Kerry R. Ayers

Lisa Banks is a founding partner of Katz Banks Kumin LLP, where she concentrates her practice on sexual harassment and whistleblower retaliation , as well as employment discrimination, Title IX, SEC and CFTC whistleblower tips, and contractual employment disputes. Considered to be one of the leading attorneys of the #MeToo movement, Ms. Banks has successfully litigated employment discrimination and whistleblower protection cases at the trial court and appellate level for over 25 years. Ms. Ba...

Wendy N. Enerson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law. Wendy N., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Wendy N. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Christopher Kao is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property and Litigation - Patent. Christopher, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Tracy Thompson is a partner in the firm's Birmingham office. Her practice is concentrated in the corporate and securities area and includes mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, private placements of equity and debt securities, and general corporate advice. Most of her time is spent representing clients in stock or asset purchase or sale transactions and mergers. Tracy also regularly advises clients with regard to drafting and negotiating buy-sell, partnership and operating agreements, corp...

Jim Layton joined the firm in 2017 after serving more than 22 years in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office—nearly all of those as the State’s principal civil appellate lawyer, Solicitor General. Jim practices in both appellate and trial courts, particularly in matters involving complex legal questions, including those arising under the U.S. and Missouri constitutions, Missouri school funding and other education statutes, discrimination laws, and Missouri tax laws. He repr...

Alex B. Leath is a partner in the firm’s Economic Development Practice Group and the Tax Practice Group. Since 1990, Alex has been involved in a significant number of the major economic development projects in the Southeast. As a result, he is one of the most trusted economic development attorneys in the region. Leading companies regularly seek him out for counsel on their relocation and site-selection matters, knowing his broad experience will serve them well. Alex has extensive experi...

Darren LaVerne is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Darren, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Darren is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Eric Ferrante is an associate in Nixon Peabody’s Complex Commercial Disputes group. Eric represents public and private companies in federal and state court litigation, arbitration, and mediation. What do you focus on? My practice focuses on achieving results in all types of commercial disputes, including claims related to purchase and sale agreements, distribution and marketing agreements, commercial loans and commercial foreclosures. By developing a nuanced understanding of my clients&...

René E. Thorne is the Managing Shareholder and Litigation Manager of the New Orleans, Louisiana office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice covers the full range of employee benefit litigation matters, including representation of employers, plans, plan fiduciaries, and trustees. In that regard, she has handled numerous ERISA class actions for clients such as Nortel Networks, Target, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Owens Healthcare, United Airlines ESOP Committee, Dunbar Armored, United Companies...

Dan Weede regularly represents real estate lenders, investors and developers in commercial lending, acquisitions and dispositions, and development transactions, including mixed-use and joint venture projects. Dan is primarily a “hospitality lawyer” and focuses on representing hotel owners, developers, lenders and managers in all aspects of hotel ownership, management, development and financing. He has written or spoken extensively on a variety of legal and hotel-related topics inc...