Betsy Pennewill Named to Florida Trend’s Legal Elite

Pennewill joins the exclusive list as one of the top 1.4% lawyers in Florida, selected by peers for her service in the nonprofit sector.

Betsy Pennewill, Corporate Counsel at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, has been named to Florida Trend Magazine’s exclusive Legal Elite list for 2020 in recognition for her service in the nonprofit sector. Nominated by her peers, Pennewill joins Legal Elite as one of the top 1.4% of Florida lawyers and one of eighteen other honorees featured in this year’s list. 

As corporate counsel for the Community Foundation, Pennewill works closely with donors and professional advisors to craft detailed planned charitable giving agreements and foster meaningful relationships between donors and causes while focusing on compliance with Federal and Florida regulations. 

“It is a true honor to be selected by my peers and featured in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite,” says Pennewill. “As charitable giving continues to evolve, especially in light of the current pandemic, I am greatly encouraged that each donor I partner with and each document I draft has the goal to create everlasting impact on improving our community. With a job that uses your heart just as much as your mind, what is not to love?”

Prior to joining the Community Foundation in 2015, Pennewill’s practice consisted of real estate transactions and corporate lending matters, eventually transitioning into an estate planning practice. She is a member of the Southeastern Council of Foundations and sits on its Public Policy Committee, and currently serves as the Board President of Charitable Gift Planners of Southwest Florida. She is also a member of The Florida Bar and its Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; the Manatee County Bar Association; the Sarasota County Bar Association; the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council; the Estate Planning Council of Manatee County; and, the Venice Estate Planning Council.

Pennewill received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in 1998, graduating Manga Cum Laude. Her community involvement extends far beyond her professional life and includes being a sustaining member of the Junior League of Manatee County (President 2006-2007) and volunteer with PACE Center For Girls, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School.

About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $418 million in more than 1,500 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $21.5 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $274 million to area nonprofit organizations to our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.