Alumni Class Notes

Marissa John 17L has been promoted to vice president, general counsel of the Seattle Seahawks. In this role, she advises leadership as well as oversees litigation and compliance with NFL rules for both the Seahawks and Lumen Field. Learn more.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has named Mike Dreitzer 94L as the new chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The NGCB is the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing the gaming industry in the state. Governor Lombardo commented: “Mike has an extensive background in gaming compliance and brings decades of industry experience to the role. I’m confident that Mike will lead the Nevada Gaming Control Board with integrity and honor, while furthering its recent innovation and progress." Learn more.

Intellectual property attorneys Haley Phillips 24L and Eliza del Carmen 23L recently joined Bradley. The associates will be based in Atlanta, providing business-focused IP strategies to early stage startup and mid to large companies across a variety of industries.

DLA Piper LLP recently named Stephen Alicanti 12L as chair of the firm’s New York corporate practice. Alicanti represents issuers and underwriters in domestic and international capital markets transactions.

Amelia Wierda 16L has been promoted to legal counsel for human rights at Booking.com. In this new role, Wierda will focus her practice on business and human rights as well as international humanitarian law. She is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Robert Pollock has joined Hinshaw & Culbertson’s consumer financial services practice group as partner. Based in the firm’s Iselin, New Jersey office, Pollock represents clients in consumer financial services and general commercial litigation matters. He also advises on consumer protection and state-level consumer laws. Learn more.

The Alabama Law Foundation has selected the Honorable Judge Jerusha T. Adams to join its 2025 class of fellows. Hon. Adams is a US magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama. The Alabama Law Foundation’s fellows program was established in 1995 to recognize lawyers who are dedicated to the legal profession and service to others and have had a lasting impact on their communities. Learn more.

Judge Leo Gordon 77L has been chosen to serve as president-elect of the Federal Judges Association (FJA), a national volunteer association of all Article III federal trial and appellate judges. Judge Gordon sits on the US Court of International Trade and US District Court for the District of New Jersey. As FJA president-elect, he will chair the organization’s strategic planning committee.

James McGuire 06L has joined Holland & Knight LLP as a partner in the firm’s public policy and regulation group. He is based in Dallas, Texas.

Leslie Vander Griend 90L is a shareholder at Stokes Lawrence in Seattle, practicing in intellectual property law. World Trademark Review 1000 recently honored Vander Griend as a Leading Trademark Professional (Silver). The Best Lawyers in America recognized her in trademark and copyright law.

Shawn Kalfus 01L opened the newest office of his firm, Stone Kalfus LLP, in San Francisco, California. The firm also has offices in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

Myra Mormile-Wolper 04L was recently appointed general counsel of TradeStation Securities, Inc., an online, self-directed broker-dealer.

George Choundas 92C 95L was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Creative Writing. His new story collection, I Think I'll Stay Here Forever (forthcoming 2025), received the 2024 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction. Choundas has published three other prize-winning books.

The Colorado Women’s Bar Association (CWBA) named Hon. Angela Arkin 83L as its 2025 honoree for the Mary Lathrop Trailblazer Award, the organization’s highest honor. The Trailblazer Award is presented each year to an outstanding female attorney who has enriched the community through her legal and civic duties. Arkin will be honored during a special reception at the Annual CWBA Convention on May 16, 2025. Learn more.

Caroline Gieser 16L has been promoted to partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Gieser represents clients in high-stakes litigation and trials throughout the US. She has achieved wins for defendants in pre-suit negotiation, early dispositive motion practice, summary judgment, trial, and appeal. She is based at the firm’s Atlanta office. Read the firm’s release.

Brian Casey has been named partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, as a result of its January 2025 merger with Locke Lord. Casey served as co-chair of Lock Lord’s insurance transactional and regulatory practice. He is based in Atlanta.

GaBiz Magazine named Todd Baiad 00L to its 2024 list of top lawyers in admiralty and maritime law. Baiad is a partner in Bouhan Falligant’s litigation department. He is based in Savannah.

Georgia Super Lawyers included Shawn Kachmar 97L on its annual list of top attorneys. Kachmar is the managing partner of HunterMaclean, leading the firm’s management committee. He focuses his practice on employment, restrictive covenant, and business litigation issues. Read the firm’s release.

Daraka Satcher 99L was recently re-elected chairman of the Fulton County Board of Ethics. This will be Satcher’s second term as chairman.

Susan Pollet 79L’s collection of poetry, Menagerie of Musings, is now available on Amazon Kindle as an e-book. In addition to writing the poems, Pollet also created the cover artwork. You can learn more about Pollet’s work at susanpollet.com.

Julien Neals 91L is currently serving as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. President Joe Biden nominated Neals in April 2021; he was confirmed June 2021.

Caroline Magee 21L recently joined the Sphere Entertainment Company as counsel for legal and business affairs. In this role, Magee will draw and build upon her experience in labor law as well as expand into venue operations and real estate, addressing issues arising from Madison Square Garden’s venues in New York, Illinois, and Nevada.

In September 2024, Franklin Engram 14L became the deputy chief assistant district attorney of DeKalb County’s Crimes Against Elder Persons and Adults with Disabilities Unit (CAEPAD). The unit prosecutes crimes against seniors and adults with mental or physical disabilities, such as maltreatment, neglect, or abuse. In addition to supervising CAEPAD, Engram also leads DeKalb’s At-Risk Adult Multidisciplinary Team, which educates seniors on how to protect themselves from scams and abuse.

Gerard Bifulco 15L has joined Botkin Chiarello Calaf as a partner. Based in Austin, Texas, Bifulco is part of the firm’s commercial and intellectual property litigation teams. He represents corporate entities and individuals throughout the US on issues related to intellectual property, employment, constitutional, administrative, real estate, and banking law matters.

“Gerard is an excellent litigator with a client-first approach,” says Katherine Chiarello, the firm’s managing partner. “He has both the breadth and depth of experience that will immediately make him a power player on the BCC team.” Read the firm's release.

Marc Goncher 97BA 00L joined the Chick-fil-A corporate legal department as senior counsel – regulatory in January 2025. Goncher was also reelected as chair of the Birds Georgia, Inc.’s Board of Directors, a statewide nonprofit focused on business places where birds and people thrive.

Alex Owings 15L has been elevated to partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Based in Chicago, Owings is a member of the litigation team. He represents businesses and individuals in complex and high stakes matters in federal and state courts across the US. Read the firm’s release.

Alexis Johnson 23L recently joined Goldberg Segalla as an associate attorney in the transportation group. Based in Albany, Johnson counsels and defends clients in a variety of civil litigation claims with a focus on businesses in the transportation and logistics industries. Read the firm’s release.

Patrick Hill was recently elected shareholder at Robinson Bradshaw. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hill represents businesses across various industries in high-stakes litigation. He has experience in banking, health care, antitrust, trade secrets, employment, and general commercial matters.

Jessica Priselac 08L has been promoted to partner at Duane Morris LLP. Priselac focuses her practice on complex disputes, including class, collective, and consolidated actions in state and federal courts. In addition to her trial practice, she co-chairs the firm’s Discovery Strategy and Data Analytics Working Group.

Jennifer Perez 05L recently joined Shutts & Bowen LLP as a partner in their corporate practice group. She will be based at the firm’s Miami office. Perez focuses her practice on commercial disputes, corporate transactions and agreements, statutory and regulatory compliance and labor, as well as employment and insurance matters.

“Jennifer’s extensive legal experience and leadership in the healthcare and corporate sectors make her an invaluable addition to our Corporate Practice Group,” said Francis E. “Frank” Rodriguez, chair of Shutts & Bowen’s Executive Committee. “We are delighted to welcome her to the firm and look forward to the innovative solutions she will bring to our clients.” Read the firm’s release

Duane Morris has promoted Allison Bortner 14L to the firm partnership. Bortner represents clients in complex commercial disputes and business-related torts in federal and state courts across the country. She regularly works with creditors, CMBS Servicers, and other CMBS industry participants defending against lender liability claims and counsels clients in other loan enforcement activities.

Five Emory Law graduates recently joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as first-year associates. Kaylee M. Roberts 24L and Ashley E. Strain 24L joined the firm’s Atlanta litigation practice group. Lexie Alexander 24L is part of the Dallas litigation practice group as well as the government enforcement and investigations practice group. Elizabeth T. Petras 24L and Marlee Sacks 24L joined the firm’s litigation practice group in Nashville.

This is the firm’s largest first-year class, which includes 49 associates. “Each year, one of our firm’s overarching goals continues to be strategic growth and this includes adding talented young attorneys across a variety of practices. This group is no exception as we welcome this historically large class of attorneys across our footprint,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jon Skeeters. “We look forward to working with this accomplished group and are pleased to welcome them to the firm.” Read the firm’s release.

Drew Findling 84L, founding partner of The Findling Law Firm, PC, was recently included on the Hollywood Report’s 2024 list of Top Lawyers for Hollywood Stars in Legal Trouble. According to the publication: “This Atlanta-based lawyer is a favorite amongst rapper royalty… [and] has a long record of successfully defending the seemingly indefensible.” Read more.

Charles “Chip” Wheelock passed away January 2, 2025. Read the obituary.

Robert “Bob” High 16L was recently elevated to partner at the Atlanta office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, where he represents clients in intellectual property disputes involving mechanical, aerospace, medical device, electrical, and computer technologies. High’s practice focuses on patent litigation, post-grant proceedings, and appeals. He also represents disabled veterans in pro bono cases before the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Read the firm’s release.

Knox Ricksen has promoted Katherine Frank 17L to senior associate. Based in Texas, Frank represents clients in civil actions relating to insurance fraud and unfair business practices against healthcare providers, clinics, management services organizations, and their conspirators.

“Katie has proven herself to be a difference maker for our clients and a key member of our litigation team. She has earned this elevation, and we are thrilled to see her upward trajectory continue,” said Maisie Sokolove, the firm’s managing partner.

Maren Chaloupka 95L has been elected president of the Trial Lawyers College (TLC), a national program that helps attorneys strengthen and enhance their skills to stand up for the rights of ordinary people. Chaloupka is the fourth president in TLC’s 30-year history and its first woman president.

David Tugman 75L passed away December 23, 2024. Read the obituary.

Elaina Al-Nimri 15L will be a 2025 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow, a year-long program designed to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the profession. It helps mid-career attorneys develop leadership skills, build professional relationships and networks, and form a successful career-development strategy.

Al-Nimri is a member at Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville, where she counsels clients on complex business litigation in areas including environmental, construction, real estate, securities and shareholder disputes, and commercial disputes.

“We are delighted to welcome this group of promising attorneys to the Delaware bar and congratulate them on achieving this career milestone,” said IP litigation partner and recruiting committee chair Michael Flynn. Read the firm release.

Retired District Court Judge Angela Arkin 83L will receive the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System’s 2025 Rebuilding Justice Award, for her work on the executive committee of the Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional (LLP) Committee. The annual award recognizes those who work to unlock “innovations that make the justice system more just—where everyone has a clear path to justice.” The first award recipient (in 2007) was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

In March 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court approved a program to license a new tier of legal service providers to increase access to legal services for those who cannot afford a lawyer, but who also do not qualify for legal-aid assistance. In June, the Colorado Supreme Court swore in the first class of LLPs. An awards ceremony is scheduled for April 10, 2025. Read the news release.

Shawn Kachmar 97L is managing partner at Savannah’s HunterMaclean and was recently included among Georgia Trend magazine’s 2024 Legal Elite. According to the firm: “Legal Elite is compiled by attorneys submitting their nominations through the publication’s website, and the listing is determined solely by attorneys’ votes.” Read more.

“We are very excited for Vishal to join the team at Meland Budwick,” said Managing Partner Eric Ostroff. “Vishal’s fresh perspective will bring valuable energy to our commercial litigation group and help us strengthen our handling of bankruptcy, financial fraud, and intellectual property cases.” Read the firm release.

Jason T. Barnes 97L has joined Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. as a shareholder in the firm's Dallas office, bringing more than two decades of experience in corporate finance and securities law.

“Munsch Hardt has seen a wealth of growth with lateral hires over the past few months, which includes several additions to our corporate practice,” said Rob Kibby, who leads the firm’s corporate practice. “Jason will strengthen our practice with [his] depth of knowledge, innovation and commitment to client service. Read the firm release.

Alex Wallach 87L received the inaugural "John Sweet Award" by the Workers' Compensation Section of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. It honors John F. Sweet, a long-time champion for the rights of work-injured Georgians. Like Sweet, Wallach has devoted his career to advocating for those injured on the job, without regard to profitability. He also supports the Georgia Legal Foundation, an amicus curiae and policy advocacy organization that supports the efforts of lawyers who represent injured workers. Wallach is a partner with George & Wallach, LLLP.

JB Harris 84L was recently interviewed on the business podcast, “How to Scale a Business.” The episode is titled, “Climbing Legal Mountains: The Journey of J.B. Harris - From Courtroom to Everest.” Listen on Spotify.

Jake Rauchberg 23L has joined Delaware law firm Morris Nichols as an associate with the firm’s Bankruptcy & Restructuring group. Prior to joining Morris Nichols, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Patricia M. Mayer in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jake to our team,” said IP litigation partner and recruiting committee chair Michael Flynn. “Former clerks bring with them valuable court experience which will contribute significantly to the firm’s clients and co-counsel.” Read the firm release.

On July 9, 2024, Glenn Taubman 80L (staff attorney for the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation) testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, at a hearing titled, “Confronting Union Antisemitism: Protecting Workers from Big Labor Abuses,” along with his client Will Sussman, a Jewish MIT student. Read his testimony.

Terry Adamson 68C 73L, co-chair of the Henry Luce Foundation’s Board of Directors, has been named chair emeriti of the Asia Foundation, a San Francisco international development organization. He was on the Asia Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 1984 through this year, and served as chair from1995-1999.

Rick Duarte 10L has joined Burr & Forman in Tampa as a partner in the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group.

"Rick's extensive experience in complex litigation across various industries and his unwavering commitment to providing exceptional customer service align with our firm's focus on advancing our clients' business goals in Florida and the Southeast," said Managing Partner Jacqueline Simms-Petredis. Read the firm release.

Kimberli C. Withrow 97L has joined Connell Cummings in Atlanta as a partner. She has over 25 years of experience representing clients in complex divorce, child custody, and child support matters.

“Kimberli is a long-time colleague and friend of our firm, and we are delighted to add her experience to our roster of talented attorneys,” said Katie B. Connell, partner and co-founder at Connell Cummings. “Kimberli is a trusted advisor to her clients, coming alongside them with compassion and sound guidance during some of the toughest challenges they will ever face.” Visit the firm site.

“Duff scores with a winning protagonist and a captivating courtroom procedural.” It’s published by She Writes Press/Simon & Schuster, is the first in a planned series, and comes out November 11. Learn more.

Amos Davis 10L 10T has joined the management consulting firm Emergent Method (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) as chief operating officer. He oversees day-to-day operations of the firm, manages legal and administrative matters and drives strategic initiatives to support continued growth and expansion. Davis previously was global senior counsel at Uber. Prior to Uber, Davis served as a lead adviser for several domestic and international brands within The Coca-Cola Company.

“Amos brings a wealth of expertise leading high-impact initiatives and operational transformation to our growing organization. We are fortunate to welcome him to our team,” said President Nick Speyrer. Read more.

Freed Grant LLC Partners Gary S. Freed 81L and Thomas C. Grant 98L have been named to the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in America®. This is Freed’s third year in a row to land on the list, recognized for Litigation – Labor and Employment and Financial Services Regulation Law. This is Grant’s second consecutive year for Commercial Litigation Practice.

Freed focuses on business legal matters including commercial litigation, labor and employment litigation, “business divorce,” restrictive covenants, real estate, employment matters, and probate issues.  Grant focuses on complex business litigation, commercial real estate, probate, and insurance defense matters. Read more.

Julie I. Fershtman 83C 86L, a shareholder at Foster Swift Collins & Smith, P.C., has been added to the 2024 Michigan Super Lawyers roster for Civil Litigation: Defense. Fershtman is also listed in the publication’s “Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers” and the “Top 50 Women Michigan Super Lawyers.” Later in August, she was included in Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law. Fershtman has practiced for 38 years and is widely considered among the leading practitioners of equine law. She is a fellow of the American College of Equine Attorneys, one of about 20 such lawyers in the country. Read more.

Taylor Davis 10L was recently promoted to senior equity partner at the global law firm of Clyde & Co, where she practices commercial litigation in the Atlanta office, primarily defending property & casualty insurers across the U.S.

Christian Bromley 15L is a partner with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP who practices in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He’s among the national young leaders that Bloomberg calls “They’ve Got Next: The 40 under 40.” Bromley was recognized for his work in litigation. Read more.

“We are thrilled to welcome Alyssa to our team,” said Benjamin Fink 92L, shareholder and president at BFV. “Alyssa brings an instinct for business and the law, along with a creative flair, that are invaluable assets to our firm and our clients.” Read the firm release.

Bene Owanga 24L and Chinelo Adi 24L were semifinalists in an international competition where the ultimate prize is $1 million in investment funding. They traveled to the UK in August to compete for the 15th Annual Hult Prize. Read more.

Jeffrey Garfinkle 90L is the 2024-2025 president of the Financial Lawyers Conference, a group founded more than 50 years ago that is comprised of leading Southern California commercial finance and insolvency attorneys.

For the past 21 years, he’s practiced with Buchalter in Orange County, California, where he’s a shareholder. He’s among the nation’s leading pharmaceutical and healthcare insolvency attorneys, as evidenced by his 2024 inclusion in Chambers and Partners and Best Lawyers in America.

Thomas S. Cargill 05L has joined Shutts & Bowen as a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group. He's based in the Orlando office.

“Tom’s depth of experience as lead counsel in a broad spectrum of business litigation matters makes him an ideal addition to our team,” said Senior Litigation Partner Bud Bennington. “We are excited to welcome him to the Orlando office and we know he will truly be an asset for our clients.” Read the firm release.

Sarah Powell 13L has been promoted to co-chair of Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli & Tipton’s Corporate & Business, Commercial Real Estate, and Cannabis Practice Groups. She practices in the firm’s Easton, Pennsylvania, offices.

“Sarah is a smart, practical, and hardworking attorney who consistently prioritizes our clients' interests, and works to find creative solutions to the difficult problems that arise in our transactions,” said Practice Group Chair Seth Tipton. “Her willingness to help and mentor our younger attorneys is also invaluable. I am grateful to have Sarah’s expertise and assistance in leading our growing practice groups.” Read the firm release.

This month, the Atlanta Bar Association celebrated new leadership and presented annual awards. Emory Law honorees included Fulton County State Court Judge Diane E. Bessen 79C 87L and Harry Winograd 83L of Bodker, Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd & Wildstein, who both received the Charles E. Watkins Jr. Award. Georgia Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Yvette M. Miller 88L received the Professionalism Award. Amy B. Cheng 09C 15L handed over the gavel as immediate past president, and Marcella Ducca 05C 08L of Greenberg Traurig is a new member-at-large.

Tanisha Palvia 11L, a litigation member at Charlotte’s Moore & Van Allen, PLLC, was named a 2024 South Asian Bar Association (SABA) North America Rising Star. The award celebrates high achievement in practice, innovation, leadership, legal and community service, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Honorees are under 40, or have been in practice less than 10 years. In July, Palvia received the award at the annual SABA North America Conference in Toronto.

“I can think of no more deserving candidate than Tanisha and we are thrilled to celebrate this distinction,” said the firm’s Diversity Committee Co-chair Valecia M. McDowell. “In addition to serving our clients with remarkable skill, integrity, and compassion, Tanisha has advanced our diversity efforts — especially as a voice for the South Asian legal community — and taken great initiative with mentorship and client development.” Read the firm release.

Thompson T. Rawls 79L passed away June 9, 2024. Read the obituary.

Joshua G. Oberman 02L has joined Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, as a partner in the firm’s New York City offices where he represents contractors, developers, and high net-worth homeowners – including some of the region’s largest trade contractors and developers. The firm says: His deep experience in private and public construction matters, including Access Agreements under New York Real Property Law 881, allows him to routinely litigate cases through trial when necessary.  Read the firm release.

Funding Florida Legal Aid (formerly the Florida Bar Foundation) has appointed Douglas H. Reynolds 82L 86L to its board of directors for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2024.

Reynolds is a litigation director with Tripp Scott, PA, in Fort Lauderdale. Board-certified by the Florida Bar in both business litigation and marital and family Law, Reynolds served for six years on its Marital and Family Law Certification Committee. He is also on the board of directors of Legal Aid Service of Broward and Collier Counties and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida. Read the news release.

Otobong “Oto” Ekpo 09L has joined Finch McCranie in Atlanta as of counsel after 15 years as a prosecutor in both DeKalb and Fulton Counties, where she oversaw the most serious crimes. At Fitch, she will focus on representing clients catastrophically injured or killed due to negligence.

“Oto has devoted her career to advocating for victims of wrongdoing,” said Richard Hendrix, a partner with Finch McCranie. “We are proud to add her high-caliber experience to our practice.”

“I consider it a privilege to walk with victims and their loved ones as they pursue justice,” Ekpo said. “While serving victims of crime by putting away the criminals who wronged them has been incredibly rewarding, the move to private practice will enable me to continue to support victims of misconduct in a capacity not before possible.” Read the firm release.

Thomas Redman Brockway 91B 91L passed away June 3, 2024. Read the obituary.

Journalist, filmmaker and aspiring civil rights lawyer Camille Pendley Hau 24L is the second recipient of the Lynn Walker Huntley Social Justice Fellowship, a joint undertaking of the Southern Education Foundation and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Read more.

At the May 4, 2024, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers Sneaker Ball, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston received GAWL’s Leading Lady Award. The Leading Lady Award was established in 2018 to recognize a leader “who not only demonstrates great leadership within the legal profession, but who is a trailblazer in the community, while also being cognizant of the importance of wellness and self-care.” Also, both Emory Law and Georgia State’s School of Law were declared GAWL Chapter of the Year.  Read more.

William J. Lee 19L is among the nation’s most influential young health leaders, as selected by the National Minority Quality Forum. He leads Kershaw Talley Barlow’s scientific practice group in Sacramento. Read more.

Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley 80L passed away May 19, 2024. Read the obituary.

In May, Jeff Sipos 03L returned to Clarion Capital Partners, LLC, in New York City as general counsel and chief administrative officer. Sipos worked at Clarion from 2011 to 2015 and has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance, finance, and legal industries.

“Our firm is excited to welcome Jeff back to the team to play these significant roles, helping Clarion further strengthen our processes and capabilities to deliver lasting results,” said Managing Partner Marc Utay. Read the firm release.

Rufus A. Chambers 63L passed away May 8, 2024. Read the obituary.

Stanley E. Harris 61L passed away May 4, 2024. Read the obituary.

Nancy J. Whaley 91L, Standing Chapter 12 and 13 Trustee for the Northern District of Georgia, was appointed by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules effective October 1, 2023. She will serve a three-year term and has been appointed to the Consumer Subcommittee and Forms Subcommittee.

Shannon N. Proctor 15L has been promoted to partner at DC-based litigation firm Hollingsworth LLP. She brings more than a decade’s experience in the pharmaceutical industry to her practice defending Fortune 500 companies in pharmaceutical products liability/personal injury litigation in both federal and state courts across the country. She leads the Women Attorneys of Hollingsworth community group and the firm’s Making Justice Real campaign to support Legal Aid DC.

“Shannon is an expert trial lawyer with a strong track record of representing our clients in complex, high-stakes litigation,” said Hollingsworth LLP Managing Partner Don McMinn. “We are grateful for her expertise and leadership and welcome her to the role of partner.” Read the firm release.

Hillary Gardner 09L received the Community Champion Award from the Georgia Association of Corporate Counsel and the Atlanta Business Chronicle in recognition of her work for the ALS community. She’s a proud board member of ALS United of Georgia, through which she advocates for ALS patients at the state and federal level. Gardner also fundraises to support a caregiver respite program in memory of her aunt, Sally Panfel, (late wife of Mark Panfel 83L) by hosting an annual community picnic. Gardner is senior corporate counsel and chief compliance officer at Credigy Solutions, Inc. Read more.

In March, Philip Bauer 96L was named general counsel/corporate secretary at Scientific Games, where he started as a staff attorney in 1999. “It all happened in the blink of an eye,” he writes.

“Since joining Scientific Games in 2022, I have witnessed the strong work we do for our government partners which in turn enables them to serve their taxpayers and residents to provide meaningful programs across all service sectors. In my new position, our goal will be to maximize our services to the benefit of these constituencies,” said EVP James. D. Schultz. “Phil Bauer is a trusted legal advisor with in-depth industry knowledge and will serve us well as we continue to grow our business.” Read the press release.

Bennie Harris Black 80L passed away April 26, 2024. Read the obituary.

Jim Lanzone 98B 98L is Yahoo’s CEO now, but last month at Goizueta’s Distinguished Speakers Series he spoke about the unconventional choices, including stops at Tinder and CBS, that got him there. Read more.

In April, Michael A. Wiseman 14L was promoted to partner within Skadden’s Executive Compensation and Benefits Group. He advises public and private companies on compensation and benefits aspects of domestic and cross-border transactions. He is based in New York City. Read the firm release.

Sherry Boston 99L is one of three Georgia district attorneys to renew a legal challenge over a recently created state commission that they say is unconstitutional and undermines prosecutorial discretion. The bipartisan group’s efforts made national news. (subscription required) Read more.

In April, Patrise Perkins-Hooker 84B 84L was appointed the city’s interim top lawyer by Mayor Andre Dickens. Perkins-Hooker served as Fulton County Attorney from 2016 to 2021 and made history in 2014 when she was elected the first Black president of the Georgia State Bar. Read more.

Jim Cohen 79L’s article, “Telling the Story,” was published in the spring issue of American Craft, the Journal of the American Craft Council. It discusses his history of Passover seders and the importance of the seder plate to the telling of the Passover story. Read the article.

Balean Reid 21L was elected treasurer of the Young Lawyers Division of the Cobb County Bar Association. “I spent most of my life in Cobb County's public schools and interned right on the Square at Cobb Legal Aid throughout law school, so I look forward to seeing how I can deepen my involvement in the Cobb Bar and community during my term!” she posted. Read more.

Julie I. Fershtman 83C 86L was named to the 2024 Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame. She was honored for her leadership as the fifth woman president of the 36,000-member State Bar of Michigan, work serving corporate and insurer clients with trials in four states, authorship of four books and 400 published articles, speaking engagements in 29 states, and dedication to mentoring. Read more.

Katherine DeRosa Emerson 15L and MacKenzie James Emerson 16L of Atlanta, welcomed son George MacKenzie Emerson on February 26, 2024. He joins sisters Sloane Margaret, 4, and Blythe Katherine, 2.

Richard C. Litwin 87L, an Atlanta attorney who specializes in state and local tax planning and tax disputes, was recognized as a 2024 Georgia “Top 100” Super Lawyer, regardless of area of specialization. Also, Litwin Law was included among U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 national list of “Best Law Firms” for Tax Law and Tax Litigation and Controversy.

Thomas A. Farr 79L passed away April 1, 2024. Read the obituary.

Judge Irwin W. Stolz Jr. 58C 58L passed away March 31, 2024. Read the obituary.

Last month, Mary Kathryn Velazquez 23L joined the children's advocacy group on the heels of big news that the organization received a $1 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving. Read more.

Commercial real estate partner  Christine R. Norstadt 09L has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP ‘s Atlanta office. She counsels owners, managers and users of office, retail and industrial properties, apartments and land in all aspects of commercial real estate, most frequently involving acquisitions and dispositions, financing, leasing and development matters. In addition to her JD from Emory Law, she holds a BS from Georgia Institute of Technology.

“We are delighted to have Christine join the firm and our Atlanta real estate group given her extensive experience guiding clients through the complicated landscape and myriad of opportunities that Atlanta's dynamic real estate market presents,” said Atlanta Partner Laura G. Hester. Read the firm release.

In March, Roshal Erskine Marshall 09L joined Alphabet’s Verily as chief counsel, privacy, security, and data strategy. The precision health company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Francisco. Read more.

Henry B. Ward III 96L has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’ Intellectual Property Practice Group in Charlotte. He most recently practiced at Moore & Van Allen, where he served as co-head of its trademark practice. Ward focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, advertising regulations and litigation matters in industries including telecommunications, computer software and hardware, financial and insurance, and medical services and devices. In addition to his JD from Emory Law, he holds a BS in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

“We are thrilled to welcome Henry, a respected IP attorney whose broad experience adds depth and strength to our IP services in Charlotte and across the firm,” said Bradley Charlotte Office Managing Partner Robert R. Marcus. Read the firm release.

Emory University’s Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives (GSI) hosted the International Awards at Convocation Hall on Feb. 29 to honor three remarkable members of the Emory community whose endeavors have significantly propelled the university’s global engagement efforts. Faizat Badmus-Busari 20L received the Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award (Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa [SIHA] Network).

“For nearly 25 years, the International Awards have honored individuals who have significantly shaped our university’s global footprint,” says Philip Wainwright, vice provost of GSI. “As a renowned institution with a significant presence on the global stage, it is vital to recognize the diverse endeavors of those who contribute to Emory’s international accomplishments.” Read the news release.

Katharine Litka 22L has joined Gravel & Shea as a litigation associate. Her practice will include state and federal courts, focusing on complex civil litigation, general business litigation, and personal injury and product liability.

“We are excited that Katharine joined Gravel & Shea,” said Shareholder Brooks McArthur. “She brings significant experience to our litigation team which will benefit our clients tremendously. We look forward to the valuable contributions she will make to this firm.” Litka was previously with Seyfarth Shaw LLP in New York and also spent three years as a legal support analyst with the New York State Office of the Attorney General's Public Integrity Bureau.

Tan Minh Tran 16L passed away March 3, 2024. Read the obituary.

Kenneth Rogers McCullough 72L passed away March 3, 2024. Read the obituary.

Ambar Chavez 08L is global privacy lead at Socure, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning for identity verification and fraud prevention, and she previously worked for 10 years in consumer protection at both the state and federal level. Last month, she returned to Atlanta as a guest speaker for Emory Law’s Leadership for Lawyers course, taught by Ira Bedzow, executive director of the Emory Purpose Project. Read more.

Morton P. Sherzer 78A 81L passed away February 28, 2024. Read the obituary.

Keith Shapiro, renowned for his leadership and commitment to the Chicagoland Jewish community and Israel, has been named chair of the 2024 JUF Annual Campaign, which is the cornerstone of JUF's multi-faceted resource development efforts, fueling life-transforming services for 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths and two million Jews across the globe.

“Keith’s commitment to the Jewish people and Israel run deep,” said JUF President Lonnie Nasatir. “He brings great passion, along with tremendous expertise and energy, to this pivotal role, and we are fortunate to have him at the helm of the Campaign.” Read the press release.

Jessica Macari 06L (nee Slutsky) has been named the first general counsel to the North Carolina Office of the State Controller. She was previously assistant attorney general with the NC Department of Justice.

Paula Nagarajan 10L is a new partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP ‘s Technology and Corporate & Finance practices in Atlanta. She is part of a group working to launch a Women in Technology affinity group due to the number of women attorneys at the firm who work in or around technology. They represent clients worldwide in digital transformations, enterprise-wide technology solutions, data privacy compliance, cyberbreach response, and digital health.

“We are thrilled to welcome Paula to a talented tech-facing group that has continued to grow over the past several years,” said Jacqueline W. Cooney, AGG Privacy & Cybersecurity co-chair. “As we began to assess the capabilities in the firm and the attorneys serving clients in this space, we quickly realized we had something special, and the idea for the affinity group was born.” Read the firm release.

Judge Hilton M. Fuller 64C 65L passed away February 14, 2024. Read the obituary.

Armie Lewis 16L has joined Reynolds Frizzell in Houston, Texas, as a trial attorney. He represents clients in both state and federal court, and focuses on financial matters, energy disputes, real estate litigation, investigations, civil rights litigation, trademark litigation, appeals, and probate disputes.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Armie on the team,” said partner Jeremy Doyle. “Having practiced for five years, Armie has stepped right in to handle cases. He is smart, driven, and authentic, which are the key ingredients for a great trial lawyer.” Read the firm release.

John McLarty Williams Sr. 49C 50L passed away February 11, 2024. Read the obituary.

Edward W. Hine 73C 76L passed away February 10, 2024. Read the obituary.

Walter H. Alford 62L passed away February 10, 2024. Read the obituary.

Ellen Cohen 85L writes: “Almost 40 years post my Emory JD, I'm super proud to share that I ventured back to graduate school and just received my master’s degree in Organization Development and Leadership. This augments my executive and leadership coaching practice currently focused on working with corporate executives and in-house attorneys in the areas of influence, getting a seat at the table and being promoted.”

This month, Venable LLP announced 20 new partners promoted within the global firm’s stateside offices, including Joseph R. Hicks 02C 10L. He practices at the firm’s headquarters in Washington, DC, where he focuses on energy regulation and complex administrative litigation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, state public utilities commissions, and federal courts.

