Ruth Kinsolving

For Ruth Kinsolving, teamwork is one aspect of the commercial real estate business she still finds to be interesting after 32 years of helping deals come together. Everyone in the process, she says, has common goals.

“I find real estate law to be fun and creative. I enjoy working with my clients. You develop long-term client relationships,” she says. “I like to see thoughtful development. We end up doing good things for the community.”

Kinsolving is a shareholder in the law firm of Carlton Fields in Tampa. She has practiced commercial real estate law since 1971, focusing on sales, purchases and leases, shopping center development, leasing and conveyance of oil, gas and minerals, and real estate transactional law. She often finds herself working out general development agreements, pacts with the state to develop property, and cross development agreements between owners and large resorts.

Kinsolving has received the “Annual Service Award” from The Florida Bar. She was named the 1997 Corporate Woman of the Year by the Tampa YMCA and is listed in the 2001-2002 edition of Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals. She is one of 321 lawyers from 30 countries selected to be included in An International Who’s Who of Real Estate Lawyers.

In 1990, Kinsolving was the first woman in Florida invited to become a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, serving on the board of governors and several committees. She has served on numerous committees of The Florida Bar, including the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section and the Multi-jurisdictional Practice Commission. She has an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible.

Kinsolving also has been active with the American Bar Association, American Resort Development Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, The Athena Society, Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts, Tampa Bay Committee on Foreign Relations, Tampa Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 and other groups. She recently authored the Florida chapter on commercial leasing to be included in the State-by-State Guide to Commercial Real Estate Leases, now in press.

Kinsolving earned her A.B. degree, cum laude with honors, in political science from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and her J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law, where she served as associate editor of the Law Review.

“I’m an old fashioned real estate lawyer,” she says. “I’ve been fortunate to end up exactly where I’d like to be.”