Firm History

Elwin R. Thrasher, Jr. graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in 1967 and was admitted to The Florida Bar later that year. After his admission, he served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He later served as Staff Judge Advocate at Zaragoza Air Base in Spain. In 1973, he left the Air Force and moved his family from Spain to Tallahassee, Florida, where he began the private practice of law.

After seven years as an associate and partner in a Tallahassee law firm, Elwin opened his own practice in 1980. In November 1985, the firm purchased the property at 908 North Gadsden Street. After several months of renovations, the firm moved into its present location, where it has remained ever since. From the beginning, Elwin was known for embracing new technology and using it effectively to prepare documents and serve his clients.

In December 1990, Elwin R. Thrasher, III (“Trey”) graduated from the University of Florida College of Law. He joined the firm after law school and was admitted to The Florida Bar in April 1991. Like his father, Trey recognized early on the value of technology in the practice of law. In addition to his legal work, Trey has extensive computer programming experience and developed software that supports nearly every aspect of the firm’s operations. Because of his combined legal and technical expertise, the firm has remained at the forefront of legal technology. Clients have online access to their files, data, and scanned documents, and the firm has long integrated barcoding and electronic filing into its daily practice.

In 1992, Laura Thrasher graduated from Stetson University College of Law. She joined the firm and was admitted to The Florida Bar in September 1992. The firm was then renamed Thrasher, Thrasher & Thrasher. In May 2001, Laura married an Army officer. As military service took her family to assignments around the world, she left the firm to be with her husband. They later lived in Tampa, Florida, and Colorado before she returned to Tallahassee. Although she is no longer engaged in the active practice of law with the firm, she remains an important part of its history as a member of the Thrasher family. After Laura left the firm and changed her last name, the firm became known as The Thrasher Law Firm.

Elwin’s wife, Carolyn, joined the firm in the late 1980s as bookkeeper and office manager. In September 2001, Carolyn was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She continued working through chemotherapy until January 3, 2006, when complications from treatment forced her to leave the office. Carolyn passed away on May 4, 2007.

Over the years, the firm has experienced many changes, but it has remained steady in its commitment to its clients, its community, and the values on which it was founded.