"The new partners were elected based on their legal expertise, their embodiment of our values and culture, their focus on client service, and their contributions to the firm,” said Firm Chair Stu Ingis. “Their promotion is a reflection of the confidence of their colleagues in their future success." Read the firm release.

When Lori Cohen 90L lost her voice in 2022, the veteran litigator worked for over a year to find her way back to the courtroom through the use of AI voice generation. This week, she received an award that recognizes how her journey could help other attorneys. (subscription required) Read more.

Krithika Venugopal 21L has joined Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., as an associate in the firm’s Naples, Florida, offices. She represents clients in business, probate and trust, and real estate litigation matters.

“We are excited to add Krithika to our Business Litigation team. With her background and skills, we expect her to accomplish great things for our clients and for our firm,” said Stockholder Carlos Kelly 97L, who chairs the department. Read the firm release.

Marian Exall 85L, an award-winning author of mystery and historical fiction, published a new novel this month. Daughters of Riga focuses on events at the Dutch consulate in Latvia in 1939-40. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her site.

Jefferson Davis 62L passed away January 8, 2024. Read the obituary.

In January, The US Patent and Trademark Office announced Sharon Israel 90B 90L is new chief policy officer and director for International Affairs. Read more.

Wes Pickard 09B 15L is a new partner at Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs LLP, effective January 1. He’s a member of the Real Estate Practice Group in the firm’s Atlanta office, where he focuses on commercial real estate law, with an emphasis on developer, owner, and borrower representation.

“We are thrilled to expand the partnership at Parker Hudson with Wes, Tara, and Matt, who are exceptionally knowledgeable and client-focused lawyers,” said Parker Hudson Managing Partner Harrison Roberts. “We are confident in their ability to succeed in their new positions and continue growing their thriving practices.” Read the firm release.

The interview covers Aloke Chakravarty 97L’s journey from pre-med major at Johns Hopkins, to pursuing his JD at Emory Law, his years as a federal prosecutor in Boston, and his current work in cyber crisis management in Denver. Watch on YouTube.

Emory’s ‘40 under 40’ list includes six Emory Law alumni: Josh Combs 15L, Patrick Darcey 18L, Marcella Ducca 05C 08L, John Rose 18L, Marcus A. Sandifer 15L 17L , and Keong Min Yoon 16L. Congratulations! Read more.

A new patent office is scheduled to open in Atlanta in 2025. Fish & Richardson principal Karan Jhurani 14L said the new site reflects Atlanta’s “very active startup ecosystem that’s developing, particularly in fintech and AI spaces.”  (subscription required) Read more.

Phyllis Karasov 76L was selected by Minnesota Lawyer as one of the “Top Women in Law.”  Karasov is a shareholder and chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Larkin Hoffman in Minneapolis

“Phyllis is among a group of exceptional educators, trailblazers, role models, and public-service attorneys, recognized for their profound dedication and contributions,” reads the firm’s release. “Her leadership, accomplishments, and deep-seated passion for making a positive impact are truly commendable.” Read the firm release.

Effective January 1, Jeffrey Thiede 00L is one of 27 new partners at Faegre Drinker. The new cohort hails from 11 firm offices and 13 practice groups. Thiede focuses on real estate and practices in the firm’s Minneapolis office.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this talented group of new partners and counsel. These exceptional individuals bring a commitment to excellence and a spirit of true partnership that strengthen our firm,” Faegre Drinker Chair Gina Kastel said. “We look forward to seeing the contributions they will make to our clients and communities in the years ahead.” Read the firm release.

Michael S. Rodgers 96L passed away November 30, 2023. Read the obituary.

Jay L. Sacks 69L passed away November 28, 2023. Read the obituary.

Edward A. Charron 61L passed away November 20, 2023. Read the obituary.

Heath Brandon Turner 03L passed away November 16, 2023. 

Allison Brennan Bailey 18L has joined Butler Prather as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta offices.

“We are very pleased to have Allison join our great Team,” said name partner Ramsey Prather. “We’ve got Team members here who have been with Jim and this firm for 35 years, 34 years, 32 years, 32 years, 25 years, and 13 years and we’re very proud of that because longevity and experience really make a difference for the firm’s clients.” Read the firm release.

Earl Martin 99L has joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC as of counsel in the firm's Louisville office.

"After 24 years with the Kentucky firm I joined right out of law school, I am exploring the broader world and have made the exciting mid-career transition to Steptoe, an established multi-state firm growing its national presence," he writes. The firm has offices in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado. Read the firm release.

Dolores Daniel 86L passed away November 15, 2023. Read the obituary.

Lili Martin-Mashburn 14L is a new partner in Morris, Manning & Martin’s Raleigh-Durham offices, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

She is in the firm’s Fund Formation, Partnership and Investment Funds, Opportunity Zones (OZ), Corporate Transparency Act, and Tax practices. She was among the first attorneys in the nation to begin working with Opportunity Zone funds and deals in 2017, when Congress created the program to spur economic progress in designated low-income areas. Clients include developers, private equity fund sponsors and investors, publicly-traded banks and taxpayers defending business audits. Martin-Mashburn was also named a Pro Bono Super Star by the firm in 2016, which recognizes those who donate at least 50 hours of free legal work to individuals and nonprofits. Read the firm release.

Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. 71L, a senior member of the US House Appropriations Committee, has been appointed to the Board of Visitors for the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“It is an honor to be selected to serve on the West Point Board of Visitors. I will do my utmost – working with my colleagues on the board – to uphold and support this institution’s morale, discipline, and academic excellence, as well as assure sound curriculum, instruction, equipment, and the fiscal well-being of this vital institution,” Bishop said. “West Point has produced generations of the highest quality of US Army military leaders in the world for over two centuries, and we must do whatever is required to continue that great legacy.” Read the news release.

Effective January 1, Lauren Bewley 13L has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York.

A member of the Transactional Tax Practice and Tax Department, she advises private fund sponsors on fund formation and operation and represents clients in capital markets and financing transactions, restructurings, and joint ventures. She earned her LLM from New York University School of Law in 2014. Read the firm release.

As of November, Karime Barry 06L is one of 30 new shareholders nationwide at Polsinelli. Barry is in the firm’s Atlanta offices, where she focuses on real estate matters.

“Congratulations to all our new shareholders for achieving this deserved promotion. These outstanding attorneys have demonstrated their extraordinary commitment to client service and greatly contributed to what makes Polsinelli such a thriving firm,” said Polsinelli Chairman and CEO Chase Simmons. “Polsinelli is fortunate to have such exceptional talent, and we are proud to continue to create a firm where all can thrive and where such a high number of women is represented.”

Freed Grant LLC has been named to the 2024 Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers®. This follows earlier Best Lawyers honors for Partners Gary S. Freed 81L and Thomas C. Grant 98L. Freed, founder and managing partner, was listed for the second year in a row in Best Lawyers. Grant was chosen for his Commercial Litigation Practice. Freed focuses on business legal matters which include “business divorce,” restrictive covenants, real estate, employment, and probate issues. Grant focuses on complex business litigation, commercial real estate, probate, and insurance defense matters.

Robert Odom Loftis Jr. 72L passed away October 23, 2023. Read the obituary.

Frank Cushman Tindall 52C 55L passed away October 22, 2023. Read the obituary.

Phillip R. Bowers 89L passed away October 22, 2023. Read the obituary.

Andrew F. Wilkinson 97L passed away October 20, 2023. Read the obituary.

Daniel L. Merriman 78L passed away October 12, 2023. Read the obituary.

Dean Robert Davis 75L passed away October 10, 2023. Read the obituary.

Jerry Austin Landers 84L passed away October 8, 2023. Read the obituary.

Gary Feldon 07L has been elected to partner at Hollingsworth LLP in Washington, DC.

“Gary Feldon pairs high-level legal analysis with creative problem solving to achieve the best results for his clients. He often draws on his extensive government experience to help clients resolve complicated legal problems,” according to the firm. Read the firm release.

Ira L. Rachelson 65C 68L passed away October 5, 2023. Read the obituary.

Edward J. Magner 60L passed away October 2, 2023. Read the obituary.

William “Burton” Brown 55C 60L passed away September 27, 2023. Read the obituary.

In September, Mark Duedall 94L joined Baker Donelson in Atlanta as a shareholder in the firm's Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group. He focuses on bankruptcy and insolvency issues, with an emphasis on advising clients on consumer and household products, retail, food and beverage, mass tort, manufacturing, health care, and energy. Read the firm release.

At the the North Carolina Bar Association Board of Governors’ annual meeting in June, Jennifer Mencari 97L was elected to the Board. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that we are providing equitable and inclusive support to all attorney members across the state,” she writes. Mencarini is director of diversity and inclusion at Fox Rothschild LLP’s Greensboro office.

The three-judge panel of Yvette Miller 88L (presiding), Judge Kenneth Hodges III 88C, and new Chief Judge Amanda Mercier held court in Tull Auditorium on Sept. 14. They took questions from students, and also discussed how to succeed before the court. Read more (subscription required).

Nan Blumenfeld Bolz 80L passed away September 12, 2023. Read the obituary.

Steve Sadow 79L talked with the Daily Report about representing former president Donald Trump, Howard Stern, and others. He also mentions his longtime mentor Bobby Lee Cook. Read more (subscription required).

James W. Hart 68L passed away September 9, 2023. Read the obituary.

Mindy Coffino Waitsman 77L passed away September 6, 2023. Read the obituary.

Dylan Hooper 15L is one of five attorneys at GrayRobinson recently elected to shareholder. He’s a trial lawyer based in the firm’s Orlando offices who focuses on health care, contract, and business tort litigation. His litigation experience includes product liability, breach of contract, partnership disputes, and representing the State of Florida.

“We are proud to celebrate our newly promoted shareholders and senior associates,” said GrayRobinson’s Dean Cannon. “This talented group of attorneys embodies our mission to provide the highest level of representation to help our clients define and achieve their goals while supporting our communities.” Read the firm release.

Jennifer Hightower 90L was promoted to executive vice president and chief legal officer in September. Read more.

Wright Mitchell 96L, founder of the Buckhead Heritage Society, assumed leadership of the Atlanta-based Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation last month. Read more.

William L. Floyd 65L passed away August 31, 2023. Read the obituary.

Gurtegh Singh 17L is new CEO at Miami’s Social Payme, a fintech platform that caters to social media influencers.

"I am tremendously excited to assume the CEO role at Social Payme," Singh said. ‘This represents a remarkable opportunity to help influencers manage, market, monetize, and measure their social media content in a new way that has never been done before.” Read the firm release.

Robert Dean Hoffman Jr. 80L passed away August 26, 2023. Read the obituary.

Partners Gary S. Freed 81L and Thomas C. Grant 98L of Atlanta’s Freed Grant LLC have been named to the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Freed is listed for the second year in a row and Grant was chosen for Commercial Litigation Practice. Freed focuses on business legal matters which include “business divorce,” restrictive covenants, real estate, employment, and probate issues. Grant focuses on complex business litigation, commercial real estate, probate, and insurance defense matters. Read the firm release.

Following a 2.5-year investigation, a Fulton County grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 alleged coconspirators last month. District Attorney Fani Willis’ 98-page indictment is based on Georgia’s RICO law, which casts a wider net than its federal counterpart. Read more.

Joseph Lefkoff 56C 60L passed away August 13, 2023. Read the obituary.

Sammy Epelbaum 06L has joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Miami office’s litigation section as counsel, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation, class action defense, and corporate law.

“We are excited to welcome Sammy to the firm,” said the firm’s Gretchen Jankowski. “His experience is aligned with our clients’ needs and he will play a key role in the expansion of our class action team in Florida.” Read the firm release.

Gary Feldon 07L was one of two attorneys elected new partners at Hollingsworth LLP this August. He’s a litigator in the Washington, DC, office who focuses on Complex Litigation, Pharmaceutical Products, Toxic Torts and Products Liability.

According to the firm: “Gary pairs high-level legal analysis with creative problem solving to achieve the best results for his clients.  He often draws on his extensive government experience to help clients resolve complicated legal problems.  Recently, he was part of the trial team that secured a complete defense verdict in a 28-day bellwether jury trial in the Circuit Court for Cook County, Ill., relating to ethylene oxide emitted from a medical device sterilization facility.” Read the firm release.

David Crosby 69L passed away August 7, 2023. Read the obituary.

Here’s an update on J.B. Harris’ note from May: “Former Florida Attorney Pleads Guilty To Racketeering” Read the Florida US Attorney’s Office release. Harris 84L’s article “An Army of One: How I Helped to Disbar and Indict a Psychopath,” was published in Attorney at Law magazine. It details a years-long saga of dishonesty, disbarment, RICO prosecutions, Ponzi schemes, the NFL, the FBI, and a long trail of bilked clients and investors.

Terry Adamson, 68C 73L has been named co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Henry Luce Foundation, where he has been a director since 2007. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carter Center and the Asia Foundation.

Eliza Carmen Rodriguez 17L has joined the Oregon US Attorney’s office where she is an assistant US attorney and the district’s human trafficking coordinator. She previously practiced with the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas.

O.T. Nichols 66L passed away August 1, 2023. Read the obituary.

Thomas Kennedy Sampson & Tompkins opened its doors in Atlanta in 1971. Atlanta Voice recently ran a long-form story on the history of its 50-plus years in practice. The firm’s roster includes Partner Jeffrey Tompkins 87L and Associate Kristal Holmes 99L. Read more.

John Ray Skates Jr. 87L passed away Monday, July 24, 2023. Read the obituary.1987

Evan M. Kwarta 05L has joined Hinshaw & Culbertson in New York, where he is a partner in the Aviation and Aerospace industry group.

"The aviation and aerospace sectors confront significant legal challenges and regulatory scrutiny,” said the firm’s Michael G. McQuillen. “Evan bolsters our practice with significant litigation experience in New York state courts and in state and federal courts across the country. We're delighted that he has joined the team." Read the firm release.

Steven R. Block 80L has joined Blank Rome LLP as co-chair of the firm’s new Dallas office. He is a partner in the firm's Corporate, M&A, and Securities Group.

“There is a remarkable alignment among the six partners who are launching Blank Rome in Dallas,” Block said. “Each of us was seeking an opportunity to expand our practices on a national platform with comprehensive service offerings to better serve our clients. And to be able to do this while opening a new office for Blank Rome in a city that we all love is an incredible opportunity.”  Read the firm release.

Carlos Kelly 97L has been named a 2023 Florida Super Lawyer in the category of Business Litigation. He is a stockholder at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt in the firm’s Fort Myers offices.

The American Law Institute elected new 61 members in July, to “further ALI’s work of clarifying the law through Restatements, Principles and Model Codes.” Emory Law has three members among them, including new AI.Humanity Professor of Law Ifeoma Ajunwa, and alumni Gregory Hanthorn 85L and Christopher Nace 03L . There were only 20 practitioners among the 2023 class. The remainder represent the judiciary or academia. Read more.

Chad I. Michaelson 99L has been elected to the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. He is a partner at Pittsburgh's Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, and a member of the firm's Management Committee

“Chad is known for his finely crafted trial preparation, exceptional advocacy, and unwavering professionalism, making him a valuable addition to the Academy. We are fortunate to have him as part of our team,” said Managing Partner Christopher P. Smith Jr.  Read the firm release.

Rebecca A. Shoot 19L is new executive director of CGS, which pursues a “a unified world predicated upon peace, human rights, and the rule of law.” She is the first woman and one of the youngest leaders of the DC-based nonprofit with a 75-year history. Read more.

In March 2023, Nicole Schladt 18L joined the Minnesota Department of Human Rights as the agency's general counsel. “The Department protects the civil rights of Minnesotans through the Minnesota Human Rights Act, one of the strongest civil rights laws in the country,” she writes.

A Woodruff Scholar, Schladt co-founded Emory LGBTQ Legal Services (ELLS), which was created to provide pro bono legal services for Atlanta’s queer community. She received both the Brittain Award and the 2018 National LGBT Bar Association Student Leadership Award.

Jim Cohen 79L wrote the book Modern Judaica: Today's Makers, Today's Sacred Objects during the pandemic. It was published by Schiffer Publishing in February 2023. Cohen says it reflects interviews he conducted with more than 50 Judaica makers from around the world and includes over 250 color images of their work.

“The book allows the makers to tell their story as to why they make Judaica and its importance to them,” Cohen says, adding that he is long retired from practicing law and lives in Durham, NC. The book is available through book retailers, online, or directly thorough Cohen.

The Hon. Marvin S. Arrington 67L passed away July 5, 2023. Read the obituary.

Judge Stephanie Cecile Davis 85L passed away June 29, 2023. Read the obituary.

John C. Sammon 74C 77L received the Georgia State Bar’s 2023 Distinguished Service Award, which was presented during the Bar’s annual meeting on June 10, 2023. He was honored for 46 years of service, including 10 years as a member of the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia. Sammon was elected as the youngest president of the State Bar of Georgia in 1993.

“John Sammon has distinguished himself as a private practice attorney, as well as through his stellar record of leadership and service to the legal profession,” said Bar President Sarah B. “Sally” Akins. “The legal community in our state owes considerable appreciation to John for his exemplary commitment, integrity and leadership in service to the legal profession, the justice system and the state of Georgia.” Read the Gwinnett Daily Post story.

Elizabeth Collins Belden 79L passed away June 23, 2023. Read the obituary.

Emory Law alumni took home awards at this year’s ALM gala, hosted by the Daily Report on June 22 in Atlanta. Mark Chalos 98L, a partner at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein in Nashville, received the Distinguished Leader Award. In-House Impact Award. Rachel George 03L, executive vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, and chief corporate affairs officer at Aaron’s Company in Atlanta, received the In-House Impact Award. The following were all included as “Leaders on the Rise’: Anna Altizer Dix 13L, partner, Troutman Pepper; Stephanie Nullman Eban 13L, partner, Thrift McLemore; Caroline Gieser 16L, associate, Shook, Hardy & Bacon; Jonathan A. Porter 15L, partner, Husch Blackwell; and Gautam Reddy 13L, partner, Kilpatrick Townsend. See all the honorees.

Felix Kloc 22L has joined The Manely Firm, P.C., as an associate in the firm’s Savannah offices, where he will focus on family law and international family law.

“I was initially impressed with his incredible intelligence,” said Partner David Purvis. “I was won over by the fact that he is personable, approachable, and empathetic. He has tremendous care and compassion for his clients.”

Michael J. Abrams 91L joined fellow Lathrop GPM LLP partners at a recent groundbreaking for Kansas City’s Rock Island Bridge project, which will create what organizers say is America’s first entertainment district on a bridge. It’s scheduled to open in spring 2024.

"It’s been an honor to work on this project alongside my talented Lathrop GPM colleagues," said Abrams, who hammered in a golden spike at the ceremony. "This bridge helped build the Kansas City economy during its time as a railroad and will now continue to do so for future generations." A Lathrop GPM team negotiated contracts, assisted with platting and title work, and laid the groundwork for $5.5 million in private investments. The project been invited to join the High Line Network, a working think tank for US infrastructure reuse projects. Read the firm release.

Alfred Louis Mullins Jr. 62C 65L passed away June 9, 2023. Read the obituary.

On June 9, 2023, former Volunteer Clinic for Veterans  Senior Staff Attorney Carlissa Carson 08L  received the Georgia State Bar’s Marshall-Tuttle Award, which honors lawyers who work on behalf of Georgia’s more than 700,000 veterans. Carson was recognized for helping veterans with civil matters, which can make a profound difference for those who were injured during their service and are seeking VA disability benefits from the Veterans Benefits Administration. She received the award at the State Bar’s annual meeting in Savannah.

“As someone who has served in both the Army and Air Force, I understand how difficult it is for veterans to navigate the invisible ice of the VA system,” Carson said. “It is an honor and a pleasure to serve military veterans, helping them break down barriers to benefits.” Read more.

In June, Diana Simon, associate clinical professor of law, received the the Distinguished Early Career Scholar Award from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. The award acknowledges one faculty member whose scholarship has received national and international recognition. It is the first time the award went to a clinical or legal-writing professor. Simon began teaching legal writing full-time in 2019. She is co-authoring a first-ever legal-writing casebook, forthcoming from Carolina Academic Press next year. Read the news release.

This month Andrew R. Klein 88L joins Wake Forest Law as dean following a national search. Klein was a Robert W. Woodruff Fellow and editor-in-chief of the Emory Law Journal. Read more.

Iruka Ndubuizu 06L has been named director of partnerships at The Tony Elumelu Foundation in Nigeria.

Carlyle Scarborough Crutchfield Jr. 71L passed away May 30, 2023. Read the obituary.               

Christopher T. Nace 03L was named Barry J. Nace Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC.  The award was named for Christopher's father following Barry Nace's passing in November 2021. See more.

In May, Jason S. Lichtstein 99L was named office managing partner and head of Akerman LLP's Atlanta office, where he focuses on cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields and other contaminated sites in the Southeast United States.

“Atlanta is a thriving market with a diverse and dynamic array of businesses and industries,” said firm Chair and CEO Scott Meyers. “Jason’s energy, insight, and leadership will help us to build upon our strong foundation and high-trust culture to drive further growth and success in Atlanta.” Read the firm release.

Megan Toomer 23L and Emily Spears 23L designed projects to help Georgia and Alabama citizens with little or no access to legal services. Their proposals merited two-year fellowships from Equal Justice Works. Read more.

Michael Kenny 84L published an op-ed in the Daily Report titled, “Guns: Safety, Not Ownership, Is the Urgent Regulatory Issue.” Read it here. (subscription required)

J.B. Harris 84L’s article “An Army of One: How I Helped to Disbar and Indict a Psychopath,” was published by Attorney at Law magazine. It details a years-long saga of dishonesty, disbarment, RICO prosecutions, Ponzi schemes, the NFL, the FBI, and a long trail of bilked clients and investors. 

“I never in a million years dreamed that my professional career would bring me into the orbit of a true psychopath,” Harris writes. Read the article.

Mark Chalos 98L is managing partner at Lieff Cabraser in Nashville. He is president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and co-chairs the Class Action Section of the American Association for Justice. In recent national opioids litigation, he served on the trial team that successfully tried the City of San Francisco's claims against opioids manufacturers, distributors, and a national pharmacy. He handles complex litigation nationwide and has been appointed to the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in the East Palestine (Ohio) Rail Disaster Litigation.

In May, Jacqueline J. Herring 95L joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as a partner in the Chicago office. Previously with Smith, von Schleicher & Associates, Herring represents insurers and employers in matters related to ERISA, life, health, pension, and disability claims and insurance bad faith litigation.

"With a successful track record in courts nationwide, Jackie adds significant depth to our litigation capabilities," said Hinshaw Chairman Peter Sullivan. "We have a number of shared clients, and she has worked closely with Hinshaw attorneys, including Dan Ryan, to successfully defend clients in related litigation matters. We're thrilled that she has joined the firm in Chicago." Read the firm release.

Retired Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Cynthia D. Stephens 76L has been inducted as a member of this year’s Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame. In 2020, Stephens received Emory Law’s Eléonore Raoul Trailblazer Award. Read the story.

Shawntel Hebert Clark 07L and Tony Stewart 12L were honored at this week’s Atlanta Business Chronicle awards event. Stewart, ParkMobile’s chief legal and privacy officer, won for General Counsel- Small Legal Department. Clark, who’s Vanderlande Industries’ managing attorney-employment, won a Rising Star Award. Read more.

Michael Eber 09L has joined Caplan Cobb LLC, as a partner, where he focuses on complex business litigation and appeals. Before joining Caplan Cobb, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edward E. Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He was also a partner with Rogers & Hardin LLP, and Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP in Atlanta.

Dorothea C. Hockel 18Lhas joined Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta as a staff attorney in the Immigration & Global Mobility practice. Fluent in German and Romanian, she is experienced in advising foreign-owned business entities and individuals investing in the U.S., establishing their U.S. entities, and counseling clients on immigration and non-immigration visa issues. She earned an LLM at Emory Law and is admitted to practice in both Georgia and Germany.

James Boone Baxter 13L had practiced with IP law firm Heim, Payne & Chorush for about six years before joining the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas last year. Read more.

In April, Ryan Smith 21L, a real estate associate at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, was recognized by the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation as its 2023 "Saturday Lawyer Program Attorney Volunteer of the Year." Smith has participated the program, which provides low-income Atlantans with access to legal representation, since he was a student at Emory Law. Read the release.

John J. Jacko III 92L has won a Burton/Law360 Award for Distinguished Legal Writing this spring. The competition exists to honor clear, concise writing, and only 25 attorneys and 25 students received awards this year. Read more.

Jim Albertelli 94L is among the 11 Emory alumni who were honored in April by the Emory Entrepreneur Network. The annual awards recognize businesses that have achieved “significant growth in the form of discovery, profit, or influence.” Albertelli is CEO and founding partner of ALAW. Read about the event.

As the Atlanta Bar Association turns 135 years old, Amy B. Cheng 15L becomes its first leader of Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander descent. She’s a partner at Nelson Mullins. Read more

Jerry A. Maddox 57B 64L has been selected for inclusion in the most recent edition of Who’s Who in America.

In April, Maria Doughty 92L, president and CEO of The Chicago Network, was interviewed for  the Chicago Business Journal’s “In Their Own Voice” feature. Read the story.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric M. Davis 92L presided over the closely watched US Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. v. Fox News Network trial. The voting technology company said Fox aired false claims that Dominion helped cheat then-President Donald Trump of a win in the 2020 elections. The case was settled on April 18, 2023. Read more.

Christopher T. Nace 03L was named Barry J. Nace Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC.  The award was named for Christopher's father following Barry Nace's passing in November 2021.

In April, Matthew Skolnik 02L was promoted to senior deputy attorney general. He is one of only four civil litigation "SDAGs" in Pennsylvania’s Office of the Attorney General.

Diantha Ellis 20L has been promoted to professor of business administration at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Full professor is the highest faculty rank at the college and requires a terminal degree in the teaching discipline. It is awarded to faculty who show clear and convincing evidence of exemplary achievement in their schools. Ellis teaches economics and business law at ABAC’s Stafford School of Business. Read the news release.

In January, Neil Weinrich 06L was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article titled, “FTC Proposes Banning Noncompete Clauses for Workers.” He is a shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn.

Earlier this year, Berman Fink Van Horn, P.C. celebrated a 25-year milestone—the day the firm’s named partners Jeffrey N. Berman 82L, Benjamin I. Fink 92L, and Charles H. Van Horn 94L, joined together to practice law. Other Emory Law alumni at the firm include Alan E. Lubel 75L, Lydia M. Hilton 87L, Lisa S. Morchower 89L, William J. Piercy 97L, Neal F. Weinrich 06L, Katherine M. Silverman 11L, and Carson Modrall 18L. Read the Atlanta Jewish Times article.

Katharine “Kate” A. Coffey 07L has been named co-chair of Day Pitney’s Real Estate and Environmental practice. She’s a partner based in the firm’s New Jersey offices. Her co-chair is Craig M. Gianetti.

“Day Pitney’s real estate and environmental team is fortunate to be led by this duo. Both Kate and Craig are consummate professionals, understand what our clients need and value, and have a growth mindset for the practice,” said the firm’s Michael P. Byrne, immediate past chair of the practice. Read the firm release.

Randy Kessler 88L was interviewed on CBS News about former Fugees member Pras Michel’s trial for alleged money laundering and campaign-finance violations. Watch video.

Raymond Tran 18L will receive the State Bar of Georgia's 2023 "One to Watch” Award at the 2023 Commitment to Equality Awards. Tran is an associate at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Atlanta, where he focuses on real estate.

Dean R. Fuchs 94L was recently honored by the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta as one of its six 2022 Volunteers of the Year. The PBPA provides free legal services to community-based nonprofits that operate programs benefitting low-income or disadvantaged individuals.

“While it’s always nice to be recognized as a volunteer, I’m certain I have gotten much more out of my work with the Pro Bono Partnership than they have from me,” Fuchs said. “I look forward to continuing my small role in helping exceptional nonprofits that are dedicated to assisting valuable members of our community to achieve their personal and professional goals.” Fuchs is a partner with Schulten Ward Turner & Weiss, LLP. Read the news release.

James Milano 91L has joined McGlinchey Stafford’s Financial Institutions Compliance practice group as a member (partner) in the firm’s Washington, D.C., offices.

“Jim brings more than 30 years of valuable experience in consumer financial services regulatory compliance,” said  Mark S. Edelman, chair of the practice group. “He takes a unique, risk-based approach to advising clients on navigating the complexities of the mortgage and lending industries.” Read the firm release.

Effective March 1, Andrea L. Pollak 09L is one of 13 new partners at Fried Frank. She focuses on executive compensation and ERISA in the firm’s New York offices.

“We are proud to welcome 13 talented individuals to our partnership,” said Chairman David J. Greenwald. “This outstanding group has shown consistent and longstanding dedication to our clients and to the firm.” Read the firm release.

Rohani Mahyera 12L was promoted to special counsel at Fried Frank in New York, where she focuses on financial law.

“We are proud to elevate this exceptional group of associates to special counsel,” said Chairman David J. Greenwald. “We congratulate them on this well-deserved accomplishment and look forward to their continued success at Fried Frank.” Read the firm release.

On March 13, Brandon Scheck 19L saw his client Sidney Holmes walk free after 34 years spent in prison for an armed robbery he didn’t commit. Holmes is 57 now. When he was 22, he was sentenced to 400 years in prison. Watch the video.

Zachary Crowe 14L was recently promoted to partner at Morris, Manning & Martin. Crowe first joined MMM as a summer associate and now focuses on M&A and corporate law in the firms’s Atlanta offices, where his clients range from private equity firms to technology startups. Read the firm release.

Emily Dabney 21L has joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka as a Trust and Estate associate in the firm’s Estate & Income Tax Planning & Estate Administration practice group. She is based in Atlanta.

“Emily brings a variety of rich experiences, ranging from the Attorney General’s Office to entertainment and tax law,” said Shareholder Scot Kirkpatrick. “He experience is an asset to the firm and she will provide excellent service as she helps clients plan for their future.” Read the firm release.

Joel Gossner 14L is one of eleven new partners announced by Arnall Golden Gregory in January. Gossner focuses on corporate and finance law in the firm’s Atlanta offices.

“Beyond the impressive depth of this year’s large partner class, the breadth of experience these 11 attorneys bring highlights our commitment to developing excellent lawyers and a strong leadership pipeline across the range of legal areas that are crucial for our clients’ success,” said Managing Partner Jonathan E. Eady. Read the firm release.

Kelly Rowe 85L’s new poetry chapbook, Child Bed Fever, is available from Seven Kitchens Press Her full-length collection, Rise Above the River, was the 2021 winner of the Able Muse Book Prize and will be forthcoming later this spring. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, and volunteers with Northern Arizona Immigration Legal Services to represent undocumented women.

George Choundas 92C 95L’s new essay collection, Until All You See Is Sky, received the 2022 EastOver Prize for Nonfiction. It features 13 of more than 75 pieces Choundas has published in journals and magazines. He is also author of 2018's The Making Sense of Things (2018) and The Pirate Primer: Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers and Rogues (2007) Find him on Amazon.

Nathaniel Smith 10L founded the Partnership for Southern Equity in 2010. It advocates for progressive policy on housing, economic opportunity, mass transit, health, and justice in order to make Atlanta stronger for all its citizens as population booms. Smith was interviewed in November by CNBC for a long-form story on the impact of the Beltline. Watch the video.

Dina Khismatulina 14L, a divorce and family law attorney with The Manely Firm, P.C., was named a 2023 Super Lawyer. A native of Siberia, Russia, Khismatulina earned her LLM graduate at Emory Law, and a law degree from Tomsk State University.

Congratulations to former Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Chris Arnt 92L, who was named a Superior Court Judge by Governor Brian Kemp on Feb. 22. Read more.

In February, top-ranked trial lawyers and former federal prosecutors David M. Chaiken 01L and Kamal Ghali announced the launch of Chaiken Ghali LLP, an elite white-collar trial and investigations law firm based in Atlanta. Read the firm release.

Chanhee Han 15L has joined The Coca-Cola Company as senior legal counsel, international trade and sanctions, where he focuses on advising on all aspects of trade and sanctions compliance legal review for the global beverage company. Han previously worked at Frost Brown Todd, where he specialized in international trade and sanctions.

Benjamin Smyser 14L was promoted to counsel at Finn Dixon & Herling, effective January 1. He represents both borrowers and lenders in mid-market to large-cap debt financing transactions, and has significant experience in leveraged acquisition financings, dividend recapitalizations, and related matters. Read the firm release.

Jason T. Barnes 97L has joined Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC in Dallas. He’s a director in the firm’s Business & Corporate practice. “We could not be more pleased to welcome Jason to KRCL,” said the firm’s Michael A. Attaway. “His experience and skills will serve our clients well and will further the growth of our corporate practice.” Read the firm release.

