Judge Gilbert Smith Jr., a Circuit Court Judge in Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit, has released the second edition of Lawyers and Legends of Manatee County: The History of Lawyers and Legends of Manatee County from 1855 to 2024. The book, published in January 2025, offers an in-depth exploration of the legal profession’s evolution in Manatee County, documenting the figures who have shaped the region’s judicial landscape.