Awards Honor Firm Founder Charlie Gray by Recognizing Legal Excellence, Community Service, and Mentoring
October 22, 2026
ORLANDO, Fla. – GrayRobinson is proud to announce the introduction of the Charlie Gray Legacy Awards at its 2026 Retreat in Orlando, recognizing three attorneys who embody the values on which Founder Charlie Gray built the firm. The Retreat was the first since Gray’s passing in April 2026.
“Legal excellence, community service, and mentoring are the same concept, applied three different ways: put people first, do the work with creativity and integrity, and leave every person, place, and situation a little better than you found it,” said GrayRobinson President and CEO Dean Cannon. “That is Charlie Gray’s legacy, and Jack, Grace, and Veronica embody it.”
Firm leaders submitted a large number of nominations across all three categories, making the final selections difficult. The 2026 recipients are:
Jack R. Reiter, Legal Excellence
Reiter, shareholder in the firm’s Miami office, built and leads GrayRobinson’s Appellate Team. He is board-certified by The Florida Bar in Appellate Practice, previously chaired both The Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee and Appellate Practice Section, and served on the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases. Chambers USA has ranked him in appellate litigation every year since 2017. In 2026, The Florida Bar appointed him to its Civil Procedure Rules Committee, which helps shape the rules governing civil cases in Florida courts. Reiter regularly collaborates with colleagues across practices, bringing appellate strategy to their matters from the trial stage forward.
Grace H. Yang, Community Service
Yang, deputy chair of GrayRobinson’s Regulated Products Section and a shareholder based in the Tampa office, has spent decades giving back to her community. She joined the board of the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA), in 2020 and has served as its secretary, treasurer, and president. The foundation supports programs that assist people experiencing poverty, people with disabilities, and others in need. Yang served for 10 years on the 13th Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Committee and also volunteered with Bay Area Legal Services’ Family Forms Clinic. In 2019, she became the first Asian American to lead the HCBA after serving on the HCBA board for seven years and volunteering for different HCBA committee projects. She also served for seven years as a board member of the Westshore Alliance and two years as an officer of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers. She is a founding member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) of Tampa Bay and served on its board from 2012 to 2018. The HCBA named her its Outstanding Lawyer in 2024 and the APABA of Tampa Bay named her its Outstanding Member in 2023.
Veronica A. Meza, Mentoring
Meza, shareholder in the firm’s Miami office, helps GrayRobinson’s associates build their skills and confidence, both personally and professionally. Outside the firm, she has served on the board of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers from 2022 to 2026 and is currently serving as the newsletter editor for the 2026-2027 leadership year and has mentored younger women attorneys as they navigate their careers. In 2026, she was named general counsel of the board of Leadership Florida, a statewide organization that brings together emerging and existing leaders. She is also a graduate of Leadership Florida and Leadership Miami.
About the Charlie Gray Legacy Awards
GrayRobinson established the Charlie Gray Legacy Awards in 2026 in memory of its Founder Charlie Gray. The awards recognize outstanding achievement in the three pillars upon which the firm was built:
Legal Excellence recognizes innovative work on behalf of clients, along with leadership in growing and developing a practice and supporting other lawyers.
Community Service recognizes consistent efforts to support one’s local community that make a meaningful difference in the lives of neighbors.
Mentoring recognizes dedication to mentoring the firm’s newest attorneys and advisors in ways that accelerate their growth at GrayRobinson.
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About GrayRobinson
GrayRobinson is a multidimensional team of attorneys, advisors, and consultants recognized as one of the most influential legal-lobbying firms in Florida. Its nearly 300 professionals partner with successful businesses and enterprising individuals to close pivotal deals, resolve disputes, anticipate industry shifts, and harness forward momentum. The firm serves clients nationally from 16 offices across Florida and Washington, D.C. Learn more at Gray-Robinson.com.
CONTACT
Kristen Bridges, kristen.bridges@gray-robinson.com, 850.545.1917