Gerard Bifulco 15L was promoted to partner at Austin litigation firm Cleveland Krist PLLC, where he represents individuals and corporate entities in a variety of complex commercial cases. A former judicial clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Bifulco works on both trial and appellate matters. Read the firm release.

Todd Baiad 00L was named as 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Admiralty and Maritime Law for Savannah, Georgia, by Best Lawyers. He is a partner in the litigation department of Bouhan Falligant where he focuses on admiralty and maritime matters, complex commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, class actions and personal injury claims. Read the firm release.

Effective February 1, Melissa Softness 12L is a new partner in Rumberger|Kirk’s Miami offices, where she focuses on casualty litigation as well as product liability and employment and labor. She represents clients in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, automotive, boating, marine and personal watercraft industries against negligence and product defect claims, and also represents employers against claims of employment discrimination and retaliation. Read the firm release.

As part of its expansion in Washington, DC, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has hired John Nading 03L as a shareholder in the intellectual property section. “Growing our practice in Washington, DC is important to the firm’s national platform,” said the firm’s Bassam Ibrahim. “John is an excellent lawyer, experienced in assisting companies at any stage and in a variety of industries with protecting their intellectual property. He will add significant depth to our IP bench, and we look forward to expanding relationships with clients across our full-service platform.” Read the firm release.

Littler has chosen Katie Blakey 12L to co-chair its SOAR Program, which was created “to provide a positive experience from the beginning for new, diverse attorneys, and to help set them up for success at the firm.” She is based in the firm’s Dallas offices, where she represents employers, executives, and management in employment law and handles litigation ranging from Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation to complex wage and hour class actions and wrongful termination matters. Read the firm release.

Atlantan Annette Kerlin McBrayer 83B 83L has retired after almost 40 years of practicing law with an emphasis on real estate related litigation.

Steve Karcher 88L writes that while he’s inactive as an attorney, he is now a rector for an Episcopal parish in Colorado. “My legal training and decades of both state and federal litigation continue to beneficially impact both me and the community I serve,” he says. Following busy and fulfilling practice in California, Nebraska, and Iowa, Karcher earned an MDiv and was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 2017. He and his wife have two daughters: one is a paralegal in Maryland, and the other is pursuing a PhD. “Thank you, Emory, for getting me on the road to two fine service careers!” he writes. 

In February, Raymond Tran 18L received the Han Choi Mentor Award from the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association. The award honors our distinguished late alumnus Han Choi 93L. Learn more.

Ivie Serioux 12L was recently named a shareholder at Littler, where she represents employers in employment litigation, including matters involving race, age, sex, disability discrimination and retaliation. Based in the firm’s New York City offices, Serioux assists employers in employment discrimination litigation and emerging issues in Title IX compliance and litigation. Read the firm release.

John Gornall 72L has been named one of the Georgia 500—Georgia’s Most Influential Leaders by Georgia Trend magazine. He was also named a 2022 Georgia Super Lawyer in the area of economic development law. He is partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP in the Corporate, Public Finance & Economic Development, and Alternative & Renewable Energy practices. Read the firm release.

Elliot Bienenfeld 14L is one of 12 new principals at Beasley Allen. He’s a member of the Toxic Torts Section in the firm’s Atlanta offices. He focuses on the intersection of technology and law in complex litigation, including water pollution. “Our new principals have proven their commitment to helping those who need it the most,” said Beasley Allen’s Tom Methvin. “We are proud to have them representing our firm.” Read the firm release.

Three Emory Law alumni landed on Atlanta Magazine’s 2023 list of the city’s most influential leaders, among just 25 attorneys included in the category of law. Congratulations to Sharon Gay 82L, Steve Sadow 79L andMark Wasserman 86L.

Heather Mitchell 08L is the Kiowa Tribe’s new chief judge pro tem, appointed to help the tribe form a new trial court, which is part of a newly created judicial branch. Read more.

Eliot Burke 97L and his firm Berke Farah LLP serve as outside counsel to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, four committee chairs and dozens of rank and file Members of Congress. He has been recognized for the last twelve years by Chambers as a “Nationwide Best Lawyer” and was the RNLA’s 2021 Republican Lawyer of the Year. He also has a burgeoning entertainment law practice and has worked with artists as diverse as Billy Idol and Garth Brooks.

Abraham U. Kannof 13L is one of 32 new partners at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. The firm elected new partners across 12 cities, eight states, and the District of Columbia. He’s based in Atlanta and focuses on residential and commercial real estate transactions. He regularly represents developers of high-end resorts, luxury boutique hotels, and mixed-use projects throughout the United States and abroad. Read the firm release.

Amy Cheng 15L is among 32 new partners at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. The firm elected new partners across 12 cities, eight states, and the District of Columbia. Based in the firm’s Atlanta offices, Cheng focuses on labor and employment, business litigation, and white-collar defense and government investigations. Read the firm release.

As of January 1, Ashley Bolt 15L is one of 15 new principals at Fish & Richardson. She is based in Atlanta and her experience includes complex patent and intellectual property litigation in US District Court, before the US International Trade Commission, and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Read the firm release.

Gautam Reddy 13L is a new partner at Kilpatrick Townsend effective January 1. He’s a member of the Construction & Infrastructure Projects Team in the firm’s Atlanta offices, where he focuses on construction and infrastructure projects and government contracting. He represents clients, including owners, EPC contractors, general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals, here and abroad. Read the firm release.

Sara Fon Miller 14L is a new partner at Kilpatrick Townsend effective January 1. She’s a member of the M&A Securities and General Corporate Team in the firm’s Atlanta offices. Miller focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, capital raising, and other complex transactions, and general corporate and securities matters for both publicly traded and privately held clients. Read the firm release.

Forrest Fleming III 14L is a new partner at Kilpatrick Townsend, effective January 1. He’s a member of the Trademark & Copyright Team in the firm’s Atlanta offices, where he focuses on trademark and commercial litigation. Fleming has represented Fortune 500 companies in state and federal litigation, at both the trial and appellate level. Read the firm release.

Areeb Syed 22L has joined Faegre Drinker in Chicago as a first-year associate. His area of focus is intellectual property. Read the firm release.

Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears 80L joined Associate Justice Tanya R. Kennedy of the New York Appellate Division, First Department and Shirley Troutman, associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals for a roundtable on how to diversify state and federal benches. They said their opportunities to rise in the ranks came from allies who recognized their potential. The keys to improving diversity on the bench? Intentionality and allyship. Watch “A national conversation on racism: the legal profession’s role in driving equality,” here. (subscription required)

In December, Abbey Hayford 22L joined the 2022 first-year associate class at Faegre Drinker. She practices in the firm’s Dallas offices, where she focuses on insurance matters. Read the firm release.

In December, Christine Norstadt 09L teamed with attorney Katie Fish to write “Five Topics to Consider When Negotiating Default Provisions in a Purchase-and-Sale Agreement,” for the Daily Report. Norstadt is a shareholder in the Atlanta office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka. She was recently included in the 2023 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” for real estate practice. Read the article. (subscription required)

Effective January 1, R.J. Kornhaas 12L is a new partner at Wiggin and Dana, who practices in the Stamford and New York offices. He is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department and advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and debt financing, commercial agreements, and governance. Read the firm release.

E. Rainbow Willard 10L has launched Willard Arbitration, LLC, where she acts as arbitrator and counsel. She focuses on investment treaty disputes and international commercial arbitrations in the energy, mining, oil and gas, and construction sectors. She also handles matters involving parallel court and arbitration proceedings, and parallel criminal investigations. Willard practices in English and Spanish, with expertise in matters relating to Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. She has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in The Legal 500 and as “Up-and-Coming” in Chambers USA.

Fair Trials has partnered with Belmont University College of Law Professor Lucian E. Dervan 02L to launch the Plea Bargaining Institute, designed to create a global intellectual home for academics, policymakers, advocacy organizations, and practitioners working in the plea bargaining space. In the US, 95% or more of criminal cases are resolved through a plea of guilty. 

“The institute will help make plea bargaining research findings and case developments widely available to those in the field, while simultaneously creating a space for dialogue and collaboration to assist in identifying new areas of research and inquiry to help propel reform efforts,” Dervan writes. Read more.

In April, David Zalesne 87L will receive the Robert P. Stupp Award for Leadership Excellence, the American Institute of Steel Construction’s highest industry honor. Zalesne is president of Owen Steel Company and a former chair of the institute’s board of directors.

“David is a visionary who sees opportunities and solutions the rest of us can't. Even better, he's wonderfully able to share his vision and engage the rest of us,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter. “David commits and always builds great outcomes.” Zalesne is only the 10th Stupp Award winner since the program’s inception in 1998. Prior to becoming president of Owen Steel Company in 2004, Zalesne was a partner in the Litigation Department of Klehr, Harrison in Philadelphia and also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Read more.

Spend 40 minutes with two alumnae. Ebony Phillips 98L interviews Gwen Keyes Fleming 93L on her career in public service—from county prosecutor, to the Obama Administration, to partner at DLA Piper. Watch on YouTube.

In October, Adam Herring 09L joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as of counsel in the firm's Atlanta office, where he focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, consumer financial services regulation, and related litigation. He previously worked for the U.S. Department of Justice's Executive Office for U.S. Trustees, where he provided guidance for high-profile bankruptcy matters, managed litigation teams for multi-jurisdictional cases, and negotiated resolutions in nationwide matters involving financial institutions. Read more.

 Alexander L. Orr 10L has been promoted to partnership at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Orr focuses on mergers and acquisitions at the firm’s Washington, D.C. offices, where he advises public and private companies, private equity firms, boards of directors and special committees on complex corporate transactions. Read the firm release.

Seoyun Kong 21L spoke at MIDS Second Annual Alumni Event, held at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland on November 18, 2022, on the topic of “will technology make the roles of counsel and arbitrators obsolete?” She is a legal case manager at the World Intellectual Property Organization. She also earned her LLM at Emory Law in 2019.

John T. Rose 18L spoke with Hypebeast about how he became a leading advocate for creatives, and the people who helped him get there. Read more.

Patrick Darcey 18L has joined the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division.

Stephen F. McKinney 88L writes that as of October 19, he’s joined Reno & Cavanaugh, PLLC, as of counsel. The firm has offices in Washington, D.C.; Columbia, Maryland; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Martin David Merritt Jr. 64L passed away November 6, 2022. Read the obituary.

On. Nov. 5, Cheryl F. Turner 94C 99L was inducted into the Gate City Hall of Fame as the recipient of the R. Pruden Herndon Service Award. Gate City is the oldest African American Bar Association in Georgia, founded in 1948. Last year, Turner received Emory Law’s Alumni Service Award.

Amy Cheng 09C 15L made the 2021 Emory Alumni Association ‘40 Under 40’ list. This month, she was among the young leaders honored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She is a senior associate at Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP. Read more.

Two of the eight members of the 2022-2023 term clerks at Georgia’s highest court are Emory Law alumnae, Haley Gintis 21L and Lucy Ratchford 18L. Read more.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L of Westborough, Massachusetts, a partner and chair of the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group at Mirick O'Connell, has been selected for inclusion on the 2021 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the publication’s research team.

Donald Coleman Bentley 48B 50L passed away October 20, 2022.

In September, B. McKay Mignault 08C 12L was formally sworn in as the first female chief bankruptcy judge for the Southern District of West Virginia. Read more.

Stephanie H. Saran Rudolph 21L has joined Delaware’s Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP as an associate in the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Litigation Group, following her clerkship with The Honorable Eric M. Davis of the Delaware Superior Court. Read the firm release.

Lynn Patton Thompson 88C 92L is included in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Construction Law and Litigation - Construction. She practices with Biggs, Ingram & Solop PLLC in Jackson, Mississippi. Read the firm release.

In May, Aaron Raphael 99L co-founded Raphael Bellum PLLC, a boutique intellectual property firm whose attorneys have extensive experience in patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, portfolio management, and client counseling. “Our attorneys represent clients on patent and trademark matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and coordinate foreign prosecution in countries throughout the world,” he writes. Read more.

In September, Allison Colón 99L joined Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC as counsel, as part of the firm’s expansion of its construction, surety, land use, zoning, and litigation practice.

“We are excited to have Allison joining the Irwin Fritchie family. Her addition to our firm will further our mission to provide outstanding legal services on a national level, while also supporting our clients at home in Louisiana," said Firm President Gus Fritchie. The firm has offices in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Read the firm release.

Steven J. Chase 75L has been recognized in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation and corporate law. He is a partner, special counsel, in the Sarasota office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. Read the firm release.

Grover Lee McDuffie 71L passed away September 25, 2022. Read the obituary.

Steven L. Head 75C 79L passed away September 22, 2022. Read the obituary.

James Hughes Phillips 48Ox 57L passed away September 20, 2022. Read the obituary.

Masiel Pelegrino Almon 18L is a new member of the Bar Leadership Institute of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s 2022-2023 class. The institute mentors young diverse lawyers to help them become leaders in their community and profession, while providing educational and service opportunities. Almon is an associate with Phelps litigation group in Tampa. Read the firm release.

In September, Bradley M. Strickland 13L was named a principal at Kramon & Graham in Baltimore. He is a litigator who represents clients throughout the country in high-value, complex matters involving commercial disputes, professional malpractice, catastrophic personal injury, and toxic torts. Read the firm release.

Mark Voigt 86L recently celebrated 18 years in solo practice representing children with special education needs, throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in cases under the IDEA, Sec. 504 and other laws. He practices at the Law Office of Mark W. Voigt in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.

Susan Pollett 79L writes from New York City that two collections of her short stories were published this year and are available on Amazon. They are: Watching and Letting It All Go and Disappearing From View.

Jeffrey Cousins 89L writes to announce the publication of his book The Right Thing to Do and has a request: “Please read the book and write an honest review.” His synopsis calls the book a sci-fi adventure in which a captured alien “reveals that the aliens created humans. Humans are just robots. The human race has different reactions to the news.”

Youshea Berry 02L is director for Global Development and Strategic Planning at the White House National Security Council, where she focuses on global food security, economic development, women’s empowerment, international education, and several presidential initiatives and strategies. The NSC is the president’s principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. The council also serves as the president’s principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies. Berry maintains strong ties to Emory, where she taught international law as an adjunct law professor. She recently served in leadership capacities on the Emory Law Alumni Board and on the BLSA Advisory Board, which successfully endowed a new scholarship for 1Ls.

Harold B. Yellin 82B 82L is among The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for his practice of Corporate, Land Use and Zoning, and Real Estate Law. He is a partner at HunterMacLean in Savannah, Georgia.

Diana J. P. McKenzie 85B 85L is among The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for practice in Information Technology Law. She is a partner at HunterMacLean in Savannah, Georgia, and chair of the firm’s information technology and outsourcing practice group.

Ilan Markus 96L, a partner at Barclay Damon in New Haven, Connecticut, was named 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor practice in New Haven by Best Lawyers. He was also included in the annual list of The Best Lawyers in America.

John P. Wilson III 78L is among the 2023 “Best Lawyers in America” for the practice of Family Law. He is a principal at Levine Smith Snider & Wilson, LLC, in Atlanta.

In August, EPA Regional Counsel James McGuire 06L joined Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Environment and Natural Resources Division to hold a listening session in Houston, Texas. They met with environmental justice organizations representing communities that have been historically underserved, overburdened and marginalized. They were joined by U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery for the Southern District of Texas and Acting Director Cynthia Ferguson of the Justice Department’s Office of Environmental Justice. Read more.

The Hon. Walt Atherton Fullerton III 78L passed away August 28, 2022. Read the obituary.

James Joseph O'Connell 72L passed away August 27, 2022. Read the obituary.

Kioceaia Stenson 14L is a first-time professor at The Honors College at Florida International University and is teaching the Thriving in the Law honors course. According to the college: “Stenson now works with the Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office as the assistant chief of the Career Criminal and Robbery Unit. As a practicing attorney and first-generation law student, Stenson understands the difficulty of navigating law school and the legal profession. She hopes her experience in the law, her ties to the Miami legal community, and the FIU community will be influential to students in the upcoming academic year." Read more

Smita Gautam 15L, an associate with Tucker Ellis LLP, in Cleveland, Ohio, has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for 2023 in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law.

Amanda Trigg 94L, a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, has been named the 2023 Family Law and Family Law Arbitration Lawyer of the Year in her locale (Hackensack, New Jersey) by Best Lawyers in America. Read more.

Marshall Leo Helms Jr. 66L passed away August 24, 2022. Read the obituary.

Michael Jablonski 74C 77L received a PhD in communication from the Georgia State University’s College of Arts on May 2. As a Presidential Doctoral Fellow working in the Transcultural Conflict and Violence research program, he studied the manipulation of major media organizations by violent extremists. Jablonski presented this research at the European Union VOX-Pol Network of Excellence Violent Online Political Extremism programs in London and Dublin. Read more.

Drew Findling 84L is a canny attorney—pro-choice, anti-mass incarceration, and a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He started out as a Fulton County public defender and now his client list includes Cardi B, Shaquille O’Neal and Gucci Mane. As of August, he’s also Donald Trump’s #BillionDollarLawyer. Read more.

Clinton Whetstone Sitton 77Ox 79C 83L passed away August 21, 2022. Read the obituary.

Four Black voters challenged Georgia’s at-large system for Public Service Commissioner elections. On Aug. 19, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated an 11th Circuit ruling and issued an order reinstating U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg 98L’s decision that found the election process violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Read more.

John Arthur Nix 64L passed away August 18, 2022. Read the obituary.

Danette Joslyn-Gaul 94L starts as Georgia Tech’s new general counsel and vice president for Ethics, Compliance and Legal Affairs later this month. She’s previously worked in governmental affairs at both Emory and Georgia Tech. Read more.

Freed Grant Managing Partner and Founder Gary Freed 81L is one of the 2023 “Best Lawyers in America” for Financial Services Regulation Law. “It is an honor to be included in the stellar list of attorneys included in Best Lawyers,” he said. “It is gratifying to know that my peers have acknowledged my dedication and success in representing my clients.” Read more.

Robert Boynton Ansley Jr. 65L passed away on August 13, 2022. Read the obituary.

Cody Warner 12L has launched Cody Warner, P.C., a criminal defense law firm in New York City. Prior to that, he worked for a decade as a public defender at The Legal Aid Society in New York City where he handled thousands of criminal cases, from petit larceny to attempted murder. Warner writes he’s excited to continue his practice of protecting the rights of the accused.

In August, Gregory Hanthorn 85L was included in Best Lawyers (for the 11th consecutive year) in the category of Commercial Litigation. He was also named co-chair of the Federal Practice Task Force of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section. Hanthorn is of counsel with Jones Day in the firm’s Atlanta offices.

Christopher T. Nace 03B 03L is president of the National Civil Justice Institute, a legal nonprofit that works to ensure access to justice. Its mission is to educate practitioners, academics, and the public on issues that affect the civil justice system. Read more.

Robert Miller 11L is a new assistant professor at the University of South Dakota, Knudson School of Law. He teaches courses related to bankruptcy, secured transactions, and corporate governance. He previously practiced at Manier & Herod, P.C. in Nashville, Tennessee. Read more.

The Alabama State Bar has awarded Michael Ballard the 2022 J. Anthony “Tony” McLain Professionalism Award, which he received at the 145th Annual Meeting of the Alabama State Bar in June. Ballard earned his LLM in taxation at Emory Law, and has practiced at Ulmer, Hillman and Ballard, P.C. since 1998. Bar President Taze Shepard said, “The Alabama State Bar is proud to award Michael Ballard with the Judicial Award of Merit. He exemplifies a dedication to the advancement of professionalism within the Alabama State Bar.” Read more.

Christine Howard 87C 90L was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America as a 2022 Lawyer of the Year for Litigation-Labor and Employment. She’s also listed in Chambers USA (2022) for expertise in the same practice area. Howard is a partner at Fisher Phillips, in the firm’s Tampa and Atlanta offices. She was recently re-elected to the Management Committee for a three-year term. Read more.

Carlos Kelly 97L, a stockholder with Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., was selected as a 2022 Florida Super Lawyer in the category of business litigation. Read more.

Krista A. Boyd 99L is new inspector general for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She leads a national team that includes auditors, investigators, and attorneys, who provide independent oversight of OPM programs and operations. Read more.

Glenn Taubman 80L is celebrating 40 years of working at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation in Springfield, Virginia. He practices labor and constitutional law on behalf of individual employees and has argued cases in eight federal circuits and numerous state courts and administrative agencies.

Richard Litwin 87L of Litwin Law in Atlanta was one of 13 attorneys elected to the American College of Tax Counsel by the College’s Board of Regents earlier this year. Its fellows are recognized as some of America’s best tax attorneys, and the College weighs in on the nation’s tax laws by communicating with Congress, the Treasury Department and the IRS on federal tax issues and through the filing of “friend of the court” briefs. Read more.

As the list of those subpoenaed edges closer to former President Donald Trump, Fulton County DA Fani T. Willis 96L continues to make national headlines as she and a special grand jury investigate alleged efforts to overturn 2020 election results in Georgia. Read more.

U.S. District Court Judge Steven Grimberg 98L ruled in favor of a Fulton County jail inmate representing himself against unreasonable strip searches. Grimberg also denied a qualified immunity defense raised by the officer (subscription required). Read more.

In June, a federal judge ruled that managers are also protected by a retaliation provision that shields employees who oppose discrimination. Kurt Kastorf 02C 06L said the ruling “creates a compelling precedent for other courts to look at nationally.” (subscription required) Read more.

Ricardo Duarte 10L of The Duarte Firm in Tampa has been recognized as Rising Star in Business Litigation by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine each year since 2016.

Analysis by Tyler Yeargain 19L from their 2018 Emory Law Journal article was featured in the July article, “Why Progressive Prosecutors Won’t Save Us in a Post-Roe World.” Read more.

Philip Reese 66C 76B 76L was recently elected to the National Council of the White House Historical Association in Washington, DC, and re-elected to the board of Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution, where he was a founding director. The museum opened in 2017, a few blocks from Independence Hall.

Rhani Lott Choi 10L has joined the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) as education director, effective June 1, 2022. In this newly created leadership position, Choi will oversee faculty recruitment, faculty training and development, and curriculum design.

 “NITA has been a huge part of my professional life for over a decade, and the best part of that experience has been working with NITA’s world-class faculty,” Choi said. “I’m excited to join the rest of the team at NITA Central and to use my experience and education to support the faculty and further the mission of NITA.” Read more.

As of July 1, Noah S. Robbins 07L is a new partner at Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia, where he focuses on intellectual property disputes and counseling. Noted for his advocacy in copyright and trademark disputes and brand enforcement matters, he has litigated cases involving trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising cases arising under the Lanham Act, copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of intellectual property licensing agreements. Robbins has also led national trademark enforcement programs.

Daniel Soleimani 11L has joined Butzel as a shareholder in the firm’s Troy, Michigan, office, where he specializes in tax matters related to merger and acquisition and commercial real estate transactions. Soleimani has been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine, named a 2021 Michigan “Rising Star” and was included in the 2021 Detroit Jewish News/The Well, "36 Under 36.” Read more.

Last month, Gov. Brian Kemp chose former Deputy Attorney General Julie Adams Jacobs 03L to serve as a Cobb County Superior Court judge. (subscription required) Read more.

This spring, Georgia State University’s Risk Management Foundation observed its eighth annual Risk Science & Insurance Leadership Awards, The Riskies. Nine awardees were recognized for achievements in risk-related industries.

Brian T. Casey 92L received the Innovator Award, which recognizes individuals who are changing and influencing the risk management and insurance industry in dynamic ways. Casey is a partner at Locke Lord, LLP, and co-leads the firm’s regulatory and transactional insurance practice group. He focuses on corporate, merger and acquisition, corporate and structured finance, and other transactional and regulatory matters for corporate clients in the insurance, financial services and health care industries. Read more.

In June, Shawn A. Kachmar 97L and Sarah H. Lamar 91L, both partners with HunterMaclean’s employment practice group, received rankings in Chambers USA 2022—Kachmar for Litigation: General Commercial, and Lamar for Labor and Employment. 

“Our continuous inclusion in this prestigious publication is an honor to the firm,” said HunterMaclean Managing Partner Brad Harmon. “This recognition further reiterates our attorneys’ commitment to their practice areas, our clients, and our community.”

Randy Kessler 88L spoke with CBS News this week about the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp defamation trial and what message the jury may be sending. Watch the video.

Trevor Brewer OOL is the new chair of the Dean's Advisory Board at UCF Burnett Honors College in Orlando, Florida. Read more.

Chad I. Michaelson 99L has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the category of business litigation. He practices in the Pittsburgh offices of Meyer, Unkovic and Scott. Super Lawyers is a Thomson Reuters business rating service, which evaluates lawyers using statewide surveys, independent research evaluations and peer reviews in more than 70 practice areas. The list features less than 5 percent of Pennsylvania lawyers each year. Read the firm release.

John Rose 18L landed on both Variety and Billboard’s annual lists of lawyers who’ve achieved significant wins for their marquee musical clients. It was his third straight year to be included on the annual Billboard roster of top lawyers. Read more.

Leah Ward Sears 80L has been voted the best mediator/arbitrator by lawyers and law firm administrators who read the Daily Report. Also, the former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice’s firm, Alterity ADR, an Atlanta-based alternative dispute resolution firm founded in August 2021, was named “best of” in its category.

"The qualities of a good judge are to judge, and I thought I was a pretty good judge. But those are not the qualities of a good mediator,” Sears said. “A good mediator has to be able to take the lawyers' view of their cases and test whether, in their eyes as well as those of their clients, those evaluations make sense logically, feel right emotionally, and are doable practically. It pleases me that many believe I was able to master both very different skill sets during my legal career. Thank you for this recognition." Read the firm release.

Diantha V. Ellis 20L received the 2022 W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Excellence in Advising Award from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). The award is presented annually for exceptional performance as an academic advisor. Ellis is an associate professor of Business Administration in the college’s Stafford School of Business and also, president of the ABAC Faculty Senate. Read the news release.

Francis Spagnoletti 79L passed away May 29, 2022. Read the obituary.

Laurent Badoux 97L was included on AZBigMedia’s list of most admired Arizona business leaders for 2022.  He is a shareholder focusing on labor and employment law in the Scottsdale office of Buchalter, an AmLaw 200 law firm headquartered in Los Angeles, and home to more than 350 attorneys working in 10 offices. See the list.

Robert Nelson “Red” Robinson 49C 55L passed away May 17, 2022. Read the obituary.

In May, Lynn Greenky 82L's book, When Freedom Speaks: The Boundaries and the Boundlessness of our First Amendment Right was published by Brandeis University Press. She’s an associate teaching professor at Syracuse University.

“Greenky maps the history of the First Amendment’s free speech clause from its foundation and building blocks to contemporary controversies,” one review reads. “In 15 chapters, she lays out types of speech—protected and unprotected, symbolic, political, offensive, harmful, and hate—that have posed significant complications. She also considers problematic issues such as speech in public schools and other public places, the right to speak through silence, and both sides of the battle to speak, shout, protest, or counsel about abortion.” Visit her website.

Congratulations to Chad F. Slieper 05L, director of the Law, Science, and Technology program at Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts School of Public Policy. He received an Academic Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award during the college’s year-end awards ceremony.

“Of the various components of my job, teaching is the absolute most important, gratifying, and let’s be honest, FUN thing I get to do!,” Slieper posted on LinkedIn. “I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology 20 years ago this spring. When I was walking to my car from my last final exam in 2002, I remember telling my mom on the phone that I felt like my work at Tech wasn’t done. Little did I know what was in store two decades down the line.” Read the post.

Bradley M. Strickland 13L, an associate with Kramon & Graham, has been selected as a member of Business Volunteers Maryland's GIVE Fellowship Class of 2022. The nine-month fellowship prepares rising leaders in Baltimore for civic engagement and community leadership. Strickland is in the firm’s litigation group and focuses on matters involving commercial and professional liability, catastrophic personal injury, toxic torts, and products liability. Read the firm release.

Congratulations to Seth Church 18L, who was named to the Elevate Kentucky Class of 2022, a program for young professionals who will collaborate on challenges facing the state. Church is an associate and litigator who practices out of Dinsmore’s Lexington, Kentucky, offices. He focuses on commercial litigation, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, economic and physical torts, and other business disputes. Read the news release.

As part of the expansion of its Atlanta office, Parker Poe hired 16 new education attorneys including Associate MaryGrace Bell Kitrell 14L and Partner Cheryl Shaw 84C 90L. “Each member of our team has a personal connection to the work that we do, and we recognize that K-12 and higher education is not just an industry but a civic good that is critical to a functioning, healthy democracy,” said Partner Nina Gupta. “We take the responsibility seriously and are honored to partner with our clients to ensure the availability of a high-quality education for future generations.” Read the firm release.

Ashley Edwards 09L is a member of the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2022 class of the top 40 business leaders under 40. A partner with Parker Poe in North Carolina, Edwards is practice group leader who focuses on bankruptcy and litigation. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, national, regional, and community banks, nontraditional lenders, finance companies, lessors, and manufacturers. She is also a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and averages more than 80 hours of pro bono services each year. Her pro bono work involves work with North Carolina's Guardian ad Litem program, where she represents abused and neglected children. Read the firm release.

Ryan M. Richards 11L has been named a shareholder at Baker Donelson. He practices in the firm’s Nashville office, where he is a member of the Corporate Law Group. Read the firm release.

Joel Nichols 00L 00T, associate dean for academic affairs and professor, has been named interim dean at the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis. He has served as associate dean since 2013 and is also an affiliated faculty member of Emory Law’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion. Read more.

Benjamin Katz 12L was promoted to member at Frost Brown Todd on April 1. He’s a bankruptcy and restructuring attorney in the firm’s Nashville office who serves as outside general counsel to companies in the electronic payments industry, and helps automakers manage supply chain crises. Katz also represents various stakeholders in complex bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings throughout the country. Read the firm release.

As of May 2, Lisa Gruber 95L is now vice president, tax, at Amgen, after serving as Hasbro’s senior vice president, corporate tax, for the past five years.

James Janaitis 09L, an aviation attorney, has joined Baker Donelson’s Corporate Group as a shareholder in the firm’s Washington, D.C. offices.

"An attorney with Jim's background is invaluable to our aviation clients," said John McJunkin, managing shareholder. "His understanding of the industry, particularly as it relates to the intricate regulatory issues involved, is outstanding, and that level of knowledge is essential to successful business aviation operations. We're excited to have Jim as part of our Washington, D.C. office." Read the firm release.

Keong Min Yoon 16L, counsel, cybersecurity and data infrastructure at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., is participating in the drafting process of a United Nations treaty on cybercrime. Read more

Aaron J. Walayat 19L has joined the University of Pittsburgh School of Law as an adjunct professor—he taught a class on the Philosophy of Crime and Punishment this spring. He is also an associate with the Insolvency and Creditor’s Rights Group at Tucker Arensberg.

Quinn Yeargain 19L has been appointed assistant professor of law at Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, effective July 2022. They are currently a lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment in New Haven, Connecticut, and an associate director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. The appointment, they write, is “thanks in large part to the invaluable assistance of Professors Kay Levine and Jonathan Nash.” Read the press release.

Dan Shulak 10L was promoted to counsel at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., on January 1, 2022. An antitrust litigator, he focuses on helping companies navigate complex international and domestic criminal antitrust investigations and other white-collar and litigation matters. Read the firm release.

Kevin J. Rubin 08L has formed Rubin Family Law, LLC, a boutique firm in the Cumberland area that focuses on all aspects of family law, including simple and complex actions for divorce, child custody, paternity and legitimation, and prenuptial agreements. Read more

Shalanda Miller 08L, a Fulton County Juvenile Court judge, has announced her campaign for Fulton County Superior Court. Election day for the nonpartisan race is May 24, 2022. She invites you to visit her website to learn more.

Michael Kenny 84L, a retired partner at Alston & Bird in Atlanta, has published his debut novel Life’s Illusions. He promises an inside look at life in Big Law and trial practice, along with “a good read in the process.” Over his career, Kenny has defended more than 250 class actions on behalf of major corporations and served as lead appellate counsel in 55 federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and 11 federal circuit courts of appeal.

As of January 2021, Diane Melnick 91L is a partner in Practus LLP’s Intellectual Property Group. She is based in New York City. “I've experienced government service (at the United States Patent and Trademark Office), in-house practice at multinational corporate giants and startups, and the joys of private practice in both large and small firms,” she writes. “The journey has been full of learning and growing, but I am happy to be settled into a firm where I can collaborate with great colleagues and also make my own decisions about client management.”

Nova D. Harb 05L has joined Bass, Berry & Sims as counsel in its Nashville, Tennessee, offices, part of the firm’s launch of an Investment Funds Practice. She was previously with McGuireWoods LLP.

“We are excited to add Nova’s extensive fund formation experience to complement our long-established and nationally recognized private equity and M&A work,” said Michael J. Holley, chair of the Corporate & Securities Practice. Read the firm release.

