Emily C. Ward

Emily’s dynamic practice concentrates on white-collar defense, government investigations, and complex civil litigation where she represents and strategically advises companies and individuals in situations involving healthcare, business, and environmental litigation, as well as administrative and regulatory matters.

Emily’s recent experience includes representation of potential defendants in federal environmental, cybersecurity, medical billing, public corruption, export compliance, and tax fraud investigations, and successful plea negotiation for a client facing up to thirty years in prison for federal wire and bank fraud charges resulting in a sentence of probation and home confinement. She also regularly negotiates business resolutions in complex civil cases with millions of dollars at stake, defends doctors, dentists, and nurses before state disciplinary boards, and has helped students accused of academic, behavioral, and other infractions resolve situations with the administrative and academic conduct boards.

Emily does not shy away from collaboratively working with her clients, opposing counsel, and government agencies to narrow issues and creatively negotiate resolutions, and believes many contentious situations can be improved or even resolved by sitting down face-to-face to work through tough questions. That same collaborative mindset and desire to help drive her activities outside the office where she spends significant time serving as the President-Elect of the Atlanta Bar Association, leader of the Women in White Collar Defense Association’s Atlanta Chapter, and enthusiastic mentor with UGA.

In addition to practicing law and working within the legal community, Emily is a driven entrepreneur. She and her chef-husband run two thriving Atlanta restaurants, Southern Belle and Georgia Boy. In her spare time, she can usually be found spending time with her two handsome dogs, attending live music everywhere from Symphony Hall to the Buckhead Theater, or working on a jigsaw puzzle with friends.