys, Cobb Cole & Bell has become the largest law firm on Central Florida's East Coast. Still, despite its growth to a firm of more than 25 attorneys, Cobb Cole & Bell remains committed to its original principles of accessibility, client service, collaboration and diversity.
Its broad vision and its state and national reputation notwithstanding,
the firm is the quintessential LOCAL institution.
For example, partners Tom Cobb, Scott Cichon, Robert A. Merrell III, and John Ferguson all grew up in the area. Eight of the firm's ten associate attorneys graduated from local high schools.
The firm began as a family business and even today, family is an important part of the firm's strength. Two partners are brothers, Jon and Lester Kaney. There are three second generation lawyers in the firm, Jake Kaney, Mark Watts and Heather Bond Vargas. But the essence of family goes well beyond literal family ties.
After all, Tom Cobb and Warren Cole practiced together for fifty years before both retired in 2000. Six partners have more than 100 years combined experience and have been with the firm from the beginning of their careers. These include Jay Bond who joined the firm in 1965 and Lester Kaney, who began with the firm in 1972. And many of the legal assistants of Cobb Cole & Bell have been with the firm for more than 20 years. And the firm continues to represent the third and fourth generations of families who first sought the counsel of William Cobb seventy-five years ago.
Other testimony to the firm's commitment to the community is its vast resume of community service. This is based on the firm's philosophy that "civic service is a duty that gives meaning to the privilege of practicing law." The community has often recognized the firm for this commitment.
The Civic League of the Halifax Area honored Tom Cobb with its highest award for community service, calling him a man of innate decency and integrity and a natural ally to all that is good and constructive, as well as a leader who has attracted a fine group of men and women to this town to practice law with him. He also received The Chamber's Lou Fuchs Community Service Award.
Tom Cobb is not alone in service to the community.
Warren Cole and Jon Kaney have each served as president of The Chamber. Warren Cole served two terms as president of the Daytona Beach YMCA and has served as president of the Volusia Bar Association. Jon Kaney has received the Lou Fuchs Community Service Award.
Les Kaney is a director of the Florida International Festival, a charter member of the Inns of the Court, a charter member of the Civil Trial Lawyers Association and past president of the Volusia County Bar Association.
Tom Hart is past president of the board of trustees of the Museum of Arts & Sciences and serves as its general counsel.
Larry Marsh is chairman of the Volusia Flagler Sierra Club and is secretary of the Friends of Tomoka Basin GeoPark.
Allen Watts is state president of 1000 Friends of Florida and a member of the Executive Committee of Enterprise Volusia.
Janet Martinez has served two years as president of the Women's Network and reorganized and served as president of the Volusia County Trusts and Estates Council.
Bruce Hanna is a director of the Daytona Beach Symphony Society.
Scott Cichon is a director of Heart of Volusia and of the Volusia Home Builders Association.
Rhoda Goodson is past president of the Junior League and past president of the Women's -Network.
John Ferguson is past president of Ormond Main Street and of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and is a director of The Chamber, the Volusia Manufacturers Association, and Futures, Inc.
Rob Merrell is vice chairman of VCARD, a director of the Red Cross Coast to Coast Chapter, and a member of the SurfCoast Chapter of the Florida Planning and Zoning Association.
And the younger associates at Cobb Cole & Bell are active in United Way, March of Dimes, Volunteer Lawyers Project, Futures, Inc., Council for Exceptional Children, Junior League, Young Professional Leadership Society, Volusia /Flagler Bar Communities, I-CARE, Leadership Daytona, Leadership DeLand Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs in several cities in the County.
Cobb Cole & Bell lawyers are also committed to higher education
and hold many leadership positions.
Jay Bond is a director of the board of trustees of Stetson Business School Foundation.
Allen Watts is a director of the board of advisors at the College of Arts & Sciences.
Les Kaney is a director of the FSU Foundation and is past chairman of both the FSU College of Law and the FSU National Alumni Associations.
Janet Martinez and Rhoda Goodson are directors of the DBCC Community College Foundation.
Jon Kaney is vice chair of the Board of Visitors of the FSU College of Law, and Allen Watts once taught law at Campbell University's law school in North Carolina.
Cobb Cole & Bell people are also active in their respective churches.
Jay Bond and Warren Cole are elders at First Presbyterian Church. Jay Also serves a director of FAITH, an interdenominational and interracial organization addressing community concerns.
Tom Hart is a former lay leader and chair of the administrative council of First United Methodist Church.
Allen Watts is senior warden at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.
Public service has also been a priority at Cobb Cole & Bell.
Tom Cobb himself served as a State Representative in the 1940's and 1950's. He was instrumental in passing legislation making possible the construction of Daytona Intemational Speedway and served as secretary and general counsel of the Daytona Beach Racing Facilities District. He was general counsel to the State Road Board in the 1960's and chaired the Florida Board of Bar Examiners in the 1970s.
Sam Bell served as State Representative in the 1970's and 1980's and was recognized as Florida's most influential legislator. He served as Majority Leader, Chairman of the Rules Committee, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and other key chairmanships. If fact, he is the only legislator in Florida history to have received every award for effectiveness granted by his fellow legislators.
Even the Cobb Cole & Bell office building was created in the spirit of commitment to community. The building is an anchor of the rehabilitation of historic downtown Daytona Beach. It dates back to 1919 and was at one time a furniture store ... and later a car dealership.
From its impressive offices, the firm serves as legal counsel to banks, manufacturers, real estate developers, newspaper publishers, television and radio broadcasters, regional theme parks, public utilities, state and local government agencies, public schools and private colleges and universities, health care providers, engineering firms, retailers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, insurance companies, insurance agencies, individuals and businesses.
In addition to outstanding representation of clients on a day-to-day basis, Cobb Cole & Bell has distinguished itself in several high-profile cases. These include landmark cases involving open government, free speech, complex governance issues, international law, and much more.
It is apparent that Cobb Cole & Bell is a part of the fabric of our community. As was said of Tom Cobb, the firm itself is a natural ally to all that is good and constructive in our community.
The Chamber Enterprise Award is based on sustained contributions to the community. Cobb Cole & Bell personifies the concept of community involvement and professional excellence. We are proud to present the Enterprise Award to Cobb Cole & Bell.