Michael "Mike" Baranovic Jr. 13L is one of 24 new partners at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. He represents private equity sponsors, their portfolio companies, business borrowers and financial institutions in connection with a wide variety of debt finance matters, including syndicated credit facilities, acquisition financings, cash flow financings, asset-based financings, and mezzanine financings. He is in the corporate practice group in the firm’s Washington, D.C., offices. Read the firm release.

Shawn A. Kachmar 97L and Sarah H. Lamar 91L, both partners with HunterMaclean’s employment practice group, were recognized as 2022 Georgia Super Lawyers—Kachmar for Employment Litigation Law, and Lamar for Employment and Labor Law. They practice in the firm’s Savannah, Georgia, office.

Kimberli C. Withrow 97L, a partner at Atlanta’s Boyd Collar Nolen Tuggle & Roddenbery, has been recognized as a 2022 Georgia Super Lawyer in the area of family law. This is her seventh consecutive year to receive the honor. Read the firm release.

Annalise Surnow 16L has been admitted as a member at Bodman PLC. Previously a senior associate, she practices in the firm’s Detroit office and is a member of the Business and Health Care Practice Groups. She represents businesses in complex commercial transactions and corporate law matters including corporate organization and mergers and acquisitions. Read the firm release.

Heather Kolinsky 15L joined Washington and Lee Law in 2021 as a professor of practice, where she teaches Legal Writing and Professional Responsibility.

Katherine Silverman 11L and William Piercy 97L represented the Love Renaissance record label and its founders in a business divorce case that was covered by among others, Rolling Stone. The Atlanta label works with hip-hop and R&B artists including Shelley (f/k/a D.R.A.M.) 6lack and Summer Walker.  

“After a five-day trial consisting of eight witnesses, more than 30 exhibits and three hours of deliberation, the jury awarded LVRN $50,000 against the consultants and awarded the consultants $3,463.27 in connection with certain tax withholdings. In that LVRN went to trial facing the possibility of a multi-million-dollar verdict against it, this was a huge win,” according to the firm’s blog. Read the blog post.

Pranav Lokin 20L, an associate at Akin Gump, was an author and principal investigator of the the Association of Pro Bono Counsel’s report “Positive Change: How the Pandemic Changed Pro Bono and What We Should Keep.” He participated in the companion panel discussion, along with Judge Roy Ferguson, known for the “Lawyer Cat” hearing. Watch the panel.

Deborah B. Koslin 09L was promoted to partner at Levine Smith Snider & Wilson, LLC, which she joined in 2018. She’s practiced family law exclusively since 2013 and handles domestic relations matters including divorce, custody and legitimation, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, modifications, contempt and family violence actions, and arbitration. She began her career representing large financial services firms. Koslin has been included in Best Lawyers in America for family law for the past two years and was named 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for family law arbitration in Atlanta. Read the firm release.

Alan Clarke 89L recently joined Greenspoon Marder LLP’s Entertainment, Media and Technology Group in the AM Law 200 firm’s Atlanta office. He focuses on contract drafting and negotiations, trademark and copyright licenses and acquisitions, as well as infringement issues and litigation. He was recently named “Top Rated” by Georgia Super Lawyers and was among Georgia Trend’s 2021 “Legal Elite” for Entertainment and Sports.

John Keir 18L has been named lead counsel for Data Privacy and Security at Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE), effective February 1, 2022. He is responsible for ensuring the company's global subsidiaries, such as the NYSE, ICE Data Services, and ICE Mortgage Technologies, are compliant with all relevant data privacy laws and regulations in all jurisdictions where ICE operates.

Adam Keating 11L is one of 10 new partners at Duane Morris. He focuses on employment law and management labor relations, and represents businesses in all types of employment litigation and administrative matters, including the defense of employment discrimination claims, wrongful discharge cases, wage-and-hour litigation, employment contract matters and restrictive covenant litigation. Read the firm release.

William D. “Billy” Newcomb III 02L has joined Stites & Harbison, PLLC in Atlanta as a member (partner) of the firm. His practice focuses on complex litigation, product liability, and other general liability litigation. Read the firm release.

Daniel B. Millman 13L has joined Stites & Harbison, PLLC in Atlanta as counsel. His practice focus is commercial litigation. He defends directors, officers, accountants, lawyers, financial advisors and other professionals against negligence claims. Read the firm release.

Mark Lefkow 00L has joined Stites & Harbison, PLLC in Atlanta as a member (partner) of the firm. He represents clients in various areas of civil litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Read the firm release.

Peter J. Critikos III 18L has joined Stites & Harbison, PLLC in Atlanta as an attorney. His practice focus is commercial litigation, specifically professional liability defense and general business litigation.

Katherine M. Silverman 11L has been promoted to principal at Berman Fink Van Horn, where she has practiced since 2018. She focuses on business litigation, non-compete/trade secrets and real estate litigation. Read the firm release.

Allyson Gold 11L has joined the Wake Forest University School of Law faculty as associate dean of experiential learning and director of the new Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic.

On January 18, 2022, Morgan Stanley announced that Ryan J. Donohue 06L has been appointed managing director, Legal and Compliance. He practices in firm’s New York City offices, where he is head of Legal, Global Financial Crimes. Read the firm release.

Shara Sanders 99L is the new chair of the DeKalb Library Foundation Board of Directors; she's served on the board since 2018. “She is an attorney and a community volunteer who has been working to improve and enhance DeKalb County for years,” the board’s announcement states. Sanders previously served as president of the Junior League of DeKalb County, and now serves on the Board of Trustees for St. Martin’s Episcopal School and Leadership DeKalb’s Board of Directors. She’s also volunteered with the League of Women Voters of Georgia and the Boy & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta Champions Club for Girls.

Katie B. Blakey 12L is a new shareholder at Littler’s Dallas, Texas, offices, as of Jan. 1, 2022. She represents employers, executives and management in employment litigation on matters ranging from Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation to complex wage and hour class actions and wrongful termination matters. Read the firm release.

Scott Moskol 92L, co-chair of the Financial Restructuring & Distressed Transactions Group at Burns & Levinson in Boston, has been named president of the Turnaround Management Association, Northeast Chapter, effective January 1. The organization’s mission is to help businesses navigating critical turning points and transitions get to the next level. Moskol counsels clients nationwide on restructurings, workouts, bankruptcies, receiverships, and other insolvency-related matters, and is experienced in purchase/sale of distressed assets, companies and loan portfolios.

Luther J. Battiste III 74L has been inducted into the National Center for State Courts’ Warren E. Burger Society, which is named for the NCSC visionary and former U.S. Supreme Court chief justice. The Society honors individuals who have used their time, talent and support to advance the organization in exceptional ways. Battiste, a founding shareholder of Johnson, Toal & Battiste in Columbia, S.C., was honored at an event held in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 18. Read the news release.

Jennifer Mencarini 97L became Fox Rothschild's first director of Diversity & Inclusion in September 2021. Based in the firm’s Greensboro, North Carolina offices, she manages the implementation and operation of firm-wide diversity and inclusion programs and key initiatives. Read more.

Hunter Robinson 14L has been promoted to partner at Bradley in Nashville, Tennessee, where he focuses on representing bank and non-bank financial institutions in class-action litigation involving alleged violations of the Truth in Lending Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Read the firm release.

Karan Jhurani 14L is one of 17 new principals at Fish & Richardson. He’s based in Atlanta, where he focuses on patent prosecution and counseling, post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and complex patent litigation. Read the press release.

Vivian Cheng 14L is a new principal at Fish & Richardson’s New York City offices. She focuses on trademark and copyright litigation and also counsels clients on issues relating to trademark, trade dress, and copyright protection and enforcement, unfair competition, and false advertising. Read the press release.

Benjamin A. Saidman 12L is one of eight new partners at Finnegan. From the firm’s Atlanta offices, he works with clients in areas involving mechanical, electrical, computer, and medical device technologies. A former Federal Circuit law clerk, Saidman also holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He now focuses on PTAB post-grant proceedings, district court patent litigation, and Federal Circuit appeals. He has been involved with more than 50 PTAB proceedings, serving as backup counsel in over 40 cases. Read the firm release.

Christine Ellice 07L is one of nine new partners at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in Los Angeles. She focuses on complex commercial litigation and class action defense, and advises financial services and banking clients to provide strategic guidance on dispute resolution and represent them in complex litigation. She’s also represented clients in the entertainment industry. Read the firm release.

Alex Tucker 13L has been promoted to counsel at Cantor Colburn, effective January 1. From the firm’s Atlanta offices, he counsels clients on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, IP transactions and licensing, and portfolio analysis and management.

“We invest in talent,” said co-managing partner Philmore H. Colburn II. “Our new partners and counsel have proven themselves to be trusted advisors, providing the highest level of service and work product to our clients.” Read the firm release.

In August 2021, Angela Oliver 10L was promoted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to director of the Office of Executive Secretariat (proposed). She works in the CDC Office of the Director, Office of the Chief of Staff, and in her new role she manages an office responsible for CDC's regulations and executive branch reporting, as well as guidance and coordination in responding to agency correspondence and documents.

E. Marc Miller 97L has been promoted to shareholder at Flaster Greenberg effective January 1. He is a trusts and estates attorney in the firm’s West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, offices. "Our new shareholders have demonstrated leadership and a commitment to providing outstanding client service," said Jordan A. LaVine, co-managing shareholder. "They are skilled attorneys and are tremendously valuable to the firm and its continued success." Read the firm release.

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP has promoted Jessica Stanton 13L to counsel in its New York City Office’s Real Estate Practice. She represents clients in commercial real estate deals and corporate transactions with particular experience in representing landlords leasing office and retail space in New York City and across the country. Her experience also includes co-working leases and representing tenants leasing space for their headquarters. Stanton is a member of Olshan's Associates Committee and Women's Committee. Read the press release.

As of January 1, Nathan S. Brill 11L is a partner at Blank Rome LLP’s Washington, DC, office, where he provides legal counsel in complex commercial transactions. His transactional law experience includes representing private equity and strategic buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, securities matters, and day-to-day operations. Brill also serves as general corporate counsel to emerging and mature businesses. Read the firm release.

Gregory W. Dewan 10L has been named executive director, president, and CEO of the Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society in Syracuse, New York, effective February 1, 2022. The society has approximately 75 full-time staff and provides free legal services to low-income residents of Central New York, including immigration, divorce, domestic violence, family law, housing, unemployment insurance, appeals, and parole revocation cases.

“I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to serve as the next Executive Director of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society,” Dewan said. “As a lifelong resident of Central New York, it is particularly rewarding to be leading an organization I believe in, alongside people I believe in, to fulfill a critical mission ensuring access to justice for all in our community.” Read the news release.

Gabrielle R. Mercadante 12L has been promoted to counsel at Robinson+Cole, effective January 1, 2022. “All of these lawyers have been extraordinarily strong contributors to our firm and clients, and it is wonderful to be able to recognize their achievements and be part of the continuing growth of their careers,” said Managing Partner Rhonda J. Tobin. Read the firm release.

In November, Diane Slinger 90L joined Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C., in Michigan, as a partner in the Estate & Wealth Planning Practice Group. She brings 30 years of industry experience, providing counsel on estate planning and related changes in legal policy. Her specialties include estate planning and probate law, corporate law, contract law, business planning and real estate law. She’ll also handle matters involving estate and gift tax preparation, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions and transactional matters. Read the firm release.

Caeden Curtis Drayton 07L, intellectual property counsel at Stanley Black Decker, Inc., was inducted as a member of the latest Baltimore Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list in November. Read his profile.

Prentiss Q. Yancey Jr. 69L passed away November 28, 2021. Read the obituary.

David Wender 03L, a partner in Alston & Bird's Financial Restructuring & Reorganization Group, has been elected a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, an honorary public service association that recognizes bankruptcy professionals for excellence and contributions to the field. He will be inducted at the organization's annual meeting in April 2022 in Denver, Colorado. Read the firm release.

Eric Arpert 20L, who served as general campaign manager for Jack Ciattarelli’s 2021 New Jersey Republican gubernatorial campaign, has been named to the 2021 Insider 100: Millennial Power List, published by NJ.com.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L has been named a 2021 Massachusetts Super Lawyer. He’s a partner and chair of the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group at Mirick O'Connell. He advises clients on employment issues, including employment and severance agreements, handbooks and policies, and terminations and layoffs.

Aaron Metviner 17B 17L has joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP as an associate in their New York restructuring practice. He focuses on financial restructuring transactions and proceedings, including representations of debtors, ad hoc groups, and official committees in complex Chapter 11 bankruptcies, out-of-court workouts, and related transactions. Prior to joining Kirkland, Metviner was with Milbank LLP in New York.

Ilene W. Berman 90L and Brian T. Nash 87L are among the dozen attorneys who launched Continuum Legal Group LLP this October in Atlanta. The firm’s primary areas of practice are commercial litigation, corporate, employment, environmental, lending and real estate. Nash’s specialties are corporate and technology law, and Berman focuses on employment and employment litigation.

“We’ve been colleagues and friends for years – in fact, decades for a number of us - so the idea of a ‘continuum’ resonated strongly,” said Founding Partner Marc D. Glenn. “We’re comfortable working together, and we have an immense level of trust in each other, knowing that any of us who work on a client’s file will bring a tremendous level of expertise, service and practicality to the matter. Berman adds: “if you look up the word continuum, one meaning is ‘a coherent whole characterized as a collection,’ which aptly describes our new law firm. It’s that cohesiveness that enhances the type of service we give to our clients.” Read the firm release.

In October, Elliott Leigh Coward 13L was elected partner at Morris, Manning & Martin, effective Jan. 1. 2022. She works within the firm’s healthcare practice and provides legal advice and assistance to healthcare providers regarding corporate transactions, regulatory and legislative issues with a focus on proactive compliance, and administrative litigation. Read the firm release.

Thomas Edwin Lawrence Jr. 71L passed away October 26, 2021. Read the obituary.

Hannah Krasny 20L has joined Miller & Martin PLLC as a litigation associate in the firm's Atlanta office where she focuses on business litigation. She has experience with contract negotiation and dispute matters, intellectual property issues, and has assisted with product liability defense cases, including MDL opioid and asbestos litigation.

Sydney Ford 19L recently published the children’s book, Grief Came to Visit Today. She is an assistant public defender in the juvenile division of the DeKalb County Public Defender's Office.

Jonathan David Rosen 00L passed away October 8, 2021. Read the obituary.

Wayne Taylor 82C 85L has been elected president of the American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC), an association of U.S., Canadian, and Bermudan lawyers whose mission “is to advance the creative, ethical, and efficient adjudication of insurance coverage and extracontractual disputes; to enhance the civility and quality of the practice of insurance law; to provide peer-reviewed scholarship; and to improve of the relationship between and among the members of [the] profession.” Taylor is a senior partner with Mozley, Finlayson & Loggins, LLP, in Atlanta.

Richard Garrett 70C 73L passed away October 4, 2021. Read the obituary.

Jason Lichtstein 99L completed his second term as president of the Florida Brownfields Association. He’s a partner at Akerman LLP and recently relocated to Akerman's Atlanta office to grow the firm’s regional and national Brownfield and environmental practice.

James Lesswing Bumbalo 87L passed away September 29, 2021. Read the obituary.

Taft N. Gearhart 16L passed away September 25, 2021. Read the obituary.

Charles Van Horn 94L was named Best Lawyers 2022 “Lawyer of the Year,” for Litigation – Real Estate, Atlanta. He was also recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America 2022. He is a shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn where he focuses on banking and creditors’ rights and business and real estate litigation with an emphasis on litigation arising out of real estate transactions. Read the firm release.

Benjamin I. Fink 92L has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2022 for Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Labor and Employment; and Employment Law – Management. He is a shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn where he focuses on business and employment litigation with an emphasis on non-compete, trade secret and other competition-related disputes. He also currently serves as the Emory Law Alumni Board President. Read the firm release.

Jeffrey N. Berman 82L was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2022 for Mergers and Acquisitions law. He is a shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn, where he leads the firm’s corporate and business practice, and has served as managing partner since 2004. Read the firm release.

Michael P. Saber 89L has been named one of 2022 The Best Lawyers in America, in the categories of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Securities/Capital Markets; and Venture Capital. He practices with Smith Anderson in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Naples Illustrated magazine has named Carlos Kelly 97L a 2021 “Top Lawyer” for practice in the realms of Business Litigation, Eminent Domain, and Condemnation Law. He is a stockholder with Henderson Franklin in Fort Myers, Florida.

Theresa L. "Terry" Kitay 87L has joined the Litigation and Real Estate groups at Baker Donelson as a shareholder in the firm's Atlanta office. She brings significant experience in the housing industry, and focuses her practice on defense and preventive representation of clients in the housing industry in all civil rights matters, including fair housing, Section 504, Title VI, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read the firm release.

John Thomas McTier 54C 57L passed away September 8, 2021. Read the obituary.

Michael J. Willner 84L has been appointed to the board of directors of Cardiol Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops innovative anti-inflammatory therapies to treat cardiovascular disease. Willner is founder of the investment firm, Willner Capital. Read more.

Duncan Hamilton Adams 98L passed away September 5, 2021. Read the obituary.

Otha Lamar Gray 58L passed away September 4, 2021. Read the obituary.

C.E. Rhodes 00L has joined Frost Banks’s executive team as group executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Rhodes most recently was managing director and chief compliance officer at New Fortress Energy Inc. Frost is a commercial bank based in San Antonio, Texas. Read more.

Richard M. Morgan 92L has been included in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his expertise in Trusts and Estates. He is a partner with Morgan and DiSalvo, P.C., in Alpharetta. Morgan has been included on this list every year since 2013. Read more.

Luther J. Battiste III 74L and his wife, Judy Battiste 74C, received the Fran Peacock Coker FLABOTA Community Service Award at the FLABOTA Annual Conference for their efforts in developing a civics education reading program for children. The ABOTA Foundation Civics Education Literacy Program was created by the Battistes in 2020 to introduce the importance of civics education to elementary school students through reading. Battiste is is a founding shareholder of Johnson, Toal & Battiste, P.A. Judy Battiste served for 33 years in the Fort Jackson School system, 20 as a classroom teacher, then as a media specialist. Read more.

Judge C. Richard Avery 66L passed away September 2, 2021. Read the obituary.

Greg Reybold 08L is director of healthcare policy and general counsel for the American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. (APCI), effective September 1, 2021. Reybold will work with the APCI legislative team to develop healthcare policy at both the state and federal levels as well as manage the co-op’s legal strategy. Read the press release.

Judge John Wyman Lamb 67L passed away September 1, 2021. Read the obituary.

Judge John Wyman Lamb 67L passed away September 1, 2021. Read the obituary.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L, a partner with Mirick O’Connell in Westborough, Massachusetts, was recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2022 edition, in the field of Employment Law-Management. Sigel has been recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013.

Charles “Chuck” Palmer 86L, a partner at Troutman Pepper in Atlanta, has been included in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, for Administrative/Regulatory Law. He was also included in the 2014 and 2017 editions.

Ilan Markus 96L, a partner at Barclay Damon LLP, has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2022 edition, for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights, and Insolvency and Reorganization Law.

Maria Shohat 81L passed away August 22, 2021. Read the obituary.

Chad I. Michaelson 99L, a partner with Meyer, Unkovic & Scott in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been included in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in the categories of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law and Litigation-Construction since 2015.

In August, Campbell Williamson 15L was named partner at Schneider Hammers in Atlanta, where he represents clients in state and federal courts in premises liability cases, motor vehicle cases, and commercial vehicle cases. Read the firm release.

David J. Topping 12L, a partner at Phelps in New Orleans, made the “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” list for the first time in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, in the category of environmental law. The list features lawyers with less than 10 years in practice.

Julie I. Fershtman 86L , a shareholder at Foster Swift Collins & Smith, P.C., has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2022 edition, for Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law. Read the firm release.

In August, James McGuire 06L was unanimously elected to serve a three-year term on the Executive Council of the State Bar of Texas' Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section (ENRLS). ENRLS helps publish the Texas Environmental Law Review, and promotes education and scholarship on environmental law. McGuire has practiced environmental law in Texas since 2006, and he also serves as the Regional Counsel where he leads a 60-attorney law office for U.S. EPA Region 6, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 66 federally recognized tribes.

Victor Edward Henderson 87L passed away on August 10, 2021. Read the obituary.

Terry Adamson 73L retired in 2020 as vice president, Global Law Affairs and general counsel, for Boeing International. He and his wife, Ede Holiday, divide their time between Boynton Beach, Florida, and Highlands, North Carolina. He continues to serve as a trustee for the Carter Center, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Asia Foundation.

Kelly Frey 09L was named to Benchmark Litigation’s '40 & Under Hot List 2021.' "The annual ranking recognizes the best and brightest law firm partners under 40 in the United States and Canada who stand out due to their high-stakes wins, precedent-setting matters and positioning for future success," according to the magazine.

Frey was also featured in Law360s’s ‘2021 Rising Stars’ in real estate. Frey, a member in Mintz’s Boston offices, was cited for his work litigating cases across a broad spectrum of commercial real estate and government regulation matters, including the first case establishing commercial landlords' rights against tenants protected by Massachusetts' COVID-19 eviction moratorium. Read the firm release.

Frederick W. Ajax Jr. 69L passed away July 24, 2021. Read the obituary.

Ben Farley 11L wrote an essay for The Atlantic marking the 15th anniversary of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld; it urges the Biden administration to close Guantanamo. He was also a recent guest on NPR, discussing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Farley is a trial attorney and law-of-war counsel at the U.S. Department of Defense, Military Commissions Defense Organization. Read the essay.

Will Wooten 13L has been appointed deputy district attorney in charge of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office White-Collar Crime Unit, which prosecutes complex financial crimes including violations of the Georgia RICO Act, high-dollar financial theft and fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, and cybercrime. Previously, he was a major felony prosecutor in Clayton County, Georgia. Read the release.

Carlos Kelly 97L was named one of the 2021 class of Florida Super Lawyers. Kelly is a stockholder with Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt in Fort Myers, Florida.

Michael E. Ballard 80L was ordained a priest in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast of the Episcopal Church on February 13, 2021. He is an attorney with Ulmer, Hillman & Ballard, P.C. in Mobile, Alabama.

Jeff Harris 89L, a recently retired FBI agent, received the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal from the director of National Intelligence for his work on a classified human intelligence collection operation. He’s now a legal subject matter expert for the Diplomatic Security Service.

Following 40 years of practice, primarily in family law, Susan Pollet 79L has published multiple books she would like to share with you. They are: Grey Divorce: From Pain to Peace, Women in Crisis: Stories from the Edge, Through Walter’s Lens, Lessons in Survival: All About Amos, and Juliette Rose’s Dream of Becoming. Pollet resides in New York City. Read her bio to see the awards and recognition she has earned throughout the course of her career.

Mack Emerson 16L and  Katherine DeRosa Emerson 15L welcomed a  daughter, Sloane Margaret Emerson, to the world (and Atlanta) on February 3, 2020.

Maren Lynn Chaloupka 95L has opened a solo trial practice, Chaloupka Law LLC, in her hometown of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. She has more than 25 years’ experience in serious personal injury, civil rights and felony criminal defense work in both Nebraska and nationwide. She secured the largest civil rights jury verdict in state history, she writes. Chaloupka also serves on the Board of Directors of Trial Lawyers College and has taught its national programs for 20 years.

Michael Fabius 07L is one of 13 new Ballard Spahr lawyers admitted to partnership, effective July 1. He is co-practice leader of the Gaming Group and practices in the firm’s Philadelphia offices, where he advises clients in the highly regulated gaming and racing industries, and in litigation before administrative agencies.

“Our new partners are consummate professionals with top-flight legal acumen and sound business knowledge, a combination of attributes that has enabled them to build indispensable partnerships that help the firm’s clients succeed,” said firm Chair Mark Stewart. “Their elevation to our partnership is well-deserved, and we are proud to welcome them.” Read the firm release.

Randy Ford Taub 83L passed away on June 30, 2021. Read the obituary.

In June, W. Thomas Hawkins 05L published his first book, Land Use Law in Florida. He is program director and lecturer at the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning.

Alyson Pirio 05C 08L has joined Troutman Pepper as a partner in the firm’s Tax & Benefits Practice Group. Previously, she was senior corporate counsel for GSMA, Ltd., where she was responsible for managing the trade association’s corporate governance, contracting, and tax compliance activities. She also served in the Office of Chief Counsel in the Internal Revenue Service’s Atlanta office.

“Aly brings highly valuable skills and experience to our practice,” said Joan Arnold, leader of the firm’s Tax & Benefits Practice Group. “Her sophisticated nonprofit tax experience and tax work in the partnership and transactional arenas is a big draw for the firm and allows us to provide even more robust services for our clients.”

David L. Ladov 78L will receive the 2021 Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Eric Turner Memorial Award during the section’s virtual summer meeting, July 15-16. The award honors a lawyer who is dedicated to the practice of family law and who serves as a mentor and teacher to fellow lawyers. He is a partner in Obermayer Law’s West Conshohocken offices.

“Ladov has more than 40 years of experience in family law matters, including divorce, complex equitable distribution matters, custody cases, spousal support cases and protection from abuse matters for abused children and spouses. As the chair of his firm’s family law practice, he draws from his diverse experience to help clients better understand and handle their own unique personal situations,” according to the Bar Association. Read the news release.

James A. Scharf 86L, an assistant U.S. attorney, was appointed senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California. In other news, the high school mock trial team he coaches won its third county championship.

Carmelle Alipio 19L joined the Board of Directors of Love for Our Elders, a nonprofit that fights isolation in senior communities across the country--through handwritten letters, videos and stories. She is an associate with Williams Mullen in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Sarah J. Sarb 20L has joined HunterMacLean in Savannah, Georgia, as an associate, where she’ll focus on corporate law and business transactions. Sarb was a merit scholar in the Transactional Law Certificate Program. She completed a legal internship with Home Depot, a legal externship with the GE Energy Program, and also was a summer associate at HunterMaclean.

Masiel Pelegrino Sarduy 18L was part of this year’s Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques at Emory Law. She taught closing arguments, the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Daubert standard on May 8-15, 2021. The American College of Trial Lawyers has cited the program for excellence in preparing students to handle exhibits, examine lay and expert witnesses, and make arguments in hearings and jury trials.

Masiel is an associate in Phelps Litigation and Labor and Employment groups in the firm’s Tampa offices, where she practices both litigation and trial in state and federal courts. She counsels clients on issues ranging from premises liability to complex commercial disputes.

Both Shawn Kachmar 97L and Sarah Lamar 91L of HunterMaclean in Savannah, Georgia, were ranked as exceptional in the category of Labor and Employment practice in the most recent issue of Chambers USA. They and the firm were ranked in Labor and Employment and Litigation: General Commercial.

“To be recognized year after year by this prestigious publication is an honor to our attorneys and our firm,” said HunterMaclean managing partner Brad Harmon. “This achievement further exemplifies our attorneys’ commitment to their individual practices, the firm’s clients, and our community.”

In new rankings released in May, David Chaiken 01L was ranked as one of the top lawyers in Georgia in the category of Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He is the founder of Chaiken Law.

In May, James Timothy White 72L published Riley & Ben: Life Offers Second Chances.

“Inspired by events from his own life, retired Atlanta attorney J.T. White presents a debut novel of heartbreaking family relationships, good intentions gone wrong, and the struggle to overcome long odds,” according to the book’s site. After retiring as a partner with the Atlanta firm of Stites & Harbison, White completed the Creative Writing Program at Georgia State University in 2009. White performs pro bono legal work, primarily for the Eritrean community in Atlanta, to which he will donate a portion of the book’s proceeds. Read more.

Stephen Alicanti 12B 12L, a corporate partner at DLA Piper, was named to The Deal “Top Rising Stars: Class of 2021” list which highlights “exemplary new M&A-focused partners at top U.S. law firms.” Alicanti focuses on representing issuers and underwriters in a broad range of domestic and international capital markets transactions, including registered offerings and private placements of equity and debt securities. Read the firm release.

Kyle R. Silverstein 17L successfully represented the State of New York in the New York Court of Appeals, in People v. Brown. Read the memorandum.

LaShawn A. Oxendine 13L has joined Norris McLaughlin, P.A., as an associate in the firm’s Times Square, New York City, office. She’s a member of the Taxation Practice Group, and focuses on tax law, negotiating tax representations, warranties, covenants, and other key tax provisions of various transaction agreements.

“With LaShawn on board, we are expanding our team of taxation attorneys into New York to better serve our clients and their needs, and further enhance our reach. With her experience, LaShawn will be a valuable asset not only to the group and the New York office but to the entire firm,” said Andrew N. Parfomak, administrative partner. Read the firm release.

On June 11, the Florida Bar Association will recognize Emory Law alumni for 50 years in the practice of law, during a 50-Year Member/Senior Counselor Awards Luncheon in Orlando, part of the Bar’s 2021 annual convention. They are: Robert C. Cooper 71L, Jackson C. Floyd 70L, Thomas Edmund George 70L, White R. Glass 66L, John A. Lanzetta, Michael A. Linsky 70L, Richard F. Livingston 67C 70L, Stephen F. Myers 70L, Antonio L. Thomas 69L and Willard N. Timm Jr. 68L. To be recognized, attorneys must be members in good standing of The Florida Bar, active or inactive, and attain their 50th anniversary of admittance to the practice of law in 2020.

Brent Bartlett 10C 13L has joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Atlanta as an associate in the Tax Controversy and Litigation Group. He represents clients in IRS matters, from examination and appeals to litigation in the United States Tax Court and Federal District Court. He was previously a law clerk for the Honorable Cary Douglas Pugh of the United States Tax Court and an extern for Senior Judge Mary Ellen Coster Williams of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Before transitioning to tax, Bartlett was a commercial litigator at law firms in Georgia and Florida.Read the firm release.

In May, Carlos Kelly 97L was named new chair of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A.’s Business Litigation Department. Kelly joined the Fort Myers, Florida, firm in 1997.

“I have had the honor and privilege of working extensively with Carlos for nearly 25 years. I have watched him grow and become an outstanding lawyer,” said Managing Stockholder Douglas Szabo. “He is bright, detail-oriented, and driven to do his best for his clients. I have no doubt these same skills and traits will serve him, the firm, and the Business Litigation Department in his new role as chair.” Read the firm release.

Terry Weiss 86L has joined Maynard Cooper & Gale as a shareholder to lead the firm’s newly established Atlanta office. Weiss’ focus is on representing the securities industry in the full range of legal disputes. In the enforcement arena, he works with and litigates against securities industry regulators, including the SEC, FINRA, and state regulators, among others. He’s served as lead counsel in over 100 arbitrations through award and has supervised hundreds of others, including appellate matters.

“Terry is a highly respected attorney in his field and mirrors our client-centered service approach,” said Jeff Grantham, Maynard’s managing shareholder. “We look forward to the impact he will have on our expanding Securities Practice and Firm.” Read the firm release.

Patrick H. Hill 15L is one of seven attorneys who recently joined the Charlotte offices of Robinson Bradshaw. Hill represents businesses in high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts. His experience includes complex litigation, class actions and nationwide mass torts, product liability, RICO, public nuisance, wrongful death, high-value personal injury, employment discrimination, premises liability and medical malpractice claims. 

“We are very intentional in our hiring, and our growth has always been in response to clients’ needs,” said Managing Partner Allen Robertson. “This talented group will add capabilities in areas including real estate, litigation, securities and finance.”

On April 16, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law Margo A. Bagley 96L interviewed Dean Mary Anne Bobinski as part of a Town Hall meeting during Alumni Weekend 2021.

The Anti-Defamation League honored Leah Ward Sears 80L with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award on April 13. Read the story.

On April 13, Walter Jospin 79L received The Elbert P. Tuttle Award, given for exemplifying The Anti-Defamation League’s mission to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Read the story.

Jeff Worob 94L was named a ‘top music lawyer’ by Billboard Magazine, repeating last year’s appearance, in the category of Talent and Litigation. He’s a partner at Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy Worob & Averill LLP. Read the story.

John Rose 18L was named a ‘top music lawyer’ by Billboard Magazine, repeating last year’s appearance, in the category of Talent and Litigation. He’s an associate at Fox Rothschild LLP. Rose also made Variety’s Legal Impact list. Read the story.

Roy Richter 11L is one of nine associates at Winstead PC recently promoted to Of Counsel. He is a member of the firm’s Corporate, Securities/Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group in The Woodlands, Texas, where he focuses on general corporate and securities representation and business counseling of public and private corporations. As a former landman, Richter has experience in both the legal and oil and gas industries. 

“We congratulate these nine talented attorneys on being named Of Counsel,” Winstead CEO David Dawson said. “These are attorneys with outstanding experience who have been incredibly valuable members of our team.”

Douglas Hoffman 07C 11L was one of seven attorneys promoted to partner this April at Hunton Andrews Kurth’s New York offices. He focuses on representing commercial real estate owners, developers, lenders, investors, private equity funds, and institutional REITs in structuring and closing all types of real estate transactions, including joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, developments, financings, development rights or “air rights” transactions, and portfolio transactions. Read the firm release.

