Lauren Van Tress

Companies rely on Meaghan Boyd to develop their complex environmental and toxic tort litigation defense strategy. She also guides companies through the hoops of compliance with federal statutes such as CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and RCRA and their state counterparts. Meaghan is co-chair of Alston & Bird’s Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. She defends companies in complex environmental and toxic tort litigation in federal and state courts. She also routinely coun...

Jonathan J. Spitz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Jonathan J., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David Ware earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia where he excelled in national Moot Court competition, a precursor to his work as a trial lawyer. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of West Georgia (formerly West Georgia College) and attended on academic and athletic scholarships. While there, he was elected to the Blue Key National Honor society and Phi Eta Sigma (the small school counterpart of Phi Beta Kappa), served as a student government leader, ...

John W. Alden is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. John W., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John Allen practices environmental law with a focus on complex litigation. John has represented the State of Georgia as a Special Assistant Attorney General since 2005 in litigation and regulatory matters related to the disputes among Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerning operation of federal reservoirs and state water rights, including equitable apportionment litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. John has represented local governments in state court l...

Lauren H. Zeldin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Lauren H., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lauren H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John D. Bennett is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary's Atlanta office. Mr. Bennett represents both private businesses and local governments in employment and complex litigation matters, ranging from single plaintiff cases to high-exposure class and collective actions. Mr. Bennett’s labor and employment law practice focuses on representing clients in litigation and providing day-to-day counseling regarding federal and state employment laws, including Title VII, the Americans with Di...

William “Bill” T. Casey, Jr., is a Swift Currie partner with over 35 years of experience defending serious injury cases. He primarily works with large insurance companies and national retailers — many of which he has nurtured long-term relationships spanning decades — on claims related to premises liability, construction defect, transportation and automobile accidents and products liability. Bill has tried more than 100 cases to verdict, many of which involved wrongful...

Zahra focuses her practice on whistleblower cases (False Claims Act/qui tam), white collar criminal defense, corporate internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. For 8 years, Zahra served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. As a veteran and former state Senator, she has extensive experience dealing with the government. Due to her experience and expertise, Zahra has been called upon numerous times to be a legal analyst in high profile cases. Zahra ha...

Richard Hays is the Managing Partner of Alston & Bird. Since 2008, he has led the strategic direction of the firm and played a key role in its growth and performance. Mr. Hays also chairs the firm’s Administrative Committee. The firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Silicon Valley, Research Triangle and Brussels