A personal approach

For Spiro Verras, good planning begins with understanding the people it is meant to serve. His practice focuses on estate planning, trusts, and probate.

A graduate of Yale University and Tulane Law School, he has practiced law since 1993 and founded Verras Law in 2003. He is admitted to practice in Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Texas.

Long before he became a lawyer, Spiro learned about taking care of people in his immigrant parents’ restaurant in Tarpon Springs. Making people feel welcome and giving them more care and attention than they expected were part of the work. He brings those lessons to his law practice.

Spiro takes a holistic view of his clients’ needs. He considers each legal question in the context of the person asking it and the life they have built. His aim is to help clients feel at ease, protect what matters to them, and provide the personal attention and follow-through that make a lasting relationship possible. When another lawyer or CPA is needed, he helps make the connection and stays involved to the extent the client finds helpful.

Faith, theatre, and community

Alongside his legal practice, Spiro is pursuing a Master of Theological Studies at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, part of Hellenic College Holy Cross. For Spiro, the questions behind an estate plan - what we value, whom we care for, and what we hope to pass on - deserve careful thought of their own.

Theatre and community service are also important parts of his life. A former board chair of Stageworks Theatre, Tampa’s longest-running professional theatre company, he continues to serve on its Advisory Board. He is a trustee of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center. At the National Hellenic Society, he serves as a director, Governance Committee member and Southeast regional co-chair.

Born in New York and raised in Tarpon Springs, Spiro speaks English and Greek.

Experience that informs the plan

Earlier in his career, Spiro was a litigator and a partner at Jones, Verras & Freiberg, a New Orleans-based firm. His work included consumer protection, privacy, civil rights, admiralty, and environmental matters. That experience helps him anticipate practical difficulties, clarify responsibilities, and address competing interests while clients have time to make thoughtful choices.

His work also encompasses the business matters that often accompany a family’s estate plan, including the formation and ownership of closely held companies, agreements among owners, succession planning, and the purchase or sale of a business.

Spiro teaches lawyers and paralegals through the National Business Institute and its Institute for Paralegal Education. His presentations have addressed estate planning, probate and trust administration, legal ethics, legal writing, and inclusive client service.

Working with Spiro

Planning begins with a conversation about the people who matter to you and the decisions ahead. You discuss who should act for you, how your beneficiaries should receive their inheritances, and how a will or trust fits your circumstances. Spiro explains the choices, including the control and flexibility each approach allows.

His involvement extends to coordinating the documents with deeds, account ownership, and beneficiary designations. He also works with clients’ CPAs and other advisers when their input is needed.

Meet with Spiro in Palm Harbor, in Tampa or St. Petersburg by appointment, or by Zoom or teleconference. Learn more about how we work or contact our office to arrange a consultation.