Richard Gans Appointed to Pines of Sarasota Foundation Board

[Pat Driscoll]

Richard R. Gans, a shareholder in the law firm of Fergeson, Skipper, Shaw, Keyser, Baron & Tirabassi, P.A. has been appointed to the board of directors of Pines of Sarasota Foundation. “I visited the Pines campus and saw the good things that are happening there. I knew that I wanted to help Pines in its mission to provide first-rate care and comfort for our community’s seniors.” Mr. Gans said. “Pines will not discharge a resident who runs out of money. In this economic environment, the possibility of running out of financial resources confronts many of us, and without Pines, many seniors would be without the dignity and care they deserve.”

“We are fortunate to have a professional with Richard’s expertise and background on estate and trust Planning on our board. His knowledge and expertise are so critical to our fundraising efforts in making our planned Alzheimer’s Center a reality,” Nancy Mihm, Pines Nominating Chairman said.


Gans received his legal education at the University of Washington in 1988 and his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida in 1992. His bar association memberships include: The Florida Bar, Sarasota County Bar Association and Washington State Bar Association. Gans serves as probate and trust column editor for The Florida Bar Journal. He is chair of Real Property Probate and Trust Law (RPPTL) Section’s Estate and Trust Planning Committee and serves on the RPPTL IRA and employee benefits, asset preservation, and charitable organizations and planning committees and is a member of the Section’s Executive Council. Mr. Gans is a member and past president of the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council, and currently serves as president of the Southwest Florida Planned Giving Council. He is adjunct professor at Manatee Community College, where he teaches the wills, trusts and estate course in State College of Florida’s (formerly Manatee Community College) paralegal certification program. He speaks Mandarin Chinese. Mr. Gans is certified by The Florida Bar as a Board Certified Wills, Trusts and Estates lawyer, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). He has been named as a Florida Super Lawyer, a Florida Trend Legal Elite, and as a “Best Lawyer in America.”