Guichard St. Surin

Guichard is a French name of Germanic origin that, loosely translated, means “made strong from combat.” When Guichard St. Surin partner with his clients in family law matters, he likes to shield them from battle. “I want them to see past the position they are fighting for and truly get to the root of the issues in order to avoid coming back to court for modification or enforcement proceedings,” he said. He employs a holistic approach to help keep clients’ wellbeing intact, including referrals to financial advisors and psychological counselors to help manage the upheaval that inevitably happens in big transitions. “The reward is knowing that I was able to help a family navigate through the storm and uncertainty of divorce and having them come out confident on the other end.”

Guichard was born in Haiti and grew up in Naples with eight brothers and sisters. Service was a family ethic, which is evident in the career choices of several of the siblings. An older brother served in the U.S. Army, and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another is an officer with the Naples Police Department. A sister that is school teacher. St. Surin also married well – his wife is a school psychologist.

Guichard wanted to be an attorney since high school. “That decision was solidified in my third year in undergrad when I won Best Advocate in a national trial competition in my first year of doing mock trial,” he recalled. “From then on I had a burning passion for being in the courtroom.”

He realizes that what separates him from his clients is often just a matter of happy circumstance. He once worked out a 10-year sentence for a 16-year-old who was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, punishable by life in prison. “He looked just like my younger brother and I immediately felt a connection with him.” Although his efforts were successful, he felt far from triumphant. “I realized that a lot of these young men have no positive male role models in their life,” he said. Being in a position to serve as such a role model, St. Surin mentors a group of boys on Wednesday nights at his church.

Guichard welcomed his first-born son in the Fall of 2015. "Being entrusted with a child is the greatest blessing that God has bestowed upon me. Being a parent and seeing how much joy my son has when I'm around has brought me a deeper level of understanding and love.  I want every parent to continue to experience that joy and love that only parenthood brings. I want to help them through the painful transition period of separation and work with them to create and develop a schedule that allows both parents to continue to enjoy those priceless moments with their child."