Kevin J. Rubin 08L, founding partner at Marple Rubin Family Law, was admitted as a fellow to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a national organization of leading family law practitioners across the United States.

Timothy K. Giordano 01L has been appointed chairman of the Leadership Board at the Florida State University College of Communication and Information.

Carrie N. Baker 94L did a long-form Q & A with Berkeley Law Professor Amanda L. Tyler co-author of Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union. Tyler’s co-author was the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Tyler was Ginsburg’s former law clerk, and they finished the book just three weeks before Ginsburg’s death. The interview was published in Ms. Magazine. Baker is a professor at Smith College. Read the interview.

Dhairal Shah 06L is an associate partner with K Law in Mumbai, India.

William McLaughlin 17L, an attorney-advisor for the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., recently received a grade promotion and a performance appraisal award recognizing his contributions to HHS over the past year. He says he’s grateful to contribute to HHS’s meaningful work during this unprecedented time.

Leah Ward Sears 80L was chosen to lead a new Federal Nominations Advisory Commission, which will better reflect Georgia—with more people of color and women, with diverse career backgrounds.

“For far too long, this system has inadequately represented the great diversity of Georgia and America. I’m honored to lead Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock’s Commission to bring new, different, and unique perspectives to the federal nominations process and ensure all voices across Georgia are fairly represented,” the former Georgia chief justice said. Read the story (subscription required).

John Floyd 83L has been retained to help Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis 96L investigate possible solicitation of election fraud by former President Donald Trump. A RICO expert, Floyd worked with Willis to successfully prosecute the Atlanta Public Schools cheating cases. Read the AJC story.

On March 11, author, lawyer and activist, Melody Moezzi 06L 06PH was featured at an Emory Alumni Association event,  a discussion of her memoir, The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life.

Christopher K. Smith 09B 09L was named partner at his firm, Lash & Goldberg LLP, effective January 1, 2021. Smith practices complex business and healthcare litigation. Read the firm release.

In March, Anne Tremblay 95L was named legal counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Brandon Goldberg 10L has declared himself a candidate for Atlanta City Council, Post Seat 1, At-Large. The citywide nonpartisan race is on this November’s ballot. Goldberg says he’s “excited about the opportunity to serve his city and solve the longstanding problems in our community.” Here is his campaign site: www.brandoncorygoldberg.com.

In February, Carlos A. Kelly 97L presented “Condemnation Blight Damages in Florida” to members of the City, County & Local Government Law Section of The Florida Bar. The seminar walked attendees through Florida case law and its application. A stockholder in the Fort Myers offices of Henderson Franklin, Kelly is co-chair of Lee County Bar Association’s General Civil and Business Litigation Practice Section and the Association of Eminent Domain Professionals, the Real Estate Investment Society, and The Florida Bar’s Eminent Domain Committee. Read the firm release.

Herbert H. "Hal" Gray III received the 2020 Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of alternative dispute resolution. Read more.

Kimberli C. Withrow 97L, a partner at the Atlanta firm Boyd Collar Nolen Tuggle & Roddenbery, has been recognized as a 2021 Super Lawyer for the practice of family law. The selection process includes independent attorney-led research, evaluations and peer evaluations. Candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators including verdicts/settlements, transactions, special licenses and pro bono service.

Brooke Moschetto 20L has joined the Pastori | Krans law firm in Concord, New Hampshire. Moschetto began her career there in 2019 as a summer associate. She took the bar exam in October and was sworn into the New Hampshire Bar in December 2020. Read the firm release.

Kurtley M. Taylor 19L joined Carlton Fields as an associate in the firm’s Tampa offices. He is a member of the firm's national White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice. Read the firm release.

In October 2020, Eliza Carmen 18L became a new assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

Angela Oliver 10L spent more than two months leading the Policy Unit for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 response. As the unit’s lead, she managed the CDC’s interactions with Congress and other key partners. Prior to that Oliver spent two months as the unit’s congressional deputy. The policy unit is responsible for managing congressional briefings, hearings, executive correspondence, and external partner engagement.

Barret Broussard 13L launched his solo practice, Broussard Law, after practicing at three major law firms. His focus is business negotiations and litigation, as well as personal injury and catastrophic loss. Broussard was also named one of the 100 Most Influential LGBTQ+ Georgians by the OUT Georgia Business Alliance.

Jared Brandman 01L, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at National Vision Holdings, Inc., was named one of the top 50 corporate counsel worldwide in the 2021 OnCon Icon Awards. Winners are determined by peer vote for qualities including impact on their organization, contributions to their professional community, innovation and leadership. See all the winners here.

Here’s an update on Emory Law alumni elected or re-elected to office, most of whom began their terms last month. They are: Patsy Austin-Gatson 89L, Gwinnett County district attorney; Judge Diane Bessen 86L, Fulton County State Court; Judge Rachelle Carnesale 92L, Georgia 5th Superior Court District Atlanta Circuit; Donna Coleman-Stribling 99L, DeKalb County solicitor general; Brandy Fluker Oakley 10L, Massachusetts state representative, 12th Suffolk District; Judge Jason Marbutt 04L, Cobb County Superior Court; Julie Mayfield 96L, North Carolina Senate, District 49; Racquel Peebles 96L, Smyrna, Tennessee, Town Council; Tiffany Porter 05L, Gwinnett County tax commissioner; Richard Watson 74L Franklin County, Florida, tax collector; Judge Andrew Wilkinson 97L, Circuit Court, District 4, Washington County (Maryland); and Fani Willis 96L, Fulton County district attorney. Join us in congratulating them for winning campaigns in a remarkable election year, along with our candidates who ran good races but lost (this time). Did we miss you? Please let us know at lawcommunications@emory.edu.

Natalia Duque 07L has joined the Law Office of Renee M. Fairbanks, a family law firm in Santa Barbara, California, as senior associate attorney. Read the firm release.

Michael P. Saber 89L has been named a 2021 North Carolina Super Lawyer. He practices at Smith Anderson in Raleigh. Read the firm release.

David Topping 12L is one of five new partners at Phelps in New Orleans, where he focuses on transactional support, regulatory compliance and litigation. As a litigator, he “lowers clients’ legal risks through environmental due diligence. Clients look to his litigation experience and industry knowledge to keep them above board with environmental regulators.”

“Each of these attorneys has built a strong track record of helping clients,” said Managing Partner Marshall Redmon. “This group will add mightily to the firm’s ability to secure legal solutions for clients and offer them the wraparound, personal service our firm is known for.”

Miranda E. Siegel 20L has joined Davis, Matthews & Quigley, PC, in Atlanta as an associate within the firm’s Family Law Section.

Seth Church 18L has joined Dinsmore & Shohl LLP's Lexington, Kentucky office, where he will practice in the firm's commercial litigation group. Prior to joining Dinsmore, Church clerked for Judge Charles R. Simpson III in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

Christian Torgrimson 97L, a partner at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, has been appointed co-chair of CREW Leadership for 2021-2022. Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Atlanta serves to transform the commercial real estate industry by advancing women. Torgrimson is a graduate of its 2014 class and has won CREW’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. At Parker Poe, she advises commercial real estate clients, with a focus on eminent domain and condemnation. Read the firm release.

Jane Bouch Stoney 13L has been elected to shareholder at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd in Charleston, S.C. She focuses on commercial and institutional real estate, including sales, acquisitions, financing, leasing and zoning and land use regulation. She also advises clients on entity formation, the formation of 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations, trademark and business start-up matters and business litigation disputes. Stoney was recently recognized as a 2021 Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch” for Business Organizations, Corporate Law and Real Estate Law. Read the firm release.

Bryan Stewart 12L has been elected partner at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP in Atlanta, effective Jan. 1. A registered patent attorney, Stewart has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting patent, trademark, and copyright applications, and managing both domestic and international intellectual property portfolios. Read the firm release.

Hannah L. Krasny 20L has joined HunterMaclean in Savannah as an associate in the firm’s litigation practice.

“Hannah participated in our firm’s 2019 summer associate program,” said Managing Partner Brad Harmon. “It is exciting to see her experience in our intern program progress to a full-time position with our firm. Her expertise will certainly be an asset to our clients and our community.”

Matthew Parker 13L has been promoted to shareholder, effective Jan. 1, at Maynard Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology and Corporate practice groups. He advises companies in a variety of technology intensive sectors, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, SaaS, healthcare, gaming, and other online business models. Read the firm release.

Camille Bent 09B 09L has been promoted to partner at BakerHostetler in New York City, effective Jan. 1. Her focus there is bankruptcy, restructuring and commercial litigation.

“This year’s new partner class is an extraordinary group of lawyers drawn from practices and offices nationwide,” said BakerHostetler Chairman Paul Schmidt. “[They] reflect an array of diverse perspectives and experiences that will help us continue to deliver exceptional client service and strengthen our culture of inclusion, collaboration and innovation.” Read the firm release.

Josh Shapiro 06L recently joined Thompson Hine LLP as a partner in the Antitrust, Competition and Distribution group. He practices in both the Washington, D.C., and New York City offices.

Heather Purdy-Bartlett 15L is moving to a real estate associate position with Polsinelli in Atlanta.

Jerome “Jerry” Robert Smith 77L passed away January 6, 2021. Read the obituary.

Alexandra “Sachi” Cole 11L has been named partner at Penn Law LLC in Atlanta. Since joining the firm in 2017, she has been instrumental in cases involving the Boy Scouts of America, Amazon and the Catholic Church. She specializes in complex civil litigation focusing on cases involving product liability, medical malpractice, childhood sexual abuse and employment law. She also worked on important legislation including the Child Victim Act.

“We are proud to name Sachi Cole as a partner at Penn Law, in recognition of the work she has done, and what she will bring to our team moving forward,” says the firm’s founder, Darren Penn.  Read the firm release.

John Mills 90L has joined Jones Walker LLP’s Atlanta office as a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He represents clients in a wide range of matters, with an emphasis on corporate workouts and restructuring, and focuses on business disputes, sale and acquisition of distressed assets, corporate bankruptcy, and debtor and creditor rights litigation.

“We are proud to have John join our Atlanta office,” said Managing Partner Bill Hines. “His extensive legal experience and leadership will be an asset to Jones Walker and our clients.” Read the firm release.

Patrick M. Rayburn 57B 62L passed away December 28, 2020. Read the obituary.

Chris Kiernan 17L has been named managing attorney at Talkov Law's Orange County location, where he focuses on real estate and bankruptcy, as well as business and civil litigation.

Arthur T. Davis Jr. 66C 67L passed away December 23, 2020. Read the obituary.

Sarah Gryll 11L is among six new partners elected at Arnold & Porter effective January 1, 2021. She is member of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring practice and resident in the Chicago office.

 “This year’s class once again reflects our continuing investment in the future of the firm, and the strength of our practices and offices,” said Chairman Richard M. Alexander. “I couldn’t be more proud of this talented group of lawyers.” Read the firm release.

Robert S. Jones 70C 73L passed away December 16, 2020.

George Rellie Boyd Jr. 53L passed away December 15, 2020. Read the obituary.

David Allyn Evans Sr. 59C 68L passed away December 14, 2020. Read the obituary.

Marcella Ducca 05C 08L and her husband William are the parents of Parker Daniel Kitchens, born on July 31, 2020. Ducca is a shareholder at GreenbergTraurig in Atlanta.

Kurt Kastorf 02C 06L was among the Daily Report’s 2020 Class of “On the Rise,” attorneys. He’s the founder of Kastorf Law. Read the story.

Shawn A. Kachmar 97L has been named a member of Georgia Trend’s 2020 “Legal Elite,” which recognizes leading attorneys in 16 categories. The list is compiled from peer nominations, and the listing “is determined solely by attorneys’ votes.” Kachmar is a partner at HunterMaclean in Savannah, where he focuses on employment law, employee benefits and business litigation.

Dan Shulak 10L was recognized by as a "Rising Star" by Legal 500 and "One to Watch" by Best Lawyers in America. He is  a senior associate specializing in criminal antitrust investigations and defense at Hogan Lovells US LLP in Washington, D.C. 

Annette Michelle “Shelli” Willis 89L, a senior finance and restructuring, real estate and corporate governance attorney, has joined Troutman Pepper in Atlanta as a partner. Willis returns to the firm after spending over six years in-house with SunTrust (now Truist) as a deputy general counsel, assistant corporate secretary and senior vice president.

“Shelli’s deep connections with our existing clients and unique expertise in real estate finance, workout and commercial lending, make her an incredible asset to the team,” said Troutman Pepper’s Amie Colby. “We look forward to working with her again in Atlanta and beyond.” Read the firm release.

Meghan Magruder 80C 83L was honored by the United Way of Greater Atlanta. She’s a partner at King & Spalding and also serves on the United Way Board of Directors. Read the firm release.

Anchel S. Samuels 57C 59L passed away November 10, 2020. Read the obituary.

On Nov. 2, former federal prosecutor David Chaiken 01L launched ChaikenLaw, a boutique national white collar defense and investigations law firm based in Atlanta. Read the release.

Pamela Maureen Jones 93L passed away on November 9, 2020. Read the obituary.

Donald B. Harden 66C 67L passed away November 6, 2020. Read the obituary.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L, a partner and chair of the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group and chair of the Higher Education Group at Mirick O'Connell, has been selected for inclusion on the 2020 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than 5% of lawyers in the state are selected to receive this honor.  

Robert “Bob” High 16L was recently elevated to partner at the Atlanta office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, where he represents clients in intellectual property disputes involving mechanical, aerospace, medical device, electrical, and computer technologies. High’s practice focuses on patent litigation, post-grant proceedings, and appeals. He also represents disabled veterans in pro bono cases before the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Read the firm’s release.

Arthur J. Shelfer 74L passed away October 28, 2020. Read the obituary.

John Ong 91L and Danae Woodward 91L, founding members of the North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association, along with other NCCCLA Board members, were instrumental in getting the Uniform Collaborative Law Act signed into law in North Carolina.

“North Carolina civil disputes can now be resolved by this confidential, expeditious, inexpensive, client-centered, and nonadversarial process,” according to the release. The nonprofit was formed to educate the public and attorneys on the use and advantages of collaborative law to resolve civil disputes. Read the blog.

John Thomas Chason 70L passed away October 17, 2020. Read the obituary.

Haila N.K. Kleinman 80L passed away on October 13, 2020.

Rebecca Hall 16L has joined LIghtfoot, Franklin & White LLC, in Birmingham, Alabama, as an associate, where she will focus on medical malpractice, professional liability, commercial litigation, and environmental and toxic torts. Read the firm release.

Jeffrey Garner Hamilton 95L passed away on October 5, 2020. Read the obituary.

Jackson Landrom Culbreth 71L passed away September 25, 2020. Read the obituary.

Paul L. Shanor 71C 77L passed away September 18, 2020. Read the obituary.

In July, James McGuire 06L joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as regional counsel for Region 6, in Dallas. Region 6 serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and 66 tribal nations. McGuire leads a team of environmental lawyers who work on legal interpretations and ensure the implementation of statutes under EPA’s jurisdiction and the Agency’s regulations. The office also reviews legal sufficiency of permits, program delegations to the states, grants, the Freedom of Information Act, general law, personnel matters, and the resolution of ethics issues.

After finishing his clerkship with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez (Southern District of Texas) Tyler Greenwood 18L has joined the Houston offices of Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Houston as an associate, where he will focus on commercial litigation.

Michael P. Saber 89L was named one of the Best Lawyers in America 2021, under the following categories: Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law and Venture Capital Law. He is a partner in the Raleigh, North Carolina offices of Smith Anderson.

Samuel McLelland 19L has joined PPGMR Law in its Little Rock, Arkansas, offices. He recently served as a law clerk for U.S. District Court for Chief Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. (Eastern District of Arkansas), and previously worked on presidential and senatorial election campaigns.

“PPGMR prides itself on having the best and brightest attorneys in the state,” said Julie DeWoody Greathouse, managing member. “And Sam is no exception. With his diverse experience, he will help us continue to deliver exceptional service, value and results.”

Bradley M. Strickland 13L was named one of the Best Lawyers in America 2021, specifically as “One to Watch” in the area of product liability litigation—defendants. He is an associate in the Baltimore, Maryland, litigation firm, Kramon & Graham. “Ones to Watch” is a new classification that Best Lawyers announced this year.

Jordan Seth Davis 96L passed away on August 23, 2020. Read the obituary.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91Lwas named the Best Lawyers 2021"Lawyer of the Year" in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the category of employment law—management. He is a partner in the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group and the Higher Education Group at Mirick O'Connell, and has been recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013.

John Ong 91L was named one of the Best Lawyers in America 2021, in the category of product liability litigation—defendants. He is a partner in the Charlotte, North Carolina, offices of Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP.

Five Emory Law alumni at HunterMacLean, based in Savannah, Georgia, were recognized recently as among the Best Lawyers in America 2021. They are: Shawn Kachmar 97L (employment); Sarah H. Lamar 91L (employment and labor); Diana J.P. McKenzie 85L (information technology); M. Lane Morrison 70L (trusts and estates); and Harold B. Yellin 82L (land use and zoning, real estate).

In August, Brent Douglas 09L joined Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP as partner in the firm’s San Diego office, where he specializes in labor and employment. 

“Brent’s depth of experience and legal expertise will be a valuable asset to our clients and a welcome addition to our firm,” said Michael J. Gleason, partner-in-charge of the San Diego office. “We are thrilled to have him on board, and he will be instrumental in helping us build our labor and employment practice in this crucial market for the firm.” Read the firm release.

Dorothy H. Bishop 58B 85L passed away on August 8, 2020. Read the obituary.

Thomas L. Murphy 72L passed away August 5, 2020. Read the obituary.

Chad I. Michaelson 99L, a partner at Pittsburgh’s Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, was named as one the top attorneys in Pennsylvania for 2020 by SuperLawyers. Michaelson was recognized for Business Litigation. A trial lawyer with more than 19 years of experience resolving complex business disputes, Michaelson also chairs the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department and serves as a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Read the firm release.

Warren Candler Fortson Sr. 50OX 56L passed away on August 1, 2020. Read the obituary.

Luther J. Battiste III 74L received the National Bar Association’s Civil Trial Advocacy Master Trial Award at the association's annual convention. Battiste is a founding shareholder of Johnson, Toal & Battiste, P.A., in Columbia, South Carolina, and has been a member of the NBA for more than 40 years. He is also the national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Read the story.

Ashley Edwards 09L, a partner at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, has been elected to the leadership team of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section. As a council member she will help drive education and networking for the state’s bankruptcy attorneys.

Edwards has served on the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Southeastern Advisory Board since 2016, is a graduate of the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Leadership Institute and has chaired the bar’s CLE Committee. She also chaired the litigation subcommittee for the Western District of N.C. Bankruptcy Local Rules Committee. Read the firm release.

In spring, Donzetta Workman Thomas 95L became the first Black woman to serve in a permanent management position in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 3 Office of Regional Counsel (based in Philadelphia). Thomas has been with the agency for more than 22 years. “As chief of the Media Program Counseling Branch, I supervise the work of attorneys who provide counseling to program clients under the following environmental statutes and regulations: Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Freedom of Information Act, Toxic Substances and Control Act, Federal Insecticide Fungicide & Rodenticide Act,” she writes.

Nancy Becker Hewes Bevan 76L passed away June 23, 2020. Read the obituary.

Susan RoBards Keith 85L passed away on June 19, 2020. Read the obituary.

Mathew Titus 07L 07T and partner Brandon Smith formed Titus Smith in Alpharetta earlier this year. They were featured in a Daily Report story on how they’ve employed technology to keep cases moving forward during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the story (subscription required).

Chad Slieper 05L has joined the faculty of Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy where he directs a program in Law, Science, and Technology. He also oversees Georgia Tech’s pre-law initiatives and teaches courses in Constitutional Issues, as well as Law, Medicine and Ethics.

“Fate picked an interesting time for Scot Burton [00L] to become the first general counsel at Phoenix Senior Living—two months before the coronavirus fell onto the national scene and hit nursing homes especially hard,” Jonathan Ringel reports in a recent Daily Report profile. In addition to monitoring legal issues stemming from the virus, Burton is also in charge of other areas of the 1,500 employee-company. Read the story (subscription required).

Davis Kingsley Loftin 96L passed away June 13, 2020. Read the obituary.

It’s time to modify official immunity, William Atkins 94L and co-author Zack Greenamyre 09C argue in an op-ed published this week in the Daily Report. They say it's a paradox that it's easier to secure a criminal conviction than to hold an officer liable for damages "for the exact same conduct." Read the article (subscription required).

“After earning her JD from Emory Law School in 1981, Mary Radford practiced for a few years before she was ready to get back to her passion (teaching),” writes Mara Thompson. “She knew it’d be a risk taking a chance on the College of Law, which had been established only two years prior, but the opportunity to be in an intellectually challenging classroom persuaded her.” Radford, Marjorie Fine Knowles Professor of Fiduciary Law, specializes in elder law, and wills and trusts. Read the story.

Robert Steven “Bobby” Horowitz 73L passed away June 9, 2020. Read the obituary.

Steve Karcher 88L reports from Texas: “[Karcher], formerly an active civil trial and business practitioner in California, Nebraska and Iowa, has set aside his busy 30-year practice to pursue his vocation as an Episcopal priest. He celebrates his anniversary as rector of a significant Episcopal parish and preschool, in Killeen, Texas, known, inter alia, as the Home of Fort Hood."

Arnold William Umbach Jr. 76L passed away May 30, 2020. Read the obituary.

Carrie N. Baker 94L has published a second edition of her book, Sexual Harassment Law: History, Cases, and Practice, along with co-authors Jennifer Ann Drobac and Rigel C. Oliveri. Baker is professor and chair of the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College. Her other books include The Women's Movement Against Sexual Harassment and Fighting the US Youth Sex Trade: Gender, Race, and Politics.

James R. Kelley 75L 77L has been recognized in the 2020 Chambers USA directory of lawyers, in the category of bankruptcy and restructuring. The citation adds that Kelley "draws on wider experience in commercial disputes and tax issues,” says the release. His firm, Neal and Harwell PLC in Nashville, Tennessee, was also recognized for general commercial litigation.

Mark Shriver 81L reports from Virginia: “After a lifetime in Atlanta (48 years) I have retired to Williamsburg, Virginia. It’s where I attended William and Mary, much smaller, and much less traffic. Plus, it makes dealing with my disability due to the rare disease of Amyloidosis easier.”

Cheryl B. Kragh 76L passed away May 8, 2020. Read the obituary.

Jess Austin 80B 80L will start his fifth season as a whitewater raft guide with the Nantahala Outdoor Center on the Nantahala River in western North Carolina. This year, he’s been elevated to lead guide and trip leader. Prior to retirement, Austin spent more than 30 years practicing law and now serves as treasurer and on the Board of Directors of the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C.

After 9 and 1/2 years with BGR Group in Washington, DC, (most recently as general counsel) Daniel McNamara 08L joined A10 Associates in April as a partner in the role of general counsel and senior vice president.

Jeffrey B. Coopersmith 90L joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in October 2019 as a partner in the firm’s white-collar practice group. He also passed along news about his wife, Stefanie Snow 91L, who is deputy prosecuting attorney for the city of Redmond, Washington. Read the firm release.

Barbara Vaughn Tinsley 71C 75L passed away on May 6, 2020. Read the obituary.

Barry Earl Billington 68L passed away April 28, 2020. Read the obituary.

Oxford College has named Casson Wen 08Ox 10C 13L this year’s “Outstanding Young Alumnus.” The award recognizes exceptional dedication, loyalty, and innovation in service to the College by an alumna or alumnus who is 12 years or less removed from earning their Oxford degree. Wen is a shareholder in Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC’s real estate practice, and is based in the firm’s Houston offices. Read the story.

Gerhardt M. Hoff 82L passed away April 22, 2020. Read the obituary.

Kurt Kastorf 02C 06L launched Kastorf Law, a litigation boutique that assists organizations and other attorneys with litigation, appellate and regulatory problems. Kastorf has previously been recognized as one of Emory University's “40 Under Forty” alumni and also serves on the Emory Law Alumni Board.

Deidré Keller 06L was named dean of Florida A & M University College of Law in Orlando this spring and begins work in July. Prior to that, she was associate dean of the Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University. A native of Georgetown, Guyana, Keller grew up in the Bronx, New York. In addition to her JD earned at Emory Law, Keller also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology from Yale University.

“Keller’s stellar academic credentials and diverse set of professional experiences in the legal and academic fields made her an ideal candidate for this position,” said Maurice Edington, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “She has articulated a clear and ambitious vision for the College, and I am confident that she will provide strong, dynamic and transformational leadership as the next dean.”

Michael A. Morse 97L, a partner at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP, was published in the April 2020 issue of Compliance Today, an article titled “Best Practices For Responding to Internal Whistleblowers.” Morse also co-presented a webinar “How the False Claims Act Impacts Municipalities,” on April 23, in conjunction with the International Municipal Lawyers’ Association. Morse advises corporations, executives, universities, public officials, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and health care providers on issues arising under the False Claims Act, and also provides counsel on internal investigations, FDA/HHS/DEA regulatory issues, and criminal and civil fraud.

Wayne J. Moulton 64C 68L passed away April 20, 2020. Read the obituary.

John H. David 57C 58L passed away April 10, 2020. Read the obituary.

Edward A. Crudup 68L passed away April 8, 2020. Read the obituary.

Benjamin Landey 62C 65L passed away April 7, 2020. Read the obituary.

Kellye L. Walker 92L joined Eastman Chemical Company on April 13, 2020, as executive vice president, chief legal officer. “Kellye brings tremendous experience after serving for over 18 years as chief legal officer of other companies in various industries,” said Mark Costa, board chair and chief executive officer of the Kingsport, Tennessee, based company. “She is a proven senior advisor and people leader with an impressive track record of success, and we look forward to welcoming her to Eastman.” Read the release.

Stephen Alicanti 12L 12B was promoted to partner on April 1, 2020. A corporate and securities lawyer at DLA Piper in New York City, Alicanti focuses on representing issuers and underwriters in domestic and international capital markets transactions.

"We have a strong pipeline of talent and nurturing and promoting our people is central to our values and strategy of providing the best client service,” said Simon Levine, Global Co-CEO. “These accomplished new partners have shown that embracing radical change and being a trusted business adviser is at the heart of our commitment to clients, and I would like to congratulate all of them on their promotions." Read the firm release.

In March, Julie Mayfield 96L won the Democratic primary for Buncombe County’s North Carolina's 49th Senate seat. She’s now an Asheville City Council member and co-director of MountainTrue. Mayfield was a Woodruff Scholar and former director of the Turner Environmental Law Clinic. Read more.

David H. Fritts 50L passed away March 29, 2020. Read the obituary.

Maria Saltiero Doughty 88C 92L is the new president and CEO of The Chicago Network, which represents more than 500 of the city’s “most influential women leaders at the forefront of Chicago’s business, professional, cultural, nonprofit and educational organizations.” Her term starts April 6. Doughty spent 23 years at Allstate Insurance Co. in senior legal, public policy, governmental affairs, and community relations positions, and led the company’s global efforts to create senior leadership opportunities for women.

“We are thrilled to welcome Maria as our next leader,” said Diane Offereins, chair of The Chicago Network and Executive Vice President, President, Payment Services at Discover Financial Services. “Maria’s strategic leadership, policy experience, and lifetime passion for promoting gender equity are exactly the characteristics required to take The Chicago Network to the next level.” Read the press release.

Joe Newman 73L has served as a pro tem judge for the State Court of Chatham County, Georgia, since September 2016. Here’s a story about his career as a federal prosecutor, prior to his appointment.

Joanna Jang 04C 09L, a partner at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP, has joined the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta board of directors, and also, the Korean-American Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta. Read the firm release.

Gwendolyn “Wendy” J. Godfrey 05L is one of four new shareholders at Polsinelli, part of the firm’s expanded financial services litigation team. She is based in Atlanta and focuses on financial services and creditors’ rights, business bankruptcies, commercial transactions and workouts. 

“Wendy is a highly experienced attorney with demonstrated success. We look forward to the value she will continue to bring to our clients, as well as help our firm continue to expand this key area of practice,” said Polsinelli Real Estate & Financial Services Department Chair Kraig Kohring. Read the firm release.

In February, Christine Norstadt 09L was elected to shareholder at Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams and Aughtry, P.C. She practices commercial real estate law in the firm's Atlanta office, representing owners, managers and users of office, retail and industrial properties, apartments and land. She counsels clients involved in acquisitions and dispositions, financing, leasing and development matters. Read the firm release.

Richard Lee Mullins 70L passed away March 4, 2020. Read the obituary.

Berman Fink Van Horn (BFV) was ranked the sixth fastest-growing law firm (by revenue) in the 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle Annual Book of Lists. The business law firm was founded by Jeffrey Berman 82L, Benjamin Fink 92L and Charles Van Horn 94L and has a strong roster of Emory Law alumni, including: William Piercy 97L, Neal Weinrich 06L, Lauren Simons Frisch 13L, Katherine Silverman 11L, Alan Lubel 75L, Lisa Morchower 89L and Lydia Hilton 87L. Several alumni were recently recognized by Super Lawyers for excellence in their fields: 

2020 Georgia Super Lawyer*
Benjamin I. Fink 92L (Top 100) – Business Litigation
Alan E. Lubel 75L – Business Litigation
William J. Piercy 97L – Business Litigation
Charles H. Van Horn 94L – Business Litigation
*No more than 5 percent of the Georgia lawyers are selected

2020 Rising Stars*
Lauren S. Frisch 13L – Business Litigation
Katherine Silverman 11L – Civil Litigation: Plaintiff
Neal F. Weinrich 06L – Business Litigation
*Attorneys 40 and under or in practice for 10 years or less (no more than 2.5 percent of Georgia lawyers)

Shareholders Berman, Fink and Van Horn were also included on the 2020 “Best Lawyers in America” list. Berman was recognized for mergers and acquisitions; Fink for labor and employment and employment law; and Van Horn for commercial litigation, real estate litigation and construction litigation. Read the firm release.

Michael Sage 88L recently joined Sozo Investment Partners LLC as senior partner and general counsel. He is known professionally for financial restructuring, including distressed situations. He previously served as co-chair of Dechert LLP's financial restructuring practice.

"Our firm is gratified that a professional of Michael Sage's stature both is joining it as an integral member of our platform and of his confidence in our long-term potential,” said Managing Partner Michael Hanna. Read the firm release.

Kenneth Raymond Carlson 76L passed away March 2, 2020. Read the obituary.

 Carl J. Stimmel 73L passed away March 1, 2020.  Read the obituary.

Jack B. Albanese 72L passed away February 24, 2020. Read the obituary.

John Lansing Kimmey III 74L passed away on February 13, 2020. Read the obituary.

Lynsey Barron 09L has joined Miller & Martin, PLLC, in Atlanta as a member in its litigation department. She previously served as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, in the Economic Fraud and Public Corruption sections. Immediately prior to joining Miller & Martin, she was as in-house compliance, data privacy, and cybersecurity counsel with UPS.

“Lynsey’s body of work is very impressive, and we are thrilled to add her to our white collar and government investigations practice. Particularly as she pursues certification as a Certified Information Privacy Professional, we know she will be a tremendous resource to clients as part of our Privacy and Data Security team as well,” said Michael Kohler, chair of the firm’s litigation department.

Charles “Brett” Merrill Jr. 66L passed away on February 12, 2020. Read the obituary.

In March, Pat McKee 77L published his novel, Ariel's Island, described as a legal techno-thriller that asks whether artificial intelligence can learn morality. It is loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Francis Earl Wiggers Jr. 72L passed away February 9, 2020. Read the obituary.

Robert W. Walker 63L passed away February 9, 2020. Read the obituary.

Sonette T. Magnus 09L is among seven new members at Lewis Rice, the St. Louis firm announced last month. She counsels corporate clients in commercial litigation, including pre-suit evaluations, discovery, mediation, expert witness preparation, trial preparation and when advisable, trial. Magnus also practices in the Governmental Solutions and Administrative Law Department.

Aalia Maan 13L and Joseph Gillman 14L were married on June 23, 2019, in Saratoga, California. The couple met at Emory Law. Mann is an associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP. Gillman is an associate with Nossaman LLP in Los Angeles.

Loraine DiSalvo 97L, a partner with Morgan & DiSalvo PC, was recently named a 2020 Georgia SuperLawyer for estate planning. This marks her eighth consecutive year on the list.

Oderah C. Nwaeze 11L has been promoted to partner at Duane Morris LLP. As a trial lawyer in the firm’s Wilmington, Delaware, offices, he litigates complex corporate and commercial matters involving state and federal law. That includes corporate governance actions; statutory actions arising under Delaware corporation law; state and federal class actions; and breach of contract disputes. Working with the firm’s IP Practice Group, he also represents clients in patent and copyright litigation in U.S. District Court. Nwaeze serves on the Compliance Committee of the board of trustees for Bancroft, a nonprofit provider of specialized services for individuals with brain injuries, autism and intellectual disabilities. He is also on the board of directors for Campus Philly, which aims to fuel economic growth in Philadelphia by encouraging college students to live and work in the Philadelphia region.

