Alston & Bird has announced the election of 21 lawyers to its partnership, effective January 1.
“With this year marking the 125th anniversary of our firm’s founding, we honor our past while investing in our future through this year’s class of new partners,” said Alston & Bird Managing Partner Richard Hays. “Like the generations before them, our new partners through their dedication and accomplishments will define the character of our firm for years to come, leaving it even stronger than the one they inherited.”
The firm’s new partners are:
- Jeffrey M.H. Adams (Atlanta) has been named a partner in our Real Estate & Finance Investment Group. He represents real estate developers and investors – including private equity funds, public and private REITs, insurance companies, and foreign and domestic family offices – engaged in joint venture or fund negotiation and has significant experience on property-level acquisition, disposition, financing, and development negotiations.
- Kelley Connolly Barnaby (Washington, D.C.) is a new partner in our Litigation & Trial Practice Group. Her practice focuses on consumer protection and unfair competition matters involving antitrust, data privacy, and the False Claims Act. Representing clients as both plaintiff and defendant in federal and state court, and before federal agencies and state regulators, she practices across multiple industries, including financial services, telecommunications, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-regulated sectors.
- Paul Beard, II (Los Angeles) has been elected partner in our Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. In addition to significant appellate litigation experience, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, he represents agricultural interests, developers, and industry associations in permitting and litigation issues arising from the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, California Environmental Quality Act, and California Coastal Act, among other statutes.
- Aaron Karl Block (Atlanta) is a new partner in our Products Liability Group. Representing industry in mass torts and complex litigation, he specializes in developing his clients’ science cases and in strategic litigation that shapes the tort or regulatory framework in which business operates. His experience includes matters on behalf of the wireless, food and beverage, building product, mineral, and natural gas industries, among others.
- David Carpenter (Atlanta) is a new partner in our Litigation & Trial Practice Group. He focuses his practice on general business and commercial litigation, including consumer and privacy class action defense, business torts, and contract disputes. He has substantial experience representing companies in major class action litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts.
- Thomas Davison (Washington, D.C.) has been elected partner in our Intellectual Property Litigation Group. His practice focuses on the litigation of complex patent disputes regarding technologies such as telecommunications, semiconductors, software, and fiber optics at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in district courts.
- Michael M. Giovannini (Charlotte) has been named a partner in our State & Local Tax Group. A creative strategist who advises clients regarding all aspects of multistate unclaimed property and state and local tax law, he concentrates on representing clients in audits and voluntary disclosure agreements, as well as structuring prepaid card programs and other planning opportunities.
- Joyce Gresko (Washington, D.C.) is a new partner in our Health Care Group. Drawing on more than 10 years of advocacy and public policy experience prior to becoming a lawyer, she focuses her practice on health care regulatory, legislative, and compliance matters relating to Medicare and Medicaid payment and coding, federal and state fraud and abuse laws, effective compliance programs, and health care quality.
- Patrick R. Hanchey (Dallas) has been elected partner in our Financial Services & Products Group. He counsels banks and other financial institutions in M&A transactions, capital raises, and other matters involving state and federal banking laws, regulations, and enforcement actions. He also represents bank officers, directors, and shareholders in government enforcement actions and investigations.
- Christopher B. Kelly (Atlanta) has been named partner in our Intellectual Property Patents Group. Representing both petitioners and patent owners in post-grant trials before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board, he frequently coordinates inter partes review and covered business method review strategy for cases involving related ITC or district court litigation. He also focuses on patent prosecution, freedom-to-operate investigations, and IP portfolio management.
- Meredith Jones Kingsley (Atlanta) is a new partner in our Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She specializes in complex commercial litigation and represents corporations in government and internal investigations. She has extensive experience representing domestic and foreign companies in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s offices, and foreign competition authorities.
- Chris Lightner (Atlanta) has been elected partner in our Intellectual Property Patents Group. Armed with technical experience as a mechanical engineer, he focuses his practice on the procurement of patents for wide-ranging technologies, including electromechanical devices, medical devices, and semiconductor light sources. In addition to prosecuting patent applications before the USPTO for a wide array of international clients, he counsels clients on patent portfolio strategies, licensing negotiations, and patent validity, infringement, and enforceability considerations.
- Steven C. Mindy (Washington, D.C.) has been named a partner in our Compensation, Benefits & ERISA Litigation Group. He focuses on employee benefits and Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation related to health and welfare benefits, as well as privacy and security laws and regulations that impact benefit plans. He works extensively on issues related to the Affordable Care Act, wellness programs, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, and transportation fringe benefits.
- Elizabeth Murphy (Charlotte) is a new partner in our Finance Group. She specializes in commercial real estate finance, representing senior and mezzanine lenders and borrowers in originating and servicing conduit and portfolio loans secured by complex collateral structures.
- Cara M. Peterman (Atlanta) has been elected partner in our Securities Litigation Group, where she represents corporations and their officers and directors in shareholder litigation and investigations brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, and other federal and state agencies. She also counsels companies on cybersecurity and data privacy-related issues, as well as corporate governance matters.
- David A. Revelt (Los Angeles) has been named a partner in our Corporate Transactions & Securities Group. A former officer and attorney in the U.S. Air Force, he represents public and private businesses and commercial clients across several industries in a variety of complex real estate and corporate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, debt and equity financings, leasing, licensing, and joint venture arrangements.
- Nadya Sand (Atlanta) is a new partner in our Trademark & Copyright Group. She concentrates her practice on domestic and international trademark and copyright portfolio management, prosecution, enforcement, litigation, and counseling, as well as advertising clearance and litigation. She litigates intellectual property cases in federal and state court and handles adversarial matters before the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and other dispute resolution forums.
- Jessica L. Sharron (Los Angeles) has been elected partner in our Construction & Government Contracts Group. Her practice is tailored to representing large and small government contractors across a variety of industries on compliance with federal, state, and local procurement rules and regulations and in adversarial proceedings such as pre- and post-award bid protests and False Claims Act litigation. Additionally, she represents owners, developers, and contractors in public and commercial construction projects through all phases of construction contracts.
- Jared M. Slade (Dallas) has been named a partner in our Litigation & Trial Practice Group. He focuses on commercial litigation matters in the financial services, real estate, health care, and telecommunications industries, in addition to handling a variety of other matters before courts and arbitrators. He has led matters on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants involving complicated indentures, fiduciary duties, and commercial contracts.
- Helen Su (Washington, D.C.) is a new partner in our Intellectual Property Litigation Group. She concentrates her practice on cross-border commercial litigation, arbitration, and related strategy counseling with an emphasis on intellectual property disputes before the U.S. courts and the ITC. She also represents companies in product liability litigation and global corporate finance, M&A, and internal business transactions.
- Adam D. Swain (Washington, D.C.) has been elected partner in our Intellectual Property Litigation Group. He has extensive experience in patent and trade secret litigation, particularly in matters before the ITC. His practice covers a wide range of technologies – including semiconductors, digital television, medical products, marine sonar, and pharmaceuticals – with a focus on international patent litigation both at the ITC and federal district court.