The Attorney Who Prevents Problems Before They Happen

Stan Padgett has spent more than four decades as the lawyer entrepreneurs call when the stakes are high, and if he has his way, they will call him before the stakes rise.

A seasoned trial attorney with more than 40 years of experience, he has built his career handling what he calls “bet-the-company cases”, situations where the very future of a business is on the line.

“If you’ve got a bet-the-company situation or a partnership dispute, talk to me early.“

That single line sums up his entire philosophy. Having represented owners in disputes with other owners and companies in existential litigation, Padgett knows how people get in trouble, how to get them out of it, and how to help them stay out of it.

As he likes to say, “You can have a brilliant ten-year lawyer who just hasn’t seen enough. Would you rather have a heart surgeon who’s done 5,000 surgeries or 50?”

Today, as the founder of Padgett Law, P.A. in Tampa and a guiding member of the exclusive Board of Advisors (BA) entrepreneur community, Stan describes himself as a “Primary Care Attorney™ for your business”, a trusted adviser who would rather prevent a crisis than litigate one.

Building The Unstoppable Brand

That success became the foundation for the Unstoppable Branding Agency, co-founded with her husband, Brian Swan. Together, they created a global firm helping entrepreneurs and executives turn their personal stories into powerful brands.

UBA now works with high-profile CEOs, investors, and thought leaders to elevate their digital presence through storytelling, PR, and media, with features in Forbes, Entrepreneur, USA TODAY, Yahoo! Finance, and more.

Swan’s message is simple: authenticity is the new currency.

“When your message is clear and your story is real,” she says, “you don’t chase opportunities—they chase you.”

From Courtroom Battles to Preventive Counsel

Stan’s legal journey began in the early 1980s after earning his law degree from Duke University. He spent years in high-stakes litigation before founding his own law firm in 1992.

Over time, he began to notice a pattern: most catastrophic disputes stemmed from poor planning or unclear expectations at the beginning of a business relationship. That realization reshaped his approach to law.

“There are ways out of problems, but there are also ways to stay out of them,” he explains. For Stan, the smartest legal work happens before trouble begins.

His long experience has given him the ability to recognize the patterns that lead to success and those that lead to failure. “Experience gives you pattern recognition,” he says. “Like Tom Brady at 45, you’ve seen it all, and you know how to respond.”

Building Businesses with the Exit in Mind

Working closely with entrepreneurs, Padgett insists that every business should be designed with an exit plan from day one. “If you don’t plan an exit that doesn’t destroy the business, the business will end through that split,” he warns. Whether partners are family members, spouses, or friends, he believes every company needs a fair and structured way to part ways without collapsing.

This forward-thinking approach defines his mission: to help business owners preserve what they have built rather than lose it to conflict, ego, or miscommunication. “You have to protect the business and treat both people fairly based on their needs, wants, and desires,” he says.

His insight also extends to the way he views entrepreneurship within the Board of Advisors community. He often highlights how members at different life stages have different goals. Younger entrepreneurs may want to build billion-dollar companies, while older members focus on legacy and security. “At 68, I want to enjoy what I’ve built,” he says. “Time is the great equalizer.”

Growth Without Greed: The Board of Advisors Spirit

Padgett’s leadership within Board of Advisors reflects his core values. BA is not simply a networking group; it is a community built on contribution, mentorship, and alignment. “If you’re a taker, you don’t belong,” he says. The group’s unofficial motto, “growth without greed,” perfectly encapsulates his philosophy of business and life. 

“You don’t come to BA to sell. You come to give, to learn, and to grow.

Stan is known in the BA community for his generosity and candor. When he speaks at events, he encourages entrepreneurs to use their time not to pitch, but to ask for help. “Stand up, say who you are, what your biggest problem is, and ask the group to help you solve it,” he tells new members. “You have a million-dollar roundtable in front of you. Let them help.”

He also advocates for a more collaborative structure within BA, where members can problem-solve together instead of passively listening to presentations. He believes that engagement and mentorship are what make the organization special, proposing ideas like assigning each newcomer a “first friend” or mentor to guide them through their first meetings.