Michael Cross Jr. 00L will conduct a National Business Institute video CLE course on May 7 titled, “Business Law from Start to Finish: Entity Selection, LLC Formation, Tech Concerns, Contracts and More.” He is an attorney with Briskin, Cross & Sanford LLC, in Alpharetta, Georgia. View the course.

Angela M. Playle 97L has joined Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, in Nashville, in the firm’s Healthcare Department. Playle was previously senior vice president and deputy general counsel at an NYSE-listed real estate investment trust. As counsel, she will represent REITs, hospitals and health systems, healthcare investors and other healthcare organizations with transactions and operations involving medical office buildings and senior living communities, skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare properties.

"We are delighted to welcome Angela to Waller," said Waller Chair Matt Burnstein. "Her REIT and healthcare real estate experience will greatly benefit the healthcare organizations we serve throughout the country." Read more.

Emily Quan 13L has been elected to partner at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial in Atlanta. She focuses on civil litigation and represents clients in catastrophic injury, transportation, product liability, professional liability, premises liability, healthcare litigation, and nursing home and long-term care litigation. These matters often involve complex claims and injuries for multiple plaintiffs and defendants in both state and federal courts. Read more.

In January, Nancy Scott Rogers 77L received the Trailblazer Award from the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Rogers was elected the organization’s president in 1988, the first female attorney to hold the job. Read the story.

William N. Pettys Jr. 66L passed away January 26, 2020. Read the obituary.

William P. Smith III 60Ox 62C 64L passed away January 23, 2020. Read the obituary.

Jordan B. Forman 98L has joined Fox Rothschild LLP in Atlanta as counsel in the Litigation Department, where he assists clients with a range of transactional, commercial, contract, creditor/debtor and lien issues.

In January, Luther J. Battiste III was installed as national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates at the organization’s National Board Meeting. Battiste, a founding shareholder of Johnson, Toal & Battiste, P.A., took the oath of office from retired Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Battiste is the first African American to serve as national president. He also made history in 1983 by becoming one of the first two African Americans elected to Columbia City Council since Reconstruction. He served 15 years as a member of the Columbia City Council, including two terms as Mayor Pro Tempore. Read the release.

Shaina Stahl 09B 09L is among the 29 attorneys recently elected to partnership Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. She practices in the firm’s Orlando offices, where she concentrates on complex business litigation.

Woojin Shin 07L is among the 29 attorneys recently elected to partnership at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. He practices in the firm’s Washington, D.C. offices, where he serves Korean companies primarily in the infrastructure, automotive, defense, consumer goods and heavy equipment industries.

Amanda Speier 10L was elevated to partner at Taylor English Duma LLP in January. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department and focuses on the health care industry, particularly medical malpractice defense. She represents nurses, physicians, hospitals, home health companies and insurers in general liability, contract and billing disputes.

Crystal McElrath 10L 10T is a new partner at Swift, Currie, McGhee and Hiers, LLP, as of January.  She practices workers’ compensation defense, as well as employment law defense and counseling, specializing in disability and leave laws in Georgia. She regularly advises, trains and defends clients related to wage and hour, discrimination and human resource laws. She represents clients in industries including food sales, medical transport services, counseling and staffing. Read more.

Joanna Jang 04C 09L is a new partner at Swift, Currie, McGhee and Hiers, LLP, as of January. She practices primarily in the area of workers’ compensation defense and also has extensive experience handling business and commercial litigation cases at the state and federal level. She represents employers, insurers, self-insureds and third-party administrators in equipment rental, construction, property and hotel management, manufacturing, retail and landscaping industries before the State Board of Workers’ Compensation and all appellate courts in Georgia. Read more.

Anderson B. Scott 93L passed away on Jan. 11, 2020. Read the obituary.

Ali Arain 05L is one of eight new partners at Jenner & Block, effective January 1, 2020. He practices in the firm’s New York City offices as a litigator who represents clients in high-stakes business disputes in state and federal courts. His experience includes financial services-related litigation and internal investigations, often in cases involving securities fraud, commercial contracts and complex financial products like mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, and credit default swaps. He has represented companies and individuals under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice and state attorneys general.

Trevor Pinkerton 10L has made partner at Norton Rose Fulbright. He practices in the firm’s Houston offices and focuses on mergers and acquisitions, and securities. He was among 53 promoted throughout the international firm. Pinkerton also earned his Master of Theological Studies at Candler School of Theology.

In January, Rainbow Willard 10L was promoted to counsel at Chaffetz Lindsey. Willard regularly appears before international arbitration tribunals and U.S. courts in complex, cross-border matters. She has also helped several clients navigate parallel proceedings in international arbitration and national courts in a host of foreign jurisdictions. Willard is fluent in English, Spanish, and Kaqchikel Maya. A former federal public defender, Willard joined the firm in 2017, from Allen & Overy LLP, where she was a senior associate who practice in London and New York.

“Rainbow has played a leading role in some of our most complex arbitration matters,” said Aníbal Sabater, a member of the firm’s management group. “We could not be more impressed with her intelligence and judgment." Read more.

Priya B. Vivian 04C 09L has been elected a shareholder at Lane Powell, where she is an employment advisor and litigator who counsels employers on the full employment cycle including hiring, employment contracts, disability accommodation, handbooks and policies, discipline and separations. She also provides on-site training to employees regarding state and federal employment law compliance and represents employers in disputes, either before the EEOC or a local agency, or in federal or state litigation. In 2019, Thomson Reuters named her a “Rising Star” in labor and employment. She serves on the board of both the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle and Emory Law’s Alumni Association. She joined Lane Powell’s Seattle office in 2016 as an associate.

John Newton “Jack” Kaspers 85L passed away on Jan. 3, 2020. Read the obituary.

Ivie Guobadia Serioux 12L is a 2019 ‘Rising Star’ in the metro New York area, according to Super Lawyers. She is a labor and employment associate in Littler Mendelson's New York office, where she focuses on counseling employers in employment discrimination litigation as well as emerging issues in Title IX compliance and litigation. She drafts personnel policies and handbooks and provides counsel on federal, state and city employment law compliance. In addition to traditional labor arbitration, she conducts internal workplace investigations and manager/employee training.

In July, Nicole Schladt 18L joined Nichols Kaster as an associate in the firm’s Minneapolis office. She’ll be working on the Civil Rights and Impact Litigation team. At Emory Law, Schladt co-founded Emory LGBTQ Legal Services, and received the Brittain Award, Emory’s highest student honor. 

Thomas Bryant Buck III 59C 62L passed away on Jan. 2, 2020. Read the obituary.

Joiya Morrison-Efemini 03L writes with this news: “I have published two books, a collection of short stories and a novel in verse. My third publication, a second novel in verse is upcoming in 2020.” The upcoming novel is titled, Petrified Flowers. Read more.

Michael A. Morse 97L will be a panelist for "The False Claims Act Part 1” at the 24th Annual Compliance Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Discussion includes critical court interpretations of the Supreme Court’s Escobar decision, and recent decisions on determining “falsity” in medical necessity. Morse is a partner at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP, in Philadelphia. 

Alan S. Clarke 89L 89T and Matthew Robert Rosenkoff 05L, both partners at Taylor English, are among the ‘2019 Legal Elite’ announced by Georgia Trend magazine in December. According to magazine, hundreds of nominations were submitted from peer attorneys via its website. Any member of the Georgia Bar who lives and practices in the state was eligible to vote but was not allowed to vote for themselves.  Clarke was recognized in the category of sports/entertainment law, and Rosenkoff for business law.

Mallory Phillips III 79L passed away on Dec. 10, 2019. Read the obituary.

Samuel Bearman 76L passed away on Dec. 6, 2019. Read the obituary.

Shawn A. Kachmar 97L was recently recognized as a member of Georgia Trend’s 2019 “Legal Elite.” The list is compiled by attorneys submitting nominations through the publication’s website, and the listing is determined by attorneys’ votes. 

“Our firm is very proud to have six attorneys honored as part of this year’s Legal Elite,” said HunterMaclean Managing Partner Brad Harmon. “This recognition affirms their dedication to their practice, clients, and our community.”

Tarpley Ashworth 13L has joined Williams Mullen as a senior associate in its Corporate Section, and is based in the firm’s Richmond, Virginia, offices. He assists clients with commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and leasing. He obtained a Transactional Law Certificate from the Center for Transactional Law and Practice and clerked at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia while earning his JD.

In December, Ashworth was named one of the state’s “Legal Elite” for 2019 by Virginia Business magazine, in the category of real estate land use.

Ben Katz 12L has been named to Super Lawyers’ 2019 Mid-South Rising Star list. He is a senior associate in the bankruptcy and restructuring group at Frost Brown Todd LLC, and practices in the firm’s Nashville offices.

In November, Tom James 92L was elected to a four-year term as a trustee of Sycamore Township, Ohio. The three-member trustee board governs the 20,000-population suburban Cincinnati community, where James lives with his wife, Jill, and their four children. James starts his term in January 2020. Here’s the campaign site. James is a senior associate at Sanders & Associates in Cincinnati.

Jason S. Lichtstein 99L is the president of the Florida Brownfields Association, serving a 2019-2020 term. He is a partner at Akerman LLP in Tallahassee, Florida, where he practices environmental law. Read more. 

The Hon. G. Conley Ingram 49C 51L passed away on Nov. 11, 2019. Read the obituary.

After 10 years of coaching on the side, Ellen Cohen 85L of West Hollywood, California, has decided to make it a full-time career. Her practice focuses on helping lawyers and corporate executives enhance their productivity, build leadership skills and cultivate wellbeing and resilience. She is certified by ICF as a PCC and has extensive experience working with executives and lawyers at top law firms and Fortune 500 companies. She’s also been published in the Los Angeles Attorney At Law magazine. Cohen will present at the Ark Group Women’s Legal Conference in February on “How to Boost Your Reputation.”

Barret Broussard’s term as president of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia began Nov. 1, 2019. The statewide bar association is devoted to the interests of LGBTQ legal professionals. Broussard 13L is a litigator at Carlton Fields in Atlanta.

Christopher C. Bly 99C 02L celebrates a year on the federal bench this month, as a United States District Court magistrate for Georgia’s Northern District. When announcing his selection, Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. cited Bly’s academic and professional record.

“Chris has an exceptional scholastic record in both his undergraduate and law school studies at Emory University, including serving as the managing editor for the Emory Law Journal. His professional experience includes practice in both the private and public sector. Most recently, Chris served as an assistant United States attorney in the Appellate Section of the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia,” Thrash wrote. “Chris is a superb selection to join our exceptional bench of magistrate Judges.” Bly’s chambers are in the Atlanta federal courthouse.

Just about every major Georgia candidate for higher office has staged their headquarters out of metro Atlanta the last decade. Senate candidate Teresa Tomlinson [91L] aimed to send a message with her decision to buck that trend,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “The former Columbus mayor celebrated the debut of her main campaign office Saturday in her hometown with a marching band, food trucks and a fiery speech that argued she’s the only Democrat who can compete with U.S. Sen. David Perdue in rural Georgia. Read more.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L a partner in the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group and the Higher Education Group at Mirick O'Connell, has been included among the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers. Each year, no more than 5% of state lawyers are selected for inclusion on the list.  

Katherine Marie DeRosa 15L and MacKenzie James Emerson 16L were wed on September 29, 2018, in Atlanta. They met as members of Emory Law's Moot Court Society.

“It’s not 40 years on the bench or even turning 80 that has Judge Clarence Seeliger feeling ready to retire when his current term on the DeKalb County Superior Court ends on Dec. 31, 2020,” Katheryn Tucker writes for the Daily Report. “What gets to you is the custody cases,” the judge told the Daily Report. “They can be really wearing.” Read more.

Gabriel S. Gladstone 14L has been recognized as a 2019 ‘Rising Star’ in Massachusetts by Super Lawyers. Candidates must be either 40 or younger, or been in practice for 10 years or less. No more than 2.5% of the state's lawyer pool receive the designation. Gladstone is an associate with Morgan, Brown & Joy and practices in the firm’s Boston offices.

Paul Edmund Willingham Jr. 74L passed away on Oct. 27, 2019. Read the obituary.

Michael A. Morse 97L will present “Preparing for the Fight of Your Life: Anatomy of a Health Care Fraud Prosecution,” at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Health Law Institute on March 11-12, 2020. Morse is a partner at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP, in Philadelphia. Read more

John F. Eichorn 76L passed away October 22, 2019.

Kenneth Shigley 77L received the “Traditions of Excellence” Award for lifetime achievement at the State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting on June 7, 2019. Each year, the award goes to only four members of the Bar: a plaintiff lawyer, a defense lawyer, a general practice lawyer and a judge. Read Shigley's acceptance remarks.

Steven I. Holm 77L passed away on October 17, 2019. Read the obituary.

Glenn Brown 96L joined Squire Patton Boggs in Atlanta as a member of its Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, Brown was chief compliance officer and associate general counsel at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. 

“Serving as chief architect of a successful, global compliance management system, Glenn brings a sophisticated approach to the table when counseling clients on assessing privacy and compliance risk,” said Ann LaFrance, co-chair of the DPC Practice. “Companies face an ever-changing legislative and regulatory landscape and Glenn’s intimate knowledge strengthens our team’s capabilities in developing strategies to address new developments.” Read the release.

Cubic Corporation has appointed Hilary Hageman 93L senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. She will manage the legal department and also oversee ethics, contracts, global trade compliance and security.

“Hilary brings experience in corporate law on a global scale, as well as deep industry expertise in government and commercial contracting and M&A to her role at Cubic. I am pleased to welcome Hilary to our leadership team, we are thrilled to have her on board,” said Bradley H. Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer. Read the release.

Christian Torgrimson 97L, a partner at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, has joined the advisory board of the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference. She will play a leading role in setting the strategy and planning for the national conference at William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia. The conference “brings together members of the bench, bar, and academia to explore recent developments in the law that affect property rights,” according to the firm. Read the release.

Michelle Tanzer 88L has joined Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel as a partner in Boca Raton. She will chair the firm’s Global Club and Branded Residences group and co-chair the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure team. She was formerly a shareholder at Gray Robinson, where she chaired the Residential, Resort and Club Section in the Boca Raton office. Read the release.

Kristyne Seidenberg 00L is employed by Emory University in the Office of Equity and Inclusion, where she serves as a Title IX investigator and training specialist.

Michael Thorpe 85L writes from Duluth, Georgia: “Still practicing insurance defense, and still serving as a Gwinnett County Magistrate Court judge, but totally new is my recent release of a four-song EP/CD of all original songs, recorded in Nashville. Any who want to listen can access on the usual online/app sites, under my full name Michael David Thorpe.” Congratulations!

Nicholas Hager 17L is a magistrate at the Supreme Court of Virginia, in its 26th district, Shenandoah County. “I just marked my one year anniversary in the position,” he writes from Front Royal.

Fred Douglas Bentley Sr. 49L passed away on Oct. 3, 2019. Read the obituary.

Martha Wayne Henson 74L passed away on Oct. 1, 2019. Read the obituary.

Elliotte Quinn 11L has been named as one of Charleston Business Magazine’s 2019 ‘Best and Brightest Under 35.’ Quinn is an attorney with the Steinberg Law Firm LLP, where he focuses on construction law. Read the release.

Kurt Kastorf 06L and Matt Wetherington have started an incubator program for lawyers who want to start their own firms or become shareholders, according to the Daily Report. Wetherington terms it “a law firm ride-along.”

“The one-year incubator program, which the two organizers have dubbed the Georgia Legal Accelerator, will be a mix of small group meetings, CLE-style presentations on aspects of running a law firm and one-to-one mentoring. There is no cost to participate,” the article reads. Read the story.

Alison Elko Franklin 03L is a new shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, as part of the firm’s expansion of its global Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice. Franklin joins the firm from Dentons, and will advise clients on a broad range of restructuring matters, including corporate reorganizations, municipal reform, creditors’ rights litigation, and distressed acquisitions.

"Alison has a sterling reputation and is highly regarded in the Atlanta bankruptcy community. She will be a valuable addition to our team," said the firm’s David Kurzweil. "With wide-ranging industry experience and a diverse practice, Alison's breadth of knowledge will allow us to further our goal of providing the best service for our clients, both in Atlanta and firmwide." Read the Daily Report story.

Jessica Linse 19L has been published in Mealey’s Litigation Report: Class Actions as a co-author along with her colleague, Charlotte E. Thomas. Linse is law clerk in Duane Morris’ Philadelphia offices (pending the release of Pennsylvania bar exam results). The article is titled, “Proving The Retail Transaction: Ascertainability In Food And Cosmetic Mislabeling Class Actions,” published on July 19, 2019.

Kristin Goran 05L now serves on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries International, the organization announced this month. She is general counsel of Primrose Schools, and previously served on the board of the nonprofit, Camp Kudzu. Goran is also chair of the Franchise and Distribution Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia.

“Kristin has a keen understanding of how a parent organization and a franchisee can work together to build and protect a brand,” said Steven C. Preston, Goodwill International’s president and CEO. “Her perspective will be invaluable to our nonprofit network of 158 independent member organizations dedicated to helping people find jobs and advance their careers.”

Judd Treeman 09L 09MTS has been selected as an Up & Coming Attorney for 2019 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He is a partner with Stinson LLP, and practices in the firm’s Kansas City office.

The late Harris P. Hines 65C 68L is the 2019 recipient of the Weltner Freedom of Information Award. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation will honor the late former Georgia Supreme Court chief justice for his “judicial acumen, wisdom and kindness” on Oct 10. Read the Daily Report story.

Julie Fershtman 83C 86L has been selected for inclusion in Michigan Super Lawyers 2019 edition. She is a shareholder at Foster Swift Collins & Smith, P.C., and also serves on the Executive Committee as vice president of the Southeast offices. She practices in the firm’s Detroit office.

In September, Richard Warren 92L was named co-president of WarnerMedia Distribution, a new division that combines Turner's and HBO's distribution teams. Warren, who’s been with the company 19 years, has served as president of Turner Content Distribution since 2017. WarnerMedia told the Atlanta Business Chronicle that Warren has been key to the growth and success of Turner’s content distribution with both its traditional and digital partners. Read the Chronicle story.

Linda Rae Allen 90L passed away September 4, 2019. Read the obituary.

McKenzie "Mac" Perry Jr. 72L passed away September 2, 2019.

Samantha L. Skolnick 17L has joined Bloom Parham, LLP, as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta offices. She will focus on complex real estate disputes.

“Samantha will play a key role in our commitment to delivering the highest level of service to our clients, and we are excited to welcome her to the team,” said Simon Bloom, founder and partner. “Her litigation experience makes her an extremely valuable addition to the firm.”

Chad Michaelson 99L was included in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for the categories of Construction Law and Litigation-Construction. He’s been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2015. He is a partner at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott and practices in its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offices. Read the firm release.

This month, Casey R. McGowan 17L joined Carlton Fields as an associate in the firm's West Palm Beach office, where she is a member of the Mass Tort and Product Liability practice group.

In May, Michael Phillips 08L was appointed head of Cyber, Media & Technology Claims for North America at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, in New York City.

Allyson Krause 94L is a member of the 2019 U.S. General Counsel Powerlist, published by the Legal 500, which recognizes the most influential in-house attorneys. She is senior vice president and general counsel at Promethean. See the list.

Tom Carter 67L received the Life Time Achievement Award for Planned Giving and Trust Services, awarded on Aug. 8 at the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists Planned Giving & Trust Services Conference. Carter served 46 years as director and special counsel.

John Ong 91L was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2020 in the area of Product Liability Litigation-Defendants. He is a partner with Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, and practices in the firm’s Charlotte, North Carolina, offices. He also serves as vice-chair of the firm’s Construction Law Group. Read the firm release.

David Aughtry 82L was named “Lawyer of the Year” in the Litigation and Controversy-Tax practice area in the Atlanta market by Best Lawyers. Aughtry is a shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka. Only one lawyer in each practice area and geographic location receives the designation. Aughtry focuses on civil and criminal tax litigation. He is recognized as a national authority in tax litigation in Chambers USA and the US Legal 500 Litigation Guide. Read the press release.

Robert A. Elsner 62L passed away on Aug. 13, 2019. Read the obituary.

Kenneth Martin Worthy 41C 47L passed away on August 11, 2019. Read the obituary.

Brian Brown 79L joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in August. He practices in the firm’s Raleigh offices, as part of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Team. He focuses on domestic and international clients  in the health care and life sciences industry in the areas of mergers, acquisitions, corporate governance issues, complex commercial contracts, and tax. Read the firm release.

Ross Fishman 85L recently published his fourth and fifth books on legal marketing: The Ultimate Law Student Get-A-Job Checklist and The Ultimate Women Associates' Law Firm Marketing Checklist. Both are available through Amazon. His firm, fishmanmarketing.com, is based in Illinois.

Taylor P. Fish 14L has joined Blank Rome’s Matrimonial and Family Law group, and practices in the firm’s New York City offices. She was previously with Cohen Clair Lans Greifer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP, where she litigated a wide range of complex matrimonial and family law cases. She has written family law-related articles for various publications, including the New York State Bar Association Family Law Review. Read the firm release.

Doug Sandberg 87L, executive vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer of Atlanta-based FirstView Financial, was featured in the Daily Report. Sandberg joined WorldPay after 12 years in practicing corporate law and commercial litigation. Looking back on his time there, “I learned how to be a GC, how to work with people and understand the business.”

“Payments infrastructure is something people don’t usually think about,” he said, “but it’s critical to commerce.” Read the story.

Justin R. Pollak 08L has joined Davis & Gilbert LLP as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner at Hand Baldachin & Associates LLP.

“Justin has developed a strong reputation in the start-up space in New York and across the country,” said Curt C. Myers, co-chair of the firm’s Corporate Practice Group. “Based on his extensive experience in this area, he will make a valuable addition to our multi-faceted corporate team.”  Read the firm release.

Jeffrey H. Kess 81L has joined MendenFreiman, as part of a firm expansion that creates a tax controversy and planning practice. “The tax and business attorneys who have joined our firm are incredibly talented individuals whose practices dovetail perfectly with our existing expertise and client work,” said Managing Partner Larry Freimen. “I’m very pleased with this expansion and know our clients will find the addition extremely beneficial.” Prior to joining MendenFreiman, Kess was a partner at Goml Davis & Watson, LLP.

As of July 2019, Mark Galvez 08L is senior intellectual property counsel at FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, which is headquartered in New York.

Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson 08L was selected as one of the Lawyers of Color’s inaugural “Nation’s Best” in the Eastern Region. Honorees were selected for prominence and distinction in their field, noteworthy accomplishments, and a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Steven Rosenberg 90L is city manager of Staunton, Virginia, as of July 1. He previously served as the city’s deputy manager and has 29 years of city, county and state government experience. 

“All of our finalists were very competitive and could bring numerous strengths to the position,” Mayor Carolyn Dull said. “However, it was clear that Steve Rosenberg had the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to be successful as Staunton’s city manager. Just as important, he loves Staunton and its citizens, and is passionate about our work together.” Read the news release.

Jeffrey Swart 89B 95L has been promoted to executive vice president and chief legal officer at TrueCar, Inc. He joined the company in 2014 and has served as the company's outside regulatory counsel since 2012. Prior to joining TrueCar, Swart was a litigation partner at Alston & Bird LLP, and also, a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand.

In July, JetBlue announced the appointment of Teri P. McClure 88L to its board of directors.

McClure recently retired after nearly 25 years at UPS, where she was chief human resources officer and senior vice president of labor.

“We’re so pleased to welcome Teri to the board with her wealth of experience building high performing teams at one of the nation’s largest employers,” said Joel Peterson, chair of the JetBlue board. “She also brings valuable legal and aviation perspective from across the globe that will support the success of the airline.” McClure’s appointment brings JetBlue’s Board of Directors to 11 members, 10 of whom are independent. Read the release.

In July, D. Barret Broussard 13L received the “Best Lawyer” award from Georgia Voice. Broussard, an attorney with Carlton Fields in Atlanta, was honored as part of the publication’s reader-voted 2019 “Best of Atlanta” awards. Broussard is vice president/president-elect of the Stonewall Bar Association; his term as president starts in November 2019. He is also the Georgia representative to the National LGBT Bar Association.

James "Jim" Jacques 54L passed away July 15, 2019. Read the obituary.

The Hon. Ellen E. Edwards 87L was elected as a civil court judge for the City of New York, Kings County, in 2017 and currently serves as a criminal court judge in that jurisdiction. “Although relatively new to the bench I have been practicing law in Brooklyn, New York, since I left Emory,” she writes.

Anthony Stewart 12L, of Hall Booth Smith P.C., has been designated a Fellow of Information Privacy by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). He is the first and only private-practice attorney in Atlanta to earn the designation, and one of 752 individuals worldwide. He focuses on data privacy and security, intellectual property and general liability. Read the firm release.

Daniel Shulak 04C 10L was named as a "Rising Star" in the 2019 edition of Legal 500 US for criminal antitrust investigations and defense. He is a senior associate in Hogan Lovells' White Collar, Investigations, and Fraud Practice Group, based in Washington, DC. See the list.

Adam Sinton 12L has been named a 2019 Georgia Rising Stars by Super Lawyers in the category of civil litigation: defense. He is a partner at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn and Dial.

Ross Ginsberg 93L has been named a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer, in the category of construction litigation. He is a partner at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn and Dial.

Michelle Tanzer 88L of GrayRobinson has been appointed chair of the National Club Association’s (NCA) Membership Committee and co-chair of its Conference Planning Committee. She is a shareholder in the firm’s Boca Raton offices, where she focuses on alternative dispute resolution, hospitality, residential, resort and club, and real estate.

Jim Cohen 79L was profiled by Durham North Carolina’s StoryDriven, on his work as a silversmith. He specializes in Judaica. See the article and video.

Jeffrey M. Williams 81L, founder and managing partner of Williams Family Law, P.C., is chair of the nominating committee for the 2019-20 Board of Managers of for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) Pennsylvania chapter. The slate of officers was presented at the chapter’s annual meeting, held in July in Orlando, Fla. Read the firm release.

Lymari Martinez Cromwell 08L has rejoined Bass, Berry & Sims as part of the expansion of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice. She joins as counsel and practices in the firm’s Nashville office. Read the firm release.

Ivie Guobadia Serioux 12L has been named a 2019 Super Lawyers “Rising Star” and 2019 New York City Bar Associate Leadership Institute Fellow. Serioux is an associate in Littler Mendelson’s NYC offices, and focuses on representing and counseling employers in employment discrimination litigation, traditional labor law and emerging issues in Title IX compliance.

The annual awards were announced in June, with several Emory Law recipients among them. Congratulations! Links to their stories follow (subscription required).

Lifetime Achievement:

David Aughtry 82L | Gordon Giffin 74L | Lash Harrison 65L | Louise Wells 78L

Best Mentor & “On the Rise”

Lori Cohen 90L | Jennifer Deal 09L | Vincent Russo 06L

Brooke Underwood Walker 97L passed away on June 18, 2019. Read the obituary.

“Women lawyers lead the profession in tremendous numbers, but only about 20 percent of equity shareholders at a law firm are women. They don't tend to be the rainmakers,” Julie Fershtman 86L says in a Q & A with Crain’s Detroit Business. “The networking program is for women to share concerns and support and promote each other. Over the last 30 years, just about every law school shows admission criteria for its first year students. Enrollment is made up of 50 percent women. That was true of my class when I went to Emory Law School in 1983.” Read the story.

Richard L. Nagle Jr. 70L passed away June 14, 2019. Read the obituary.

In May, Kelly Frey 09L was one of 11 attorneys named member at Mintz, which is the equivalent of achieving partner. He practices in the firm’s Boston office. “Each of these attorneys exemplifies our commitment to building a law firm that is best-in-class in its professional excellence, and each demonstrates the qualities of leadership and integrity that we and our clients value,” said Bob Bodian, the firm’s managing member. Read the firm release.

Robert Cooper 94L has been named a joint administrative partner of Boies Schiller Flexner’s Washington, D.C. office. Read the American Lawyer story.

Lisa Borden 89L, former pro bono shareholder at Baker Donelson in Birmingham, Alabama, is pursuing an LLM in International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law at the Geneva Academy, a joint program of the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of Geneva. Read the firm release.

Stephen T. Kong 95L joined Pepper Hamilton LLP in June as partner in its Corporate and Securities Practice Group, resident in Los Angeles and Orange County. He joined the firm from Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, where he served as senior corporate counsel.

“Stephen has significant experience advising on transformative technology deals, as well as handling the IP aspects of important mergers and acquisitions across industries,” said Mary L. Dickson, partner in charge of the firm’s Los Angeles office. “We are thrilled to welcome him to Pepper.”

Aaron Metviner 17L is an associate in the financial restructuring group at the New York office of Milbank LLP. 

Marc Bryant 93L has joined FS Investments, as senior managing director and chief legal officer. He will be based in the firm’s Philadelphia office and will oversee all legal and compliance functions. He will also serve on the firm’s Executive Committee. Previously, Bryant served as senior vice president, deputy general counsel and head of asset management legal at Fidelity Investments in Boston. 

Allison Surcouf 07L was recognized as a Next Generation Lawyer by The Legal 500 for Transport: Aviation and Air Travel-Litigation. She is a partner at Condon & Forsyth LLP working in the New York office. See the list.

John Maggio 96L was recognized for the second year in a row as a Leading Lawyer by The Legal 500 for Transport: Aviation and Air Travel-Litigation. He is a partner at Condon & Forsyth LLP working in the New York and Miami offices. See the list.

In June, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers released a report that recommends ways to lessen the long-term negative effects of incarceration. “The United States not only imprisons people at far higher rates than any other democracy, but it also leads the world in imposing a vast network of life-altering consequences on the millions of individuals who pass through the nation’s criminal justice system each year,” Drew Findling 84L writes in the foreword. “The nation’s criminal defense bar is determined to reverse these policies.” The report is posted on the NACDL website. Read the Daily Report story.

Brent Bartlett 13L graduated with distinction from Georgetown Law with an LLM in taxation. In June, he began a two-year clerkship with Judge Cary D. Pugh at the United States Tax Court.

Joshua Orlan 17L has joined Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP as an associate in the firm’s Miami office. He focuses on insurance litigation and trial work, including negligence and intentional tort claims, premises liability, medical and dental malpractice, workers’ compensation, products liability, and homeowners, commercial and motor vehicle litigation. “Joshua has also litigated complex and diverse cases, including violent gang extortions, wrongful death claims, civil rights actions, and medical malpractice fatalities,” according to the firm.

Former Dentons partner Amanda Leech 06L joined Akerman’s corporate M&A practice in Atlanta as partner. Akerman’s Atlanta expansion now includes five attorneys, according to the Daily Report.

“Leech brings robust transactional and governance experience, having represented numerous large corporations, Fortune 100 companies, and boards of directors in merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, general corporate governance and compliance, and board risk management reviews,” according to the firm. Read the release.

On June 1, Christine E. Howard 90L started a three-year term on Fisher Phillips’ Management Committee. She is the first woman to serve on the three-member committee, which is considered the equivalent of the board of directors. Fisher Phillips is comprised of 34 offices, with more than 400 lawyers. Howard is managing partner of the firm's Tampa office and a partner in the Atlanta office. She also served as a founding co-chair of the firm's Women's Initiative and Leadership Council.

“Christine is a distinguished lawyer and exemplifies the firm’s commitment to furthering diversity across all ranks. I am confident in her experience and enthusiasm to help lead the firm during this period of rapid growth,” said Managing Partner Roger Quillen. Howard focuses on the defense of employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation complaints, wage and hour litigation, and employee leave related complaints. Read the release.

Kathy Buckman Gibson 89B 89L was named Woman of the Year by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry’s (TAPPI) Women in Industry Division at its recent annual PaperCon conference.

“Buckman Gibson is an owner and director at Buckman, a chemistry company for industries including pulp and paper,” says the TAPPI release. “She has been involved with the pulp and paper industry for more than 25 years while working at Buckman in various capacities including as chief operating officer, general counsel and chairman of the board.” Read the release.

On June 5, Rachelle Carnesale 92L was appointed to the Fulton County Superior Court bench by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Carnesale was on the shortlist of three nominees given to Kemp in May by the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission for consideration to fill a vacancy created by Judge Gail Tusan taking senior status this spring. Carnesale is now Cherokee County chief assistant district attorney.

“Rachelle Carnesale’s experience, temperament, and leadership style are ideal for the Atlanta Judicial Circuit Superior Court,” Kemp said in a statement. “As a successful prosecutor and fierce advocate for our most vulnerable,” she “will lead by example and excel on the bench,” according to the Daily Report. Carnesale has previously served as director of the Division of Family and Children Services, and acting director of the Office of the Child Advocate and deputy chief district attorney in DeKalb County, where she supervised the Crimes Against Children Unit.

