Dennis Ray White

Dennis R White, 69, passed on July 18, 2017. He is survived by his son Curry M. White, who was the love of his life and by his aunt Carolyn Curry and several cousins. He was predeceased by his sister Linda White, mother Dr. Charlotte White, and father Raymond White.

Dennis was loved by family and friends alike.

Dennis was a disorganized perfectionist who was a legal intellectual and a lifelong student of the law.

He graduated from the U of F with a degree in accounting in 1968 and from that law school and was admitted to practice law in Florida in 1972. He briefly practiced accountancy in Jacksonville but after 2 years, moved to Naples where he actively practiced law for the next 43 years in the area of trusts and estates and real property law until his death. He was rated AV Preeminent Lawyer by the Martindale rating service and was elected as a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in 1989. He is one of only 14 lawyers in Collier County to currently share that distinction. He was selected as a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers rating service for each year from 2007.

Dennis was board certified by The Florida Bar as an expert in Wills, Trusts and Estates in 1986 having taken and passed the first examination for that certification, described by some who took it as “impossibly difficult”. In 1989 he was appointed by the president of The Florida Bar to the 7 member committee that oversaw certification of lawyers who wished to be classified by the Bar as a “specialist” in this field of practice. Dennis chaired that committee from 1990 to 1992. A prior chair of the committee in an article published in The Florida Bar Journal magazine said “Dennis' idea and his leadership really ‘jump started’ this certification area, almost doubling the number of estate board certified lawyers.” In a subsequent article by a later chair of the certification committee he said Dennis “was possibly the most influential chair the committee has had.”

In 2000 the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar concluded that the Florida Probate Code, adopted in 1976, was badly out of date and in need of a complete re-write. Dennis was selected as one of a small group of leading probate lawyers to accomplish that task and the Probate Code was extensively re-written and adopted by the Florida Legislature in 2001. He served as a member of the executive council of that Section of The Florida Bar for many years and chaired several of its committees.

When it came to advancing the legal profession, particularly by mentoring or counselling younger and less experienced lawyers dealing with sophisticated legal problems, Dennis was a traditionalist in generously giving his time and sharing his expertise. He was frequently sought by local bar associations and by The Florida Bar and freely donated his time to present lectures and write professional scholarly articles on difficult legal issues intended to advance the skills of other lawyers.

Dennis was an active member of the Collier County Bar Association and the Lee County Bar Association. In 2017 Dennis was awarded the Collier County Bar Association Medal of Honor for his many years of work to improve and advance the board certification process for trust and estate attorneys.

Dennis’ family, many friends and professional associates and those he helped over his many years of law practice will miss him. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Hope Hospice or to the charity of your choice in Dennis’ memory.

Visitation will be Sunday, July 23rd, 2:00-4:00 followed by a celebration of life at 4:00. Both will be held at Hope Hospice, 27200 Imperial Parkway, Bonita Spring, FL. Condolences may be left online at www.HodgesNaplesMG.com.