Six Alston & Bird attorneys – James Alexander, Christina Anderson, Marva Graham, Marcus Sandifer, Elliot Watts, and Jamila Williams – have been named by The National Black Lawyers to its 2019 class of the “Top 40 Under 40.”
The award recognizes outstanding black attorneys under the age of 40 who demonstrate superior leadership, reputation, influence, stature and profile as a black lawyer. Only 40 black lawyers from each state or region are selected for membership each year. Selection is based on a multiphase process that includes peer nomination combined with third-party research.
Alexander is an associate in Alston & Bird’s Financial Services & Products Group. Drawing on his background working in government and the banking industry, he advises clients on regulatory compliance requirements, complex M&A/financial transactions, payments systems contracts, and corporate governance decisions.
Anderson, an associate in the firm’s Finance Group, focuses her practice on structured finance and other debt offerings. She primarily represents corporate trust clients in collateralized loan obligations and other asset-backed securitizations.
Graham is an associate in Alston & Bird’s Securities Litigation Group. In addition to her role as a securities litigator, she is a former intern in the Office of International Affairs at the Securities and Exchange Commission and past law clerk at the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.
Sandifer, an associate in the firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group, focuses his practice on representing clients through high-stakes commercial litigation. He is a former law clerk to the Hon. Glenda A. Hatchett, the first African American to serve as chief judge of a Georgia state court.
Watts, an associate in Alston & Bird’s Financial Services & Products Group, works with clients in the banking and payments industries on issues ranging from mergers and acquisitions to co-branded card programs. He is a former law clerk to the Hon. Brian J. Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Williams is an associate in Alston & Bird’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group. A commercial litigator, she will clerk for the Hon. Virginia Anne Phillips, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in the 2020 term. She is a former judicial extern for the Hon. Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and past diversity fellow within Fox Group Legal.