Read the story.

David D. Aughtry 82L, a shareholder at Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry in Atlanta, was named a Star Individual for tax law in Georgia for the eighth year in a row, and a top-tier attorney in Tax Controversy nationwide in the 2019 Chambers USA Guide. Read the release.

Michael Woods 03L is now Orano’s new general counsel, effective April 15, 2019, based in the firm’s corporate offices in Washington, D.C. He was previously general counsel for Sol Systems, a solar energy finance and development firm based in Washington, D.C. His experience also includes work as an attorney with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“Orano USA is a technology and services provider for used nuclear fuel management, decommissioning shutdown nuclear energy facilities, federal site cleanup and closure, and the sale of uranium, conversion, and enrichment services to the U.S. commercial and federal markets,” according to the firm release. “Orano Med is developing targeted alpha therapy to fight cancer.” Read the release.

Jon Douglas Stewart Sr. 60C 62L passed away May 10, 2019. Read the obituary.

Scott A. Ray 50C 56L passed away May 4, 2019. Read the obituary.

Samuel W. Chawkin 74L passed away May 1, 2019. Read the obituary.

With Laurie Speed 99L at the helm, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association stepped up its presence at the Georgia Legislature this year.

GTLA members “put their own practices on hold to make sure we have a voice at the Capitol and that bad laws are not passed. I think it’s what makes trial lawyers different. This isn’t a job for us,” Speed told the Daily Report in April, when her year as president ended. “We’re a one-issue organization,” she adds. “We’re focused on protecting the right to trial by jury.” Speed will serve on the executive committee for another year as immediate past president, and return her focus to Speed & King, the litigation firm she started with Michelle King two years ago. They specialize in personal injury and medical malpractice. Read the story.

Charles Stephen Coy 71L passed away on April 24, 2019. Read the obituary.

James "Jimmy" M. Wootan 79L passed away on April 21, 2019. Read the obituary.

Mitchell M. Brand 81L has joined Blank Rome LLP as a partner in the Finance, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy group in the firm’s New York office. He focuses on asset-based lending; leveraged cash flow lending; second lien, mezzanine, and unitranche financings; as well restructuring, workout, and bankruptcy matters. He joins from Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP. He was previously with Otterbourg P.C. for 33 years. Read the firm release.

John “Jack” Franklin Beasley 63L passed away on April 20. Read the obituary.

Ronald Taylor Murphy 73L passed away on April 10, 2019. Read the obituary.

An April 11 fundraiser for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Foundation for Criminal Justice, “From Legal Aid to Legal Stars: Barry Scheck and David Rudolf” will be hosted by Drew Findling 84L, NACDL president, and his wife, Beth. It’s billed as “an evening with two all-star lawyers and their legal journey from the South Bronx to streaming superstardom.”

“The NFCJ provides critical support for the nation’s criminal defense bar—the constitutionally-ordained guardians of individual liberty,” Findling said. “The criminal defense function is the ultimate brake on governmental power versus the individual, and the NFCJ ensures that the defense bar is robust in defense of the individual and pursuit of criminal justice reform. Whether assuring the government needs a warrant to search a cellphone, advocating for Brady reform, or training and ensuring that everyone has an effective lawyer, the NFCJ is the most important charity I can think of to fix America’s criminal justice system.”

On April 2, President Donald Trump announced he intends to nominate Steven Grimberg 98L for U.S. District Court judge, to serve in Atlanta. Grimberg is a former U.S. attorney known for prosecuting white-collar and cyber crimes, who served with the Department of Justice for more than 12 years. In 2018, he joined Nardello & Co., where he is managing director, head of the Atlanta office, and general counsel of the Americas. Grimberg is also an adjunct professor at Emory Law. A first-generation American, his parents immigrated from Argentina.

“President Trump has made an excellent choice in selecting Steven Grimberg to serve as a judge for the Northern District Court of Georgia,” David Perdue told the Daily Report. “Throughout his extensive legal career as a federal prosecutor, including seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Atlanta, Mr. Grimberg has served Georgians and the country with distinction. Steven Grimberg is immensely qualified for this role, and I am delighted to work with him through the confirmation process.” Read the story.

Sharon A. Gay 82L is the 2019 recipient of the WomenLEAD Excellence Award, an honor from her firm, Dentons. It recognizes women who distinguish themselves in advancing female colleagues. Gay received the “Above & Beyond” Award for her efforts to promote and elevate her women colleagues at all stages of their careers. Gay is managing partner of Denton’s Atlanta office and a member of the Public Policy practice. She is actively involved in interviewing, recruiting and integration efforts, and encourages and supports women to aid them in assuming active and visible roles in the office, the firm and the community. Read the firm release.

Jonathan Benator 08L, a partner with Lazega & Johanson LLC, was included among the 2019 Georgia Super Lawyers ‘Rising Stars’ list for real estate practice. He specializes in residential real estate law, and focuses on the representation of community association clients such as condominiums, master planned subdivisions, and mixed use developments. This is the fifth consecutive year Benator has made the list.

Leah Ward Sears 80L was quoted in the Daily Report story, “Talent or Token? Lawyers Say Diversity Still Can Be Just for Show.” The headline: “A steady stream of initiatives has scarcely increased the ranks of lawyers of color in Big Law—amid concerns that some are used as ‘window dressing’ for client pitches.”

“We’ve made great strides, but it’s been in baby steps,” Sears said. She was the first black female lawyer at Alston & Bird’s predecessor, Alston Miller & Gaines, and went on to become the youngest-ever Georgia Supreme Court justice. In the ‘80s, “it was pretty obvious that you weren’t going to get the same kind of opportunities that were going to young men who looked like the partners,” she said. “It’s better than just tokenism now,” she said. “But we have not come as far as we need to. It’s not a walk in the park for any minority now at any firm.” Read the story.

George W. Bryan 45C 50G 66L passed away March 25. 2019. Read the obituary.

In March, Elizabeth Marquardt 15L joined Miller & Martin as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta offices. She focuses on litigation and alternative dispute resolution, with experience in insurance coverage, civil litigation and construction litigation. Before joining Miller & Martin, she practiced for three years in Atlanta and externed with the Georgia Attorney General in the Government Counsel Division. Read the firm release.

Robert L. Dodd 66L passed away March 14, 2019. Read the obituary.

David H. Lanner 76L passed away March 9, 2019. Read the obituary.

Lisa Lott 94L took the bench as Superior Court judge for Georgia’s Western Judicial Circuit on Jan 1. But her election last year was both remarkable and a first.

She was the first woman elected to that bench, but also one of only two judges in the Western Circuit’s 118-year history who won their seat purely by election, rather than first serving as a governor’s appointee. Other than Judge David Sweat’s election in 2002, “the other judges who were appointed retained their seat in subsequent elections,” Lott said. “Although I have to say there were very few challengers throughout that history.”

Last May, Lott won with 54.6 of the vote against Judge Regina Quick, who Gov. Nathan Deal appointed in August 2017. Prior to that, Quick was a Georgia State House representative. Lott, a longtime public defender who lives in Athens, campaigned on the idea that judicial appointees often don’t reflect the cities they serve, she said.

“It is time for our community to elect our judges, as opposed to Atlanta appointing all of our superior court judges … And by Atlanta, I mean the governor,” Lott told the Red & Black.

“I’ve been a public servant in our community for the last 18 years ... I’ve had my feet on the ground, working in this community for those less fortunate,” Lott said during the campaign. “I’ve been involved in this community as a volunteer, as a concerned citizen, and as a parent. I know what makes this community tick. That is perspective which I believe is an essential characteristic for a fair and impartial judge.” The Western Circuit includes Clarke and Oconee Counties. Lott will serve a four-year term.

Christine Norstadt 09L has joined Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry as senior counsel. For 18 years, she and Stephanie Friese, who also joined the firm, have advised clients in all phases of commercial development and transactions.

“Stephanie and Christine’s depth of experience is an asset to our growing Atlanta office,” said Managing Shareholder Wayne Risoli. “The strategic expansion of our real estate practice is in response to client needs and is reflective of our commitment to providing integrated services for virtually all legal matters related to real estate transactions and development.”

In 2018, the pair negotiated more than one million square feet of office leases totaling more than $50 million in value. In 2018, they represented Safavieh in the acquisition and development of a 1.6 million square foot distribution center in Savannah and negotiated subsequent industrial leases to Wayfair and Electrolux. Read the firm release.

Baylie Fry 15L was profiled about her life and career at BakerHostetler LLP by VoyageATL. “After passing the Georgia Bar in 2015, am a practicing lawyer focusing my practice on healthcare transactions,” she says. “The process was a tough one, but I can truly say that I would not be where I am today without my support system—my family and friends who have all been there for me to help me through the tough times and celebrate my accomplishments.” Read the story.

Harold Yellin 82B 82L, a partner at HunterMaclean was named a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer in the category of real estate. He practices in the firm’s Savannah offices and specializes in commercial real estate, zoning/land use, and commercial leasing.

As of January, Joshua H. Viau 00L is now a partner at Fisher & Phillips, LLP, one of two attorneys in the firm’s Atlanta offices, and among 14 firmwide. “Viau has a labor and employment practice with a focus on helping employers avoid disputes,” says the Daily Report. Read the story.

Sarah Lamar 91L, a partner at HunterMaclean was named a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer in the category of employment and labor. She practices in the firm’s Savannah offices and specializes in employment law.

Shawn Kachmar 97L, a partner at HunterMaclean was named a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer in the category of employment litigation. He practices in the firm’s Savannah offices and specializes in employment law, employee benefits and business litigation.

In January, Eric Barton 00C 03L was one of five lawyers named partner at Seyfarth Shaw’s Atlanta offices (of 24 new partners announced firmwide). He is a litigator with a focus on business disputes, including trade secrets and financial services litigation. Read the story.

Theodore “Tim” McDowell 87L has published It’s a Hell of a Thing. McDowell practiced law until 2004 when he suffered a disabling brain injury. Much of the book deals with trauma associated with brain injury.

In January, Hillary Gardner 09L joined Credigy, a specialty finance company in Atlanta, as corporate counsel. She and Brian Spielman 09L live in Atlanta with daughters Eva and Joelle, she writes.

Sharon Zinns 02C 05L is among this year’s Georgia Super Lawyers. She is a principal at Beasley Allen’s Atlanta offices.

“Sharon’s practice is dedicated to securing justice for those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos,” says the firm release.

As of Feb. 1, Jonathan Jacobs 05L is a partner in the Financial Transactions group of the New York office of Morrison & Foerster LLP. He represents traditional and alternative lenders and agents in structuring, negotiating, and documenting domestic and cross-border loan arrangements, out-of-court restructurings, debtor-in-possession financings, and other credit arrangements. His experience includes cash flow finance, asset-based finance, and acquisition finance. He also counsels borrowers, including portfolio companies of private equity firms, in connection with their acquisition, working capital, and other credit facilities. Read more.

Noah Bleicher 04L, a former Government Accountability Office senior bid protest hearing officer, has joined Jenner & Block’s Washington, D.C., office as a special counsel in its Government Contracts Practice. Bleicher most recently served as deputy assistant general counsel in the procurement law division at the GAO. His practice focuses on a full range of government contracts matters, with an emphasis on bid protests. Read more.

Jonathan A. Vogel 95L of Charlotte, N.C., launched Vogel Law Firm, an education law firm focused on issues arising in K-12, higher education, and student loans. Vogel practices in both North Carolina and Georgia, and is a former deputy general counsel of the U.S. Department of Education and a former assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.

Adam Gajadharsingh 98L has joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP in their Atlanta office, as an member of their litigation group. He focuses on commercial litigation, insurance coverage disputes and intellectual property matters. Read more.

John Luther Shelnutt 58L passed away on January 27, 2019. Read the obituary.

John R. Crenshaw 57C 62L passed away on Jan. 27, 2019. Read the obituary.

Shiju Kadree 03Ox 05C 09L 09PH is the chief advocacy officer at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York City. Read her alumni spotlight, published by GALA Outwrite.

Scot “dolli” Dollinger 87L was elected judge of the 189th Civil District Court in Harris County, Texas, on November 6, 2019.

Chad Michaelson 99L has been reelected to the managing committee at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott in Pittsburgh, Pa. Michaelson is also chair of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. He has been named in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers list since 2015, and previously honored by Super Lawyers as a Pennsylvania Rising Star for seven consecutive years. He is a director of the local nonprofit Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh and serves on the Mt. Lebanon Board of Appeals. Read more.

Cherie Shellnutt Monson 92L passed away on January 22, 2019. Read the obituary.

Yelena Abalmazova Chan 12L has joined Carlton Fields' Atlanta office as a real estate attorney, where she represents owners, developers, and investors in a variety of commercial real estate transactions with an emphasis on the purchase and sale of both improved and unimproved property, financing, and development. She also advises lenders in financing transactions and negotiates commercial leases for tenant and landlord clients. Read more.

William Hawthorne III 84L has been named chief equity officer of the City of Atlanta, by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. 

“As part of our One Atlanta vision, I am committed to assembling a world-class workforce to deliver the best service to our city and residents,” Bottoms said. “I am excited that William Hawthorne … has joined our team and will bring [his] vast public and private sector expertise to our administration.”

Judd Treeman 09L is now partner at Stinson Leonard Street LLP, effective Jan. 1, 2019.

He is a member of the Real Estate and Public Finance Division and frequently represents developers, lenders and government clients in complex commercial transactions across the country.

Sarah Adle 04L has joined Harris Lowry Manton as an associate at the firm’s Atlanta office. She practices in the areas of product liability, wrongful death and personal injury, with a focus on medical malpractice. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sarah to the firm and have every confidence she will be a great addition to our growing legal team,” said Partner Stephen G. Lowry. “She brings extensive litigation experience and has a genuine passion for helping clients.”

Christopher M. Kozlowski 12L has been promoted to partner at Gentry Locke, in the firm’s Roanoke, Va., offices. Kozlowski is on the firm’s General Commercial team, advising clients in mergers and acquisitions, financings, state and federal tax matters, bank regulatory matters, securities offerings, and reporting requirements with the Securities and Exchange Commission

“I am so pleased to welcome Chris to firm partnership. He is an integral member of the Gentry Locke team, and has successfully handled many important and high-profile matters for our clients,” said Gentry Locke Managing Partner Monica T. Monday.

Marcella Ducca 05C 08L was named a “Product Liability Rising Star” by Law360. She is a shareholder at GreenbergTraurig, and focuses on the representation and defense of manufacturers in products liability litigation, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical, medical device and health care litigation. 

Jennifer Fairbairn Deal 09L was elected partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, in the firm’s Atlanta offices. She focuses on intellectual property litigation, including cases involving trademarks and trade dress, unfair competition, false advertising, licensing agreements, and internet disputes.

Joseph Negron Jr. 86L has been appointed senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of The GEO Group, Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla. Negron was most recently in litigation practice at Akerman LLP. Negron served in the Florida Legislature for 15 years, including service as both House and Senate Appropriations chair, and president of the Florida Senate.

Allyson Guy Krause 94L was featured in the Daily Report on her work as general counsel and chief privacy officer at Promethean, headquartered in Alpharetta. Read the story.

Deborah Enea 09L has been elected to the partnership of Pepper Hamilton LLP. She is a member of the Financial Services Practice Group and focuses on leveraged finance transactions. Read more.

Donald Chenevert Jr. 93L, deputy general counsel for SRC Holdings Corporation, received the ACE Award for Collaboration. Chenevert chaired the committee that successfully developed, launched and gained approval of the official ANSI standard for Remanufacturing. 

“I am honored and humbled to receive the ACE Award for Collaboration,” he said. “The Remanufacturing Industries Council reflects the power of collaboration across diverse industries —from aeronautics to electronics to office furniture to engines.”

Roshan Shah 06L was promoted to partner at Scarinci Hollenbeck. As a trial attorney, he represents real estate developers, government contractors, digital media manufacturers, restaurants, and government officials and entities. He is based in the firm’s Lyndhurst, NJ office. Read more.

Marty Rubin 59L is looking forward to his class reunion. “This will be the 60th Anniversary of my graduation from Emory Law School. And I'm prepping for my 40th 6.2 mile Peachtree Road Race on July 4th,” he writes. “I retired from my law practice in 2006 and am still enjoying life.”

Jean O’Connor 98C 01L 01PH has been appointed to the national American Diabetes Association Board of Directors, effective January 2019.

Sarah Babcock 07L has joined the Truancy Intervention Project as deputy director. “I joined the TIP in January as the deputy director—a new role for TIP, and for me! I am looking forward to supporting TIP staff and volunteers as they continue to advocate for children and families in poverty,” she writes. "I am working with fellow Emory Law alum, Emily Adams, who is TIP's staff attorney."

The Columbia Museum of Art presented the 2018 John Richard Craft Leadership Award to Luther J. Battiste III 74L. “A community leader, philanthropist, and public servant, Battiste epitomizes the values the CMA recognizes each year with the Craft Award,” according to a press release. Battiste received the award, named for the CMA’s first director, on Nov. 14, 2018.

“Luther Battiste is a positive force in the life of our community, a person distinguished for his balanced and productive leadership and love of the arts,” said Executive Director Della Watkins. “He has happily contributed to the museum’s growth and continuing success and served with modesty as an example for how to strengthen our shared commitment to culture. It is a privilege to recognize Luther for his outstanding service.” Read more

Shawn Kachmar 97L has been named a member of Georgia Trend magazine’s 2018 Legal Elite. “Legal Elite is compiled by attorneys submitting their nominations through the publication’s website, and the listing is determined solely by attorneys’ votes,” says a firm release. “Our firm is honored to have six attorneys recognized by their peers for continuous dedication to their practice and our community,” said HunterMaclean Managing Partner Brad Harmon. “These attorneys consistently demonstrate the ideals that HunterMaclean has proudly embodied since 1879.”

Nora Benavidez 14L was named the Director of US Free Expression Programs at PEN America in December.  The job includes building a national agenda to protect protester rights, press access to prisons and detention centers, addressing national security issues and more.

In late December, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced Emily Richardson 05L, deputy chief assistant district attorney for DeKalb County, will fill an open seat on the Fulton County Superior Court bench. The Daily Report says Deal chose Richardson from a six-candidate short list the Judicial Nominations Commission sent him on Dec. 19.

Senior Judge Frank Hull 73L is among the dozen legal luminaries featured in a recent Legal Speak podcast. The program features Uber’s Tony West, Noreen Krall of Apple and litigator Bill Lee. Also featured: Latham & Watkins partner Leslie Caldwell (on Special Counsel Robert Mueller III), Orrick’s Joshua Rosenkranz, and 3M GC Ivan Fong.

“At 28:51, you can hear Senior Judge Frank Hull of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit teach about Judge Elbert Tuttle; his leadership on the Fifth Circuit helped enforce desegregation rulings throughout the South,” says the Daily Report story. Read more and listen

Mystery novelist and former judge Debra H. Goldstein 77L celebrated her new series debut with the release of One Taste Too Many (published by Kensington Books) on Dec. 18, 2018.

Goldstein is an Agatha and Anthony Award finalist, and here’s a synopsis of the book: “It introduces Sarah Blair, a culinary-challenged, recently-divorced woman adjusting to her new status as ‘single,’ her new studio apartment—which she shares with her Siamese cat, RahRah—and her new job as a law firm receptionist. When her ex-husband gets murdered and her twin sister becomes the top suspect, Sarah will have to add ‘solving crimes’ to the list of challenges she’s taking on.”

Akerman LLP announced that Amy Leitch 08L is among the 21 lawyers from its 10 offices and eight practice groups chosen as new partners.

“We are thrilled to celebrate our new partners and their accomplishments, and we look forward to working with them in their new roles at the firm,” said Chairman and CEO Andrew M. Smulian. Leitch practices in Jacksonville, Fla., and focuses on a range of complex commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters, including debtor-creditor law, breach of contract, business torts, insurance, shareholder disputes, real estate, fraudulent transfers, landlord-tenant claims, judgment recovery, franchise disputes, product liability and warranty, and trusts and estates.

Following reelection to a fourth term, the Hon. Jeffrey S. Bagley 87L took the oath of office as chief judge of the Superior Court of Forsyth County, Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit, on Dec. 21. Read more

Jeremy G. Alpert 98L of Glankler Brown has been named a Fellow of the Memphis Bar Foundation. Alpert concentrates his practice in the areas of civil and commercial litigation of all types, with an emphasis on banking law, construction law and insurance law, as well as construction contract negotiation. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America for arbitration, commercial litigation, banking and finance litigation. The mission of the Memphis Bar Foundation is to: promote philanthropy among members of the Bar; advocate and support public awareness of the legal system; promote social justice and legal education; and encourage and recognize professionalism among members of the Bar.

Jeffrey D. Slanker 12L of Sniffen & Spellman, P.A., has been named a shareholder. He focuses his practice in all areas of labor and employment law, including defending employers and management in litigation arising under federal and state labor and employment laws, compliance, handbook review and drafting, training, and drafting and negotiating employment agreements. Slanker also has experience in other areas, including state and local government law, appellate practice, civil rights defense, and education law. He is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Florida as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.

Stephen L Thompson 75C 79L passed away on Nov. 5, 2018. Read the obituary.

Georgia’s legal community gathered to remember P. Harris Hines 68L—not only as Georgia’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, but also as an exceptional friend, husband, colleague and mentor. Hines died following a car accident on Nov. 4, 2018. “Hines was eulogized by Gov. Nathan Deal and Chief Justice Harold Melton,” the Daily Report story said. Read tributes by colleagues, friends, and Emory Law alumni. (subscription required)

Richard L. Wyatt Jr. 79L passed away on November 29, 2018. Read the obituary.

Maheen Akhter 14L has joined Wyche as a real estate associate, where she focuses on commercial real estate with an emphasis on multi-family and commercial development, leasing and borrower-side financing. While at Emory Law she was vice president of the South Asian Law School Association and a member of the Real Estate Practice Society. Her extensive experience includes representing both small and large companies with varied real estate needs. She has also worked with local governments to assist clients in developing private-public partnerships. Akhter is based in Wyche’s Greenville, S.C., office.

Katherine M. Silverman 11L has joined Berman Fink Van Horn as an associate attorney in its business litigation, non-compete/trade secrets and real estate litigation practice areas. She assists clients in a variety of business disputes involving commercial real estate transactions, real estate development, intellectual property and trade secrets and lending relationships.

Shan Arora 99L is director of Georgia Tech’s The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design. He is responsible for the programmatic and operational oversight of the building and coordinates efforts to ensure the operation and certification of the building under Living Building Challenge 3.1 standards. He will also champion sustainable design in the built environment throughout the Southeast. Read more

“The time has come to sail off into the sunset,” Clay Seaman 74L writes. He spent 20 years in the Navy JAG Corps and retired in 1994. His service included forward tours in the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. “For the last 20 years or so, I have had something of a niche appellate practice,” he says. “I have only six clients, all of whom live in relatively close proximity in the most exclusive gated community in California--Death Row at San Quentin,” He now lives in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, Nancy. “Soon, we’ll be able to hike in the western national parks, putter in the garden and play with the dogs. Not bad things to do in retirement.”

Trenny Stovall 93L was honored by Child’s Rights at the organization’s inaugural Atlanta Benefit and Inspiration Awards, held this month at the Cherokee Town Club. Stovall is director of the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center. Event proceeds went toward advocacy and legal action “to defend the rights, safety and well-being of children in foster card and other state child welfare institutions,” according to a press release. Read the AJC story.

Julia A. Palmer 08L has been elected one of eight new shareholders at the Oklahoma firm of McAfee & Taft. “Palmer is a trial lawyer whose state and federal litigation practice is nationwide in scope. A large portion of her practice is devoted to defending product liability cases, including class actions, on behalf of automotive manufacturers and manufacturers of commercial and consumer products,” says the firm release. She has previously been named an “Oklahoma Rising Star,” by Oklahoma Super Lawyers. Read more

Barret Broussard 13L was elected vice president/president-elect of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, the statewide bar association devoted to the interests of LGBTQ legal professionals. Broussard will serve a one-year term until November 2019, when he will begin his term as the association’s president.

Jerry A. Maddox 64L was awarded the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes his accomplishments and standing in the top 5 percent of biographies included in the 2019 edition of Who’s Who in America. Maddox served with the U.S. Marine Corps active and reserves from 1957 to 1963. He retired from Sears Roebuck and Co. after 31 years, in 1988. Afterward, he was a substitute teacher in DeKalb County, and also wrote several books. Read the Crier story.

Jackson O. Shuford Jr. 52L passed away on November 5, 2018. Read the obituary.

Timothy Samuel Mirshak 74C 77L passed away on November 5, 2018. Read the obituary.

Benjamin Fink 92L, a shareholder with Berman Fink Van Horn P.C. of Atlanta, was invited to attend the Inaugural Sedona Conference on Developing Best Practices for Trade Secrets Issues in Scottsdale, Arizona. The invitation-only event brought together thought leaders in trade secrets law. Fink will also serve on a consensus, non-partisan team to draft Principles/Best Practices Commentary on Protecting Trade Secrets in Litigation for the Sedona Conference and will also attend the Inaugural Meeting of the Sedona Conference Working Group 12 on Trade Secrets in Los Angeles.

Megan K. Dhillon 11L has joined Carlton Fields' growing Health Care practice in Washington, D.C., where she advises hospitals, health systems, long term care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, and licensed healthcare practitioners. Her career in health care law includes experience in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining Carlton Fields, Dhillon was an associate at Hancock, Daniel, & Johnson in Richmond, Virginia.

John Livingstone 01L became managing partner of Finnegan’s Atlanta office this summer. He focuses on complex pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnology patent litigation before U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission, and also serves as lead counsel in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He previously worked in the firm’s Tokyo office for four years and thus frequently helps global clients with U.S. patent issues.

Tom Donegan 98L is general counsel, Investment Banking, and a co-leader of the Legal Department for Raymond James Equity Capital Markets in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Victor A. Jaramillo 08L has joined Caplin & Drysdale, in Washington, D.C., as of October 1, 2018. He is a member of the firm’s International Tax, Private Client, and Tax Controversy practice groups, and counsels multinational corporations and high-net-worth clients on a broad spectrum of tax matters, including cross-border transactions, IRS and DOJ examinations and investigations, and tax treaty issues. He lectures worldwide on U.S. tax reform, the U.S. taxation of virtual currencies, and international tax policy.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L, a partner in the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group and the Higher Education Group at Mirick O'Connell, has been selected as a 2018 Massachusetts Super Lawyer. No more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected as such. Sigel advises clients on employment issues including employment and severance agreements, handbooks and policies, and terminations and layoffs. He also advises management on proper wage and hour classification. 

Doug Gilfillan 96L joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton as a partner on the Government Enforcement and Investigations Team in the Litigation Department in the firm’s Atlanta office. Gilfillan has spent the past decade in the United States Attorney’s Office, where he was most recently chief of the Cyber Crimes and Intellectual Property Section, and National Security Cyber Specialist in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Prior to that, he was Deputy Chief of the office’s Economic Crimes Section. Read the release.

Daniel Shulak 04C 10L was selected as a recommended practitioner in the 2018 edition of Legal 500 US for criminal antitrust investigations and defense. This is the second consecutive year Shulak’s international and domestic cartel practice has been highlighted by Legal 500. He is a senior associate in Hogan Lovells' globally-recognized White Collar, Investigations, and Fraud practice group and focuses on criminal antirust and other white collar investigations and defense.

Steve Karcher 88L, a part-time civil attorney and part-time Episcopal priest, recently accepted a position as pastor and priest to St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Nebraska City, Neb.. The church is the oldest Episcopal parish West of the Missouri, and was founded when Nebraska was still a territory.

John Nelson Hogenmuller 66C 68L passed away on October 23, 2018. Read the obituary.

Robert Thomas Efurd Jr. 53L passed away on October 22, 2018. Read the obituary.

David Patton 18L has joined Wooden McLaughlin as associate and will practice civil litigation. A recently admitted member of the Indiana Bar, Patton was the Notes & Comments Editor of the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. He received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University, and was a summer clerk for the Hon. William Lawrence of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

John Mills 90L has joined law firm Taylor English in Atlanta as a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group. “Mills brings more than 28 years of experience navigating litigation in the state and federal courts of California, Georgia and New York. He focuses his practice on bankruptcy, debtor/creditor rights, bankruptcy acquisitions and insolvency related litigation, including receiverships and foreclosures as well as commercial, real estate and finance related litigation,” according to the firm’s release. Mills is also member of the Advisory Board of the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal.

Nicholas Stevens 89L passed away on October 12, 2018. Read the obituary.

Shannon N. Proctor 15L has joined Keller and Heckman LLP, in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Her practice focuses on food and drug law, advising clients in the U.S. and internationally. Proctor joins Keller and Heckman following two clerkships, the most recent at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where she clerked for the Hon. Deborah A. Robinson 78L.

Erin C.V. Bailey 06L has been elected a director at Tuggle Duggins. She works exclusively in the areas of ERISA, employee benefits and estate planning in the firm’s Greensboro, N.C., offices.

“Erin personifies the diverse legal talent that Tuggle Duggins brings to our clients and to our community,” said Nathan Duggins, managing partner. “We are proud of her many accomplishments and look forward to what is next for her in her career.”

Julie Fershtman 83C 86L, equity shareholder with Foster Swift Collins & Smith, received the Michigan Bar’s highest honor at the State Bar’s NEXT Conference and Annual Meeting, held in September in Grand Rapids. The Roberts P. Hudson Award commends “one or more lawyers for their unselfish rendering of outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan, the legal profession and public.” The award isn’t given annually, but awarded periodically based on merit. Fershtman is co-recipient with Bruce Courtade.

“My father was a lawyer. My husband is a lawyer. It was a commitment I was born into as the daughter of a lawyer who really took his job very seriously,” Fershtman said. “You don’t become a lawyer without a significant and sincere commitment to the public and the people you serve. When you become a lawyer, your commitment is serving your clients and protecting them.”

Melissa Neri 16L has joined the Litigation Section in Maynard Cooper & Gale’s Huntsville office, as an associate. Prior to joining the firm, she was a pro se law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia and a law clerk to the Honorable Michael F. Urbanski. At Emory Law, she was symposium editor for Emory International Law Review, vice president of the Asian American Law Students Association, and president of Street Law.

Former Atlanta City Attorney Jeremy Berry 97C 03L joined Hilliard Starkey Law as of counsel in August. He told the Daily Report that his practice there focuses on government contracts and bid protests, government affairs, campaign finance and election law and government litigation. Prior to being tapped as city attorney by then-Mayor Kasim Reed last year, Berry was a partner at Dentons, formerly McKenna Long & Aldridge, where he worked with Hakim Hilliard. Read more

Kevin M. Kearney 87L, partner and general counsel with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, N.Y., has been named a “Best Lawyer” in the area of commercial litigation. Inclusion is based on “an in-depth, peer-review survey in which attorneys cast votes on the legal abilities of lawyers outside their firm who practice in the same legal and geographic areas,” according to the firm’s release.

A book by Carrie Baker 94L, Fighting the US Youth Sex Trade: Gender, Race, and Politics was published in September by Cambridge University Press. “Earlier this year, Congress passed two laws that allow states to criminally prosecute internet service providers who 'promote or facilitate' prostitution of another person and allow individuals to sue internet service providers for civil damages for harm resulting from such actions,” Baker writes on the Cambridge blog. “These laws resulted from the efforts of a politically and ideologically diverse anti-child-sex-trafficking movement that included conservatives and liberals, feminists, evangelical Christians, and others. But despite the broad-based, bipartisan support for these laws, the politics behind them are complicated.” Baker is director of the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College. Read more

Marshall R. Wood 70L passed away on September 22, 2018. Read the obituary.

Edward P. Fitzgerald 79L passed away on Sept. 21, 2018. Read the obituary.

George M. Eubanks 53C 60L passed away September 21, 2018. Read the obituary.

Court and jail officials are improving conditions for mentally ill women inmates in a South Fulton County Jail, the AJC reports. “The Sheriff’s Office is providing extra correctional officers to work with the women prisoners, and the jail’s healthcare provider is doubling its visits to the jail and educating guards on how to properly interact with the women, Fulton State Court Chief Judge Diane Bessen 87L said. Read more

Criminal defense lawyer E. Jay Abt 95L secured the release of client Ilya Zaretsky after he spent a year in custody on rape charges. Police arrested Zaretsky last September--he was accused of raping a younger relative. At the time, investigators claimed he drugged the teen and had sex with her. He was released last month after the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the case. Read more

Nicole Bigman 18L joined Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial in the firm’s Atlanta offices in September. Her civil litigation practice focuses on product liability, catastrophic injury, nursing and assisted living facilities, trucking industry and insurance related litigation. Bigman served as a judicial extern to Justice Carol Hunstein on the Supreme Court of Georgia during law school.

