Raymond James welcomes advisors managing approximately $400 million in Lexington, Kentucky
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James recently welcomed financial advisors Seth Lawless and Charters “Jay” Osborne to Raymond James & Associates (RJA) – the firm’s employee advisor channel – according to Amy Smart, Mid-American regional director for RJA.
The advisors arrive from Merrill Lynch where they previously managed approximately $400 million in client assets. Operating as Osborne Lawless & Associates of Raymond James, based in Lexington, Kentucky, the team specializes in serving multigenerational families, business owners, health care professionals and retirees. They are joined by client relationship consultant Rob Mitchell and senior registered client relationship associates Karie Howard and Lee Ann Myers. The team was recognized as a 2026 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Team.
“We are committed to making sure that our clients’ interests come first, and we are excited to experience the advisor independence and client-focused culture at Raymond James,” said Lawless. “We especially appreciate access to the firm’s suite of technology that enhances our financial planning services in a variety of impactful ways, especially in areas related to tax and estate planning.”
Lawless brings over 15 years of financial services industry experience to his role as senior vice president of Wealth Management. He holds the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor® and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ professional designations. Additionally, he is recognized on the 2026 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking.
Osborne is a proud second‑generation advisor with 25 years in the financial services industry. His experience is backed by the Accredited Asset Management Specialist®, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor® and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ professional designations.
About Raymond James & Associates
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (RJA), member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC, is an industry leader in financial planning and wealth management services for individuals, high-net-worth families, corporations and municipalities. RJA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), one of the nation's premier diversified financial services companies with advisors throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $1.76 trillion as of March 31, 2026. Additional information is available at raymondjames.com.
Raymond James and its advisors do not offer tax or legal advice. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.
CRPC™ and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning.
Won at previous firm. The 2026 Forbes ranking of America’s Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 3/31/2024 to 3/31/2025 and was released on 01/07/2026. Advisor teams that are considered must have one advisor with a minimum of seven years of experience, have been in existence as a team for at least one year, have at least 5 team members, and have been nominated by their firm. The algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 12,787 team nominations, 6,149 advisor teams received the award based on thresholds. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please see https://www.forbes.com/lists/wealth-management-teams-best-in-state for more info.
Won at previous firm. The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2026 ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2024 to 6/30/2025 and was released on 4/7/2026. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 52,043 nominations, roughly 11,302 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors/ for more info.