JOHN B. CECHMAN

ohn B. Cechman joined the firm in 1972, becoming a partner in 1978. While serving in the Vietnam War, Cechman decided on a career change and applied to the then-recently established law school at Florida State University (FSU) while still in Vietnam.

On a break from law school, the Northumberland, Penn., native drove to Naples to visit the family of another student. On the way, he stopped in Fort Myers to look into a job that founders of Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz had posted on an FSU bulletin board. He pulled up to the office on his motorcycle and has been representing motorcyclists ever since.

After Cechman graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1967, he became a second lieutenant in the army, completing Infantry Basic Officer Leader course in Fort Benning, Georgia. He completed Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird in Baltimore.

It was there that some friends talked to him about practicing law. From Fort Carson, Colorado, he was sent to Quang Tri Province just south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in South Vietnam. As Agent in Charge of Military Intelligence, he was stationed with the 1st Brigade 5th Infantry Division from July 1968 to July 1969.

“I tell my sons that the military is a great character builder,” he said. “There are no excuses. You get the job done. Yes sir. No sir. It makes you an overall better person. If I have a case, I’ve got to do it right and on time. It translates not only to the law but any job, any occupation.”