Lucian Dervan 02L, associate professor of law and director of criminal justice studies at Belmont University College of Law, was recently named the 68th Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section.

Susan Blizzard 91L was a recipient of a 2018 First Chair Top General Counsel Award. "The First Chair Awards is an annual selection of in-house counsel who have, through their hard work and innovation, made significant contributions to the legal community. Our award program honors the top in-house counsel for their accomplishments in the past year in a wide range of categories,” the site says.

Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Morgan 90L has been appointed co-chair IP Subcommittee of the  American Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section for the upcoming year. Before being appointed to this position, Morgan was an active member of the American Bar Association in the section for intellectual property law and section for alternative dispute resolution. Read more

Aaron Langberg 12L has joined Fisher Phillips as an associate in its San Francisco office. Skilled in all levels of litigation, Langberg brings previous experience managing employment, product liability and commercial litigation for single- and multi-plaintiff suits, according to the firm release. He joins from Wilson Elser. Read more. 

After a half-century practicing law—44 years on the bench, and more than two decades on the Supreme Court of Georgia—Chief Justice P. Harris Hines 68L has written his last opinion. He estimates he's written a thousand. His last day was Aug. 31. “It’s bittersweet leaving,” Hines told the Daily Report. “I’m not one to look back. The practice of law has been good to me. I’m one of those who have always been able to like what they do.” Read the story.

Andrew Cooper 12L has been named Air Group Legal Department manager at UPS. After working as outside counsel for the company, Cooper joined UPS in 2015 in the Corporate Legal Department as Procurement, Plant Engineering and Construction counsel supporting enterprise-wide purchasing, building and other commercial transactions. In 2016, he assumed legal responsibility for the company’s intellectual property portfolio.
 

As vice president of Phoenix Air, Randall Davis 79L has ferried some unusual cargo around the world, Bo Emerson writes in the AJC. That includes weapon-grade nuclear material, live smallpox virus and Soviet-designed landmines. In August, Davis and crew picked up a 95-year-old former Nazi labor camp guard, Jakiw Palij, and flew him back to Germany. He had lived in the United States since 1949. Read more

Russell James Rogers 92L passed away on Aug. 21, 2018. Read the Daily Report story.

Mike Saber 89L was named one of the “Lawyers of the Year” for biotechnology and life sciences practice, by The Best Lawyers in America. He is a partner with Smith Anderson in Raleigh, N.C.

Gary S. Posner 88L, a partner in the Baltimore offices of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, has been selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2019. He was recognized for his work in bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, and bankruptcy litigation.

Five Emory Law alumni at HunterMacLean were recognized recently as among the Best Lawyers in America 2019. They are: Shawn Kachmar 97L (employment); Sarah H. Lamar 91L (employment and labor); Diana J.P. McKenzie 85L (information technology); M. Lane Morrison 70L (trusts and estates); and Harold B. Yellin 82L (land use and zoning, real estate).

Best Lawyers is a legal industry guide published in almost 75 countries. Attorneys are selected through peer-review surveys that have been completed by thousands of lawyers who confidentially evaluate their peers.

The Atlanta-based Summerville Firm, which includes Kurt Kastorf 02C 06L, was recognized b the Daily Report as the "Small Firm of the Year" for appellate litigation. Kastorf is a member of the Emory Law Alumni Board, sits on the Emory Law Journal Board of Consultants and the Emory Law School Supreme Court Advocacy Project Advisory Board. Read the story.

Joseph Becker 07L has built upon the premise of his first book for young readers, The Story Of Life, to create the Annabelle & Aiden series, which includes four titles. Becker reports that two years out, they have sold more than 12,000 books and raised more than $60,000 on Kickstarter. The most recent release is titled What Happens When We Die? Read more at www.AnnabelleAndAiden.com.

Susan Clare 06L has been included among Law360’s 2018 Rising Stars in transportation, one of only four lawyers nationwide selected in the practice area, after a review of 1,200 submissions. She is a partner at King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta, deputy chair of the Automotive and Transportation Tort Litigation Practice and co-directs the Autonomous and Connected Vehicles initiative. The cross-practice team works with automotive, transportation, technology, ride-sharing and other companies in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies.

Jacqueline Lembeck 12L has joined Fox Rothschild LLP in the firm’s Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, office as an associate in the Labor & Employment Department and the Education Practice Group.

Drew Findling 84L was sworn in as president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers at its annual meeting on July 29. He was also the 2018 recipient of NACDL’s Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award, an honor presented annually to the member who best demonstrates the goals and values of the association and of the legal profession.

“Drew Findling’s entire life has been about service and the defense of people against whom the deck is clearly stacked, people who quite literally are oppressed by our criminal justice system” said past president Rick Jones. Findling was sworn by Vernon S. Pitts Jr., who hired Findling as a public defender 33 years ago.

“I will not be able to sleep at night if during the next twelve months I do nothing to lessen the impact of collateral consequences for the men and women who have been arrested, prosecuted and/or convicted of a crime; especially those who have been sentenced to prison,” Findling said. “I will only be able to sleep better at night after I know I have done something to ease their transition back to society, by helping to restore their right to vote, enhance their opportunity to get jobs that pay living wages and overall reestablish themselves as citizens whose past misdeeds have truly been forgiven and forgotten.”

Frazer Rice 01L is the author of Wealth, Actually, published in August by Lioncrest Publishing. “In short, the book helps people make good decisions around their transitions in wealth,” Rice said. He is also president of Wealth Actually LLC, a financial services and legal media company.  

David Ossam 88L is chief human resources officer and general counsel at Hanscom Federal Credit Union. He is charged with directing and overseeing all HR-related issues, as well as ensuring the organization’s rights and responsibilities comply with the law. He served as the company’s senior vice president of human resources since 2012.

Drew Findling 84L is due to be sworn in as president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on July 29 in Miami. But last year as president-elect, he let the group know he wanted to focus on how those who have been incarcerated can successfully reenter society.

“The product of that idea is a three-day gathering of defense attorneys, judges, prosecutors, celebrities and former prison inmates in Atlanta Aug. 23-25,” according to the Daily Report. It’s titled: “Shattering the Shackles of Collateral Consequences: Exploring Moral Principles and Economic Innovations to Restore Rights and Opportunities.” Scheduled speakers include: Gov. Nathan Deal, former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, Koch Industries GC Mark Holden, and Georgetown law professor Shon Hopwood. Also, in the lineup are actor and comedian Mike Epps, who served prison time as a teenager, along with some of the beneficiaries of pardons and commutations by former U.S. presidents. Read the story. 

Read more and register here.

Michael Considine 05L has joined Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, as a partner. The move was part of the firm’s expansion into Dallas, where it opened its ninth US office, and the second in Texas. Considine represents companies and private equity firms in transformative events, including cross-border M&A, carve-out divestitures, co-investments and joint ventures.

John Maggio 96L, a partner at Condon & Forsyth LLP, was recognized by U.S. Legal 500 as one of five leading lawyers in the United States for transport: aviation and air Travel, litigation. Maggio’s practice focuses on aviation defense litigation as he splits his time between New York and Florida where he manages the firm's Miami office.

John Pilcher Cowart Jr. 65L passed away on July 7, 2018. Read the obituary.

Mary Frances Callis 07L has joined Diversified Trust’s Atlanta office as a senior vice president, where she is responsible for client relationship management and the development and implementation of comprehensive estate and financial plans. She joins the firm from Morgan Stanley.

“We are excited to welcome Mary Frances to the strong team we have at Diversified Trust,” said Mark Bell, managing principal of Diversified Trust’s Atlanta office. “She has extensive experience with high-net worth financial management and estate planning which will benefit our boutique approach to helping families manage wealth through time.”

Robin Frazer Clark 88L and Justice Leah Ward Sears 80L were quoted in a Daily Report story published days before the deadline for nominations for two openings on the Georgia Supreme Court. The vacancies were created by two women justices leaving, Katheryn Tucker writes.

“When the new justices are being selected for the Georgia Supreme Court—unless we’re willing, in this day and age, to once again accept an all-male court, which is predominantly white, that neither reflects the diversity of the population served nor that of the legal profession itself—diversity must be a priority rather than an afterthought,” Sears said.

“It is, without question, imperative that our bench reflect the natural and inherent diversity of our beloved state,” Clark said. “When the bench is reflective of our diverse citizenry, there is greater confidence in the court’s rulings. Greater confidence in the bench’s rulings results in greater acceptance of its authority. Greater acceptance of the Court’s authority directly results in appreciation of the Rule of Law. This is a good thing.” 

Read the story.

Senior Judge Frank M. Hull 73L, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, received the Lifetime Achievement Award this year at the Daily Report’s 2018 Georgia Legal Awards annual ceremony.

“I simply loved being on the State Court of Fulton County, which I still consider my most important challenge and accomplishment, because I tried cases constantly,” she told the newspaper in an interview. “In my view, state courts of our country handle collectively 10 million cases, while all federal district courts had 250,000 total and 60,000 appeals collectively before all federal courts. My most important and favorite job will remain the State Court of Fulton County due to the constant daily interaction with litigants, lawyers and the community. The ‘lower the level’ of the court, the more important the court, as it is where most experience justice or do not.”

Read the story.

Elizabeth Fite 05L and Aly Pirio 08L were among the 20 recipients recognized this year by the Daily Report as exceptional young talents. Fite is assistant county attorney for DeKalb and Pirio is corporate counsel at GSMA, as of April. Read their stories, below.

Aly Pirio

Julia Greenspan 16PH was married to Shawn Skolky 15L on May 5, 2018. The event resulted in a remarkable group photo containing 11 Emory alumni from Emory Law, the Rollins School of Public Health and Goizueta Business School. Emory Law alumni pictured here include Skolky, Ben Klebanoff 15L, Lindsey Costakos 15L and Josh Combs 15L. Also pictured: Suzi Campanella 16PH, Shelby Rentmeester 16PH, Hannah Nethercut 16PH, Brita Bergland 16PH, Scott Strub 17B, and Kala Marks Raz 16PH. Congratulations!

Marcus Brown 14L has joined Turner Padget Graham & Laney, P.A., in the firm’s Columbia, S.C., offices. His practice focuses on insurance defense, including personal injury and premises liability matters. Brown joins Turner Padget from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, where he practiced in the area of complex civil litigation.

Audrey B. Bergeson 13L was installed as co-editor of The YLD Review, the newsletter of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, on June 8, during the organization’s Annual Meeting. Justice Keith Blackwell of the Supreme Court of Georgia administered the oath of office. See the photo.

Jeff Williams 81L has been named a 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawer for the 14th consecutive year. He is a founding member of Williams Family Law, and president of the American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers’ Pennsylvania Chapter as wells as a diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers (whose membership is limited to 100 attorneys nationwide).

Christian Torgrimson 97L has been awarded the CRE® (Counselor of Real Estate) designation by The Counselors of Real Estate®, an international group of high profile real estate professionals who provide expert advisory services to clients on complex real property and land-related matters. The designation was voted and confirmed in May at the Counselors’ 2018 Midyear Meetings in Chicago. She is managing partner at Atlanta-based Pursley Friese Torgrimson. Read the release.

Richard T. Gieryn Jr. 82L has been chosen to serve on the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. “Gieryn, an East Cobb resident, recently retired as chairman of the board of Axis Ireland Legal Entities, and previously served as Executive VP, general counsel and corporate secretary of Axis Capital Holdings Limited,” according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. His career started at Drew, Eckl & Farnham law firm in Atlanta as an associate before becoming a partner.” Read the brief.

Matthew Rosenkoff 05L, a partner with Taylor English Duma, was sworn in as president of the North Fulton Bar Association in May. Rosenkoff has been an NFBA member for seven years, serving as a director since 2012.

Mark Wasserman 86L, U.S. CEO for Eversheds Sutherland, told the Daily Report that the firm’s U.S. branch aims to have women represent at least 30 percent of its total partners and its equity partners by 2021.

“To move the needle, everyone in the firm needs a target,” Wasserman said. “We use metrics in other ways—[that] we want to have revenue of X and work of Y—so why not do so about something as important as our diversity and inclusion numbers?” Read the story.

Valerie Kitay 03L was named General Counsel of the Year in June. She is general counsel and chief compliance officer at Savanna in New York City. UK-based Lexology, along with the Association of Corporate Counsel, analyzed more than 4,000 nominations from corporate counsel and law firm partners worldwide to determine recipients of the 12th annual Global Counsel Awards. The winners were announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony in New York on Thursday June 7, 2018. Read the release.

Amy Weil 81Lhas been invited by the U.S. Supreme Court to brief and argue a specific position in an attorneys’ fee dispute (in a social security case) that will likely be argued next term. Typically, these rare appointments typically go to former high court clerks, Bloomberg Law reports. It’s the first time justices have asked a non-former clerk to argue as an amicus in an upcoming case in over a decade, according to Bloomberg research. There have only been 51 other such appointments since the practice began in 1966, according Adam Feldman, who blogged about the practice in January. Weil was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers in 2016. Read the story.

Carlos Kelly 97L has been appointed by the incoming Florida Bar President Michelle Suskauer to continue his service on the Bar’s Eminent Domain Committee. Kelly is a stockholder with Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., in the firm’s Ft. Myers offices. Read the release.

Nina Hickson 84L has been named Atlanta's Interim City Attorney by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Hickson has an established career in government, and she most recently served as the Atlanta Beltline’s general counsel. Read the story.

Spencer Preis 03L is ethics and compliance officer and chief litigation counsel at Southwire Company, the largest manufacturer of wire and cable products in North America. Its corporate offices are in Carrollton, Ga. His primary responsibilities will be to grow the company’s global ethics and compliance program, and manage the company’s litigation portfolio. Preis was also appointed to the executive committee of Camp Twin Lakes’ Board of Directors. For 25 years, the camp has provided fully adaptive, medically supportive experiences to more than 10,000 of Georgia’s children and young adults. The goal is to help campers grow confidence and experience the joys of childhood.

Sean Milani-nia 10L has been promoted to partner at Fox Rothschild LLP. His practice, in the firm’s Washington, D.C. offices, focuses on construction law and government contracts. Read the release. 

Dara Mann 96L, known for her national class action, product liability and toxic tort practice has joined Squire Patton Boggs in its new Atlanta office, which it opened in February with a three-partner team from global firm Dentons.

After 22 years in practice, “working consecutively without a real break,” she decided to take a breather and consider her options before ultimately deciding on Squire Patton Boggs, Mann told the Daily Report. “It’s about what I want the future to look like,” she said. “The excitement of helping to develop this office with Squire was the standout to me.”

“Dara is a collaborative person. That’s why we’re so excited to have her,” said Ann-Marie McGaughey, managing partner of the Atlanta office. “In building this office, we really have the chance to build something special, and Dara is a key piece of that.” Read the story.

Chad Michaelson 99L has been named one of Pittsburgh’s top attorneys for 2018 by Super Lawyers. The list features less than 5 percent of the lawyers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania each year. He is a partner and trial lawyer with Meyer, Unkovic & Scott. He is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation and Construction Law & Litigation Groups, and also, its Management Committee.

Joyce B. Klemmer 81L has joined JAMS, an alternative dispute resolution organization. She is based in Atlanta and available worldwide to serve as a mediator, arbitrator, special master and discovery referee in areas including intellectual property, copyright, patent and trademark infringement, trade secrets and related disputes involving contracts and licenses. This follows a three-decade career in intellectual property litigation, most recently as a partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP.

“Joyce has a well-deserved reputation as a successful and experienced intellectual property attorney and neutral,” said Chris Poole, JAMS president and CEO. “We are excited to have her join the JAMS panel and know that her talent and creativity in settling disputes will be incredibly valuable to attorneys and their clients.” Read the release.

George Choundas 92C 95L has just published another book, a collection of short stories titled The Making Sense of Things. It received the Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for the Robert C. Jones Prize for Short Prose, the St. Lawrence Book Award for Fiction, and the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. Choudas is also author of 2007’s The Pirate Primer: Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers and Rogues. Here’s an interview from last month with Choundas, a litigator and former FBI agent who practices in New York City. His bio from a 2016 Kenyon Review story sums up his work.

Walter Jospin 79L, former regional director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Atlanta, is now of counsel with Finch McCranie. He joins the firm’s whistleblower practice.

“Walter Jospin’s successes as the SEC regional director and his long experience in private practice fit perfectly with Finch McCranie’s white-collar and SEC defense, corporate governance and internal investigations practices,” said former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. “He will be a tremendous asset to our firm’s clients.”

“I was interested in a law firm with a sophisticated white-collar defense and internal investigations practice,” Jospin said. “I want to work on interesting matters. I like the people here … because they are smart. They do great work.” The firm’s partners all have federal prosecutorial experience. Read the story.

Dennis Fletcher Jones Sr. 46C 49L passed away on May 13, 2018. Read the obituary.

Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson 08L was recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the Connecticut Labor & Employment category of its 2018 edition. She is a member of Robinson+Cole’s Labor + Employment Group, and focuses on counseling private sector employers, ranging from NYSE and NASDAQ companies, multinational corporations, nonprofit health care organizations, and educational institutions to manufacturers, in all areas of employment law. 

Steve Labovitz 74L has been named chair of the Council for Quality Growth, the largest trade organization in Georgia, which concentrates on smart growth, development and infrastructure improvements in the metro Atlanta area and Georgia.

Ariel Fenster 15L has joined Seyfarth Shaw as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta office, where she practices in the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group. Fenster represents employers in class and collective action lawsuits regarding pay disputes. In addition to litigating wage and hour lawsuits, from single-plaintiff cases to complex, large-scale collective actions, Fenster counsels employers on legal compliance issues including employee classification issues, workplace policies, and pay practices.

Jason Lichtstein 99L, a partner at Akerman LLP in Tallahassee, Florida, was included in the 2018 Chambers USA ranking for Florida environmental law. He is a past president of the Florida Brownfields Association and focuses on the cleanup, redevelopment, and reuse of brownfields and other distressed and impacted sites.

Michael Eber 09L has been elected partner at Rogers & Hardin LLP. His practice there focuses on complex business litigation and appeals.

Kevin Rubin 08L has joined Atlanta’s Marple Law Firm, LLC, as partner, where his focus continues to be family law.

This month, Aloke Chakravarty 97L joined Snell & Wilmer, in the firm’s Denver, Colorado, offices. Chakravarty, the federal prosecutor who prosecuted the Boston Marathon bombing case, joins the firm as a partner and will practice in its White Collar Defense and Investigations group and the Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy practice.

Chakravarty arrives from the U.S. Department of Justice where he prosecuted the U.S. v. Tsarnaev case. He led the crisis response and investigation team minutes after the bombing, developed and presented the case at grand jury, trial and sentencing, and assisted in the appeal. Read the firm release.

John L. Taylor 66Ox 68C 71L passed away on April 22, 2018. An Eagle Scout and later, a Marine, Taylor was a captain in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate General’s Corps. After his military service, he returned to Atlanta to join Troutman, Sanders, Ashemore & Boozer, and later established his own firm: McDaniel, Chorey & Taylor, now known as Taylor, Feil, Harper, Lumsden & Hess. A litigator with a long list of storied clients, Taylor at one point argued at the U.S. Supreme Court, a case that involved tax law and alcohol regulations. He was also was an avid sailor, cyclist, outdoorsman, and world traveler. In the civic realm, he served as president of the Druid Hills Civic Association, and he and his wife, Susan, helped to establish the Olmstead Park Society. Read the obituary.

Megan Ballard 14L wed James Mitchell on April 21, 2018, in Wilmington, N.C. She is an attorney with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, in Washington, D.C. Ballard served as Emory Law’s 2013-2014 Student Bar Association president, and her classmates voted her Most Outstanding 3L Student. Read the New York Times announcement.

John Alfred Blackmon Jr. 61L passed away on April 14, 2018. He served as a member of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate Corps for seven years, and held state-level office in Georgia, including Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Revenue, under Governors Lester Maddox and Jimmy Carter. He later joined Smith, Cohen, Ringel, Kohler & Martin (now Smith, Gambrell & Russell) and retired in 1999. He also served as state chairman of the Democratic Party from 1995 to 1997. Read the obituary.

 James Earl "Jimmy" Bennett, Jr. 86L passed away on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Read the obituary.

Han Choi 93L passed away on March 26, 2018. Read the obituary.

In February, Daniel Fliman 03L, one of  Turnarounds & Workouts' Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyers and a  Benchmark Litigation Future Star, joined Stroock's Financial Restructuring Group as a partner. He arrives from Kasowitz Benson Torres. His practice includes all aspects of financial restructuring, with an emphasis on strategic litigation. He has been heavily involved in the Puerto Rico Title III proceeding and the Toys "R" Us and Westinghouse chapter 11 cases, and previously had significant roles in the Lehman Brothers, J.Crew, Sabine Oil & Gas and Caesars Entertainment situations.

"Dan Fliman makes us stronger. He is a talented advocate and a skilled tactician who is a great addition to our team," said Kris Hansen, Financial Restructuring Group chair. "Dan adds depth and a recognized brand, especially to our complex litigation offering, and we provide Dan with a multi-talented bench from which to service his growing client base."

Adam M. Freiman 98L has joined WilmerHale as a partner in New York. He brings 20 years of experience in the New York market, having spent the past 10 as a partner at two AmLaw 100 firms.

“Adam has a deep understanding of the emerging company ecosystem and technology market in New York that is a great match for WilmerHale,” said Susan Murley, co-managing partner. “His arrival follows the addition of David Haber in 2017, marking steady and meaningful growth of our Emerging Company Practice in New York. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him.” Read the firm release.

Jim Porter 89L has joined Akerman LLP, in Tampa, Fla., as land use partner in its Real Estate Practice Group. Porter concentrates on land use, zoning and government relations. He is also school board attorney for the Hillsborough County School Board, and is board certified by the Florida Bar as an expert in city, county and local government law.

Jane Pyron Manning 82C 86L was elected on May 24, 2016, as a judge on the State Court of Cobb County, and took office Jan. 3, 2017.

Edgar S. Mangiafico Jr. 78L passed away on March 3, 2018. Read the obituary.

Robin Frazer Clark 88L was recently elected a member of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB) and to the Board of Directors of the ISOB Foundation. Read more about the ISOB here.

Membership is by invitation only which is preceded by a rigorous screening process that considers the lawyer’s ability, experience, accomplishments and ethical standards as assessed by trial lawyers and judges.

Della Wager Wells 86L, a 2018 graduate of Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School, has been appointed as Porter Fellow in Jerusalem for 2018-19. The Fellowship was established to advance the global leadership of students by working at St George’s, living in the interfaith context of Jerusalem, and volunteering at appropriate local agencies including the Jerusalem Peacebuilders organization. Wells is senior counsel at Alston & Bird in Atlanta and New York. She is also a past president of the Emory Law Alumni Board, and served on the Advisory Board. 

“Building bridges of prayer, involvement and understanding that strengthen the ministries of Berkeley Divinity School, St. George’s College, and Jerusalem Peacebuilders is the purpose of the Porter Fellowship. Della Wager Wells is an outstanding appointment who will accomplish much and plant the seeds for more,” said the Rev. Canon Nicholas T. Porter, President of the H. Boone and Violet M. Porter Charitable Foundation. Read the release.

Andrea L. Pollak 09L has been promoted to special counsel in Fried Frank's Executive Compensation & ERISA Department, resident in New York. Pollak advises clients on structuring investment funds to accommodate investments by ERISA and other benefit plan investors, and counsels regarding ERISA's venture capital operating company, real estate operating company and "under 25 percent" exceptions.  Read the firm release.

Pam Bettis 05L is new solicitor general for the Henry County State Court, appointed by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in February. She assumes the vacancy that the governor created by appointing her predecessor, John “Trea” Pipkin III, to the Flint Judicial Circuit Superior Court, according to the Daily Report. Read the story.

Audrey Bergeson 13L, an associate with Smith & Lake in Decatur, has been named among the 2018 Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Georgia.

The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations, all of which result in a comprehensive and diverse listing of the top 5 percent of attorneys in each state. Read the firm release.

Three Emory Law alumni who practice at HunterMaclean’s Savannah offices have been named 2018 Georgia SuperLawyers.

They are:

Shawn A. Kachmar 97L

Sarah H. Lamar 91L

Harold B. Yellin 82L

Both Kachmar and Lamar specialize in employment and labor, and Yellin’s focus is real estate.

Leadership changes, efficiency improvements, criminal justice reform and warm memories highlighted Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice P. Harris Hines’ final State of the Judiciary address to the General Assembly Thursday.

“The year 2018 will be a year of great change and great promise for our state,” Hines began, speaking to a joint session of the state Legislature in the House of Representatives Chamber at the State Capitol with a speech that was live streamed by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Read the Daily Report story.

Kristin L. Davidson 04L, an assistant federal public defender in San Antonio, Texas, argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on February 21, 2018, representing petitioner Florencio Rosales Mireles. 

“In United States v. Olano, this Court held that, under the fourth prong of plain error review, "[t]he Court of Appeals should correct a plain forfeited error affecting substantial rights if the error ‘seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings,” 507 U.S. 725, 736 (1993). To meet that standard, is it necessary, as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals required, that the error be one that "would shock the conscience of the common man, serve as a powerful indictment against our system of justice, or seriously call into question the competence or integrity of the district judge?"

Read more at ScotusBlog.

Jeff Bjork 98L has joined Latham & Watkins LLP’s Los Angeles office as a partner in the Finance Department. Drawing on his global experience in large-scale reorganizations and insolvencies, he advises clients in distressed situations across a broad range of industries.

He is an accomplished restructuring practitioner, with years of experience representing debtors (public and privately held), distressed investors, sellers and purchasers of financially troubled companies, bond insurers, debt syndicates, and bondholder groups. He also has a successful track record representing bond insurers and other stakeholders in municipal debt restructurings, including through chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

Peter Gilhuly, global co-chair of Latham’s Restructuring, Insolvency & Workouts Practice, said: “Jeff has a multi-faceted practice and is known as a sophisticated national insolvency player. He possesses the experience, skills, and collaborative character that clients seek when they turn to Latham’s top-notch practice.”

Regina Benton Reid 88L passed away on Feb. 16, 2018. Read the obituary.

John Amabile 92L recently wrote a column, “The Potential Death of the Georgia Arbitration Act,” for the Daily Report. Summary headline: “The U.S. Supreme Court has tilted the playing field so that any state law found to be contrary to the Federal Arbitration Act is subject to complete pre-emption.”

Read the article. (subscription required)

Retired Delaware Superior Court Judge Norman A. Barron 71L died on February 13, 2018. Read the obituary.

Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP has announced its new, all-female class of partners. In Atlanta, that’s Dorothy Cornwell 09L. She is a member of the firm’s health care group and focuses on litigation and regulatory compliance, particularly at the intersection of the health care and health insurance industries. She is an experienced litigator with substantial involvement in life, health and disability litigation. 

“It was not until we completed the decision-making process that we realized that our incoming partners this year are all women,” said Julie Theall Earp, managing partner. “Given the number of talented women professionals we have in our ranks, however, this was not a surprise. We celebrate their success.” 

Sally Wagenmaker 90L is partner at Chicago’s Wagenmaker & Oberly, which also has a Charleston, S.C. office. They serve nonprofit organizations nationwide, in areas including nonprofit corporate start-ups, IRS tax exemption and compliance, employment and real estate aspects, exemptions, dispute resolution, and innovative social enterprise ventures.

“I speak regularly on exciting and fun nonprofit legal topics like board governance, religious liberty considerations, charitable fundraising, and employment law issues in the wake of governmental changes," Wagenmaker says. "Many of our clients are faith-based, and all seek to improve the world in some meaningful way.” 

In February, the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association established the inaugural Han C. Choi Mentor Award, to honor its past president and board member, Choi, Class of 1993. The award recognizes members of the bar who demonstrate a commitment to mentor next-generation Asian Pacific American attorneys.

The NAPABA Law Foundation also partnered with the Choi Family to create the Han C. Choi Scholarship, which will benefit Asian Pacific American 1L or 2L law students who exhibit academic excellence, social conscience and an interest in APA issues. Special consideration will also be given to applicants who have been adversely affected by cancer (as a survivor, or family member of a victim or survivor). More details at https://www.napabalawfoundation.org

Mark Trigg 86Lhas joined the Atlanta offices of Dentons US, LLP as a partner with the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice.

Trigg's practice includes commercial litigation; class action defense, including the $1.5 billion defense of the world's largest computer manufacturer; defamation, advertising and media claims; sports and entertainment litigation; real estate disputes; securities litigation, labor and employment litigation, contractual claims, and white collar criminal defense. Trigg is an instructor with Emory Law’s Trial Techniques Program.

"Mark is one of a handful of elite go-to litigators in the Southeast known not only for complex litigation involving corporations, but also for his deft hand with high-profile individuals in government, sports and entertainment," said Sharon Gay, managing partner of the Atlanta office. "We are delighted he's here."

Read the firm release.

“Behind the Trial,” a new podcast from the LA/Silicon Valley firm McKool Smith and Benchmark Litigation, is hosted by Courtland Reichman 95L. It features conversations with some of the country’s most well-regarded trial lawyers, such as David Boies, Elkan Abramowitz, Gary Naftalis and Diane Sullivan.

The first episode is with Evan Chesler of Cravath, who talks about the lessons he learned as a teacher in the Bronx, when he writes his closing arguments, how he still gets nervous before a trial, and what it takes to become a great trial lawyer. Read the firm release.

Stephen Labovitz 74L was honored by The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on its opening night for his dedication to community efforts on behalf of the AJFF. Labovitz has served as the festival’s board president for more than nine years and helped the organization achieve 501(c)(3) status. As the largest Jewish film festival in the world, the AJFF inspires social and cultural understanding while engaging diverse audiences with film through a Jewish lens. He is a partner at Dentons’ Atlanta offices.

Alyson Pirio 05C 08L has been promoted to partner at Holland & Knight LLP. In the firm’s Atlanta offices, she focuses on transactional tax matters, advising clients with respect to tax issues in mergers and acquisitions, joint venture transactions, inbound and outbound foreign investment, and other corporate transactions.

Nathan Brill 11L has joined Blank Rome LLP as an associate in the firm’s Corporate, M&A, and Securities Group. He is based in the Washington, D.C., office where he focuses his practice on commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and private equity matters, as well as providing general corporate counsel to emerging and mature businesses. Brill represents early-stage and established private equity funds seeking to participate or currently enrolled in the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Investment Company program and specialty lenders seeking to participate or currently enrolled in the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Lending Company program.

Michael Saber 89L is among this year’s Super Lawyers of North Carolina. He is a partner at Smith Anderson’s Raleigh offices. He co-leads the firm’s Life Sciences and AgTech industry practice groups, and often works with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, precision agriculture, medical device and animal health companies.  He also counsels entrepreneurial and closely-held businesses from start-up through growth stages.

Timothy K. Giordano 01L has been appointed to the executive committee of the American Conference on Diversity, a nonprofit dedicated to building just and inclusive schools, workplaces and communities through awareness, education & advocacy.

“For the more than 40 individuals who had the wonderful privilege of serving as law clerks to U.S. District Judge William C. O’Kelley of the Northern District of Georgia over his nearly 47 years on the federal bench, his passing on July 5, 2017, was sudden and unexpected, depriving us of any chance to say goodbye,” the Daily Report story reads. “(The judge had a total of 54 law clerks, five of whom predeceased him.) Following what would have been his 88th birthday this past January 2, we write to remember and honor our former boss, mentor, and friend.”

Read the story. (subscription required)

Caeden Drayton 07L is group patent counsel for Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. and lead ip counsel for Stanley Black & Decker subsidiaries Mac Tools-US, Lista Intl. Corp., Stanley Vidmar Inc., Stanley InnerSpace, Proto Industrial Tools, and Stanley Access Technologies. Drayton manages the portfolio of patents and trademarks related to various categories of products including storage systems, automotive tools, pneumatic tools and accessories.

Britt-Marie K. Cole-Johnson has been appointed to the board of directors of The Association of Workplace Investigators , a professional membership association for attorneys and others who conduct, manage, or have a professional interest in workplace investigations Cole-Johnson is a member of Robinson+Cole’s Labor and Employment Group. She focuses on counseling private sector employers, ranging from NYSE and NASDAQ companies, multinational corporations, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions to manufacturers, in all areas of employment law.

On Jan. 15, Teresa Tomlinson 91L, mayor of Columbus, Ga., received the 2018 MLK Jr. Unity Award at the 32nd annual Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity breakfast.

Travis Santos 09L was recently elected shareholder at Hill Ward Henderson in Tampa, Fla., where he has practiced in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights and Commercial Litigation Groups for nine years. Santos’ practice primarily involves business bankruptcy and creditors' rights litigation, including mortgage foreclosures, receiverships, replevins and proceedings supplementary. He has been recognized by Florida Super Lawyers as a Rising Star consecutively from 2013-2017.

David S. Hirsch 09L is among five attorneys who were promoted to partner at Hinckley Allen, effective January 1, 2018.