Big-Time Lawyers Choose Small-Town Charm of Safety Harbor

Goodyear. General Motors. Wal-Mart.

Arizona. Nebraska. California.

These are some of the major corporations Joel Ewusiak and Chris Roberts have battled, and locations they have traveled to, over the course of their lengthy law careers.

But when the pair decided to open a private practice together, the two attorneys eschewed a big city office and chose quaint, quiet downtown Safety Harbor as the home base for their firm, Ewusiak & Roberts Litigators.

“We have cases all over the country, but this is where we wanted to be," said Ewusiak, who graduated from Stetson Law School in 2001 and specializes in consumer rights and investment loss recovery cases.

“We liked the small-town feel of Safety Harbor. It's where we wanted to be.” 

Roberts, who specializes in tire tread and other product defect cases, reiterated his partner’s point about settling in Safety Harbor.

“We travel a lot — we have cases in Washington state, Nevada, California, Nebraska — but I live right down the road on Bayshore Boulevard,” he said.

"I enjoy the small-town feel."

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Roberts graduated from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, MO, in 1991, and after growing up in Michigan and practicing in Denver for many years, he decided to open his first firm in a place where he could escape from the big-city scene.

After reconnecting with Ewusiak — the two had met in early 2000 before their paths crossed again two of years ago — Robers told him that he was thinking of opening his own firm and asked his friend to join him.

The pair decided to "hang their shingle" in Safety Harbor and opened their office at 101 Main St. about a year and a half ago; they have been pleased with their decision ever since.

"It's nice because it's like living in a small town in the middle of a larger community," Ewusiak said.

They basically handle three types of cases: product defects, consumer rights protection and general commercial disputes. And although they travel for many cases, they do work with local clients as well. 

In fact Roberts recently obtained one of the largest verdicts in the history of Pasco County when a jury returned a $5.6 million verdict for his clients against the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 2010.

But whether they are working in a courtroom across the country or traveling up I-75 for a case in Ocala, the partners know they will always be coming back to town.

“We could be anywhere, but we like having an office here,” Ewusiak added. “We like the laid back vibe of downtown Safety Harbor.”

Ewusiak & Roberts Litigators

Address: 101 Main St., Suite D

Phone: 727-724-5796

Website: erlitigators.com