Noted Ocala attorney dies at 76
Dock Blanchard worked in civil and appellate law for decades.
Dock Blanchard [Submitted photo]
Dock Austin Blanchard was a proud graduate of Harvard Law School, among other accomplishments.
He graduated from Boone High School in 1966, then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard in 1971, followed by a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida in 1973. He practiced law in Ocala with the Blanchard, Merriam & Adel firm for decades.
Blanchard, who was born on May 20, 1949, in Gainesville, passed away on July 9 in Ocala at the age of 76.
According to the law firm’s website, Blanchard focused on complex commercial litigation, personal injury and wrongful death litigation, and supervised the firm with medical malpractice actions and complex family law matters.
“Mr. Blanchard has broad experience in both State and Federal Courts in Florida, the Federal District Court of New York, Federal District Court of Arizona and the Federal Appellate Courts in Atlanta, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. He has argued before the Supreme Court of Idaho and appeared before the Supreme Court of Florida. Additionally, he is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Blanchard is a member of the Florida Justice Association, where he is a former Chairman of its Amicus Curiae Committee and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates,” the site states.
Garry Adel, a partner in the firm, said Blanchard was “probably the most competent lawyer I ever worked with. He was a very dependable resource. You could walk into his office, give him any set of facts that you might be struggling with, and he would immediately give you advice that was usually spot on. We were partners for almost 40 years.”
“He went to college at Harvard, which he would tell you the first couple of minutes after he met you, then he came home and went to law school at UF. He was a local boy with the exception of spending four years in Boston,” Adel noted.
“He was very charming. He was very well liked, and everybody knew who he was. When I would have cases with lawyers out of town, nobody knowns who I am, but I would tell them, ‘You might know my partner, Dock’ and it was surprising how many people either knew him personally or by reputation,” Adel added.
“Colorful is a perfect adjective to describe Dock. He was very entertaining, could tell stories with the best. For me, my most enduring memories of him will always be what an incredibly great resource he was to me for the work that we did. I have worked with a lot of good lawyers over the years, but I have never worked with anyone who was better at just listening to a set of facts and evaluating them and identifying what the issues are, which is of course all that lawyers do. He was the best,” Adel said.
Owen & Associates, owned by Kelly Owen McCall and Shelly Owen, provides reporting services in civil and criminal proceedings in state and federal courts. Shelly Owen posted on social media following Blanchard’s death that, “It was with great sadness we heard Dock Blanchard passed away. He was a brilliant attorney … and a super-fast talker! Normal speech is around 180 words per minute, but reporters are prepared for the occasional emotional outbursts of 400 words per minute. That was Dock ALL DAY LONG.”
She also noted that, “Dock was always interested in the latest thing. He loved technology and being on the cutting edge of it. We had put in video conference immediately after 9/11, thinking no one would ever want to fly again. It was an extremely expensive setup, and you had to find someone with the same setup in the area your witness was in, which could take weeks to ferret that out. You guessed it! Dock was the only local attorney for the first couple of years to use it. He will be missed, and never forgotten.”
Kelly Owen McCall later said via an email message that, “As a court reporter working locally, I’ve known professionally and worked with Dock since I came here in 1987. I would just say that excellent and successful trial attorneys are hard to find, and that Dock Blanchard was both of those. I’m pretty sure any of our local bar would say the same.”
Dock Blanchard [Photo courtesy Blanchard, Merriam & Adel]
His family members include daughters Ashley Danielle Bowman and Chanel Blanchard Culley.
“He truly loved life and gave his all until the very end. Anyone who knew him understands the immense heart he carried and the joy he brought to those around him,” Bowman said.
She said some of her fondest memories of her dad are “his love for his dogs and his dedicated quest for the perfect Sunday brunch always brings a smile to my face.”
As for life lessons she learned from him, she shared, “One of the lessons he instilled in me is that persistence is key; if you never give up, you can never truly fail.”
Culley offered that one thing she learned from her father is, “You can never have too many dogs.”
The provided materials noted that Blanchard “found joy in his hobbies, including boating, playing handball and enjoying Sunday brunch with family and friends. He was involved in community organizations such as The Royal Dames and the Elks Lodge #286, where he formed lasting friendships and made significant contributions.”
Culley’s fondest memories include “time spent out on Lake Weir. We would spend hours out on the boat and dad would pull us tubing and wakeboarding. His happy place was our lake house on Lake Weir, I think it reminded him of my mom as it was also her happy place.”
“He put on a hard exterior, but he was one of the most giving kind-hearted people. He was always willing to stand up for the ‘little guy’ and fight for what he thought was right, not necessarily popular. He had an unprecedented passion for law and never wanted to live a day not being able to practice,” Culley added.
In addition to his daughters, Blanchard is survived by his brother, Joe Lane Blanchard; his mother-in-law, Sandra Harton; and grandchildren Clara Culley and Bray Bowman.
According to Chanel Culley, a celebration of life gathering for Blanchard will begin at noon on Aug. 2 at the Bank Street venue in downtown Ocala and will include a parade procession starting at 2 p.m., which will end at Ivy on the Square. All are welcome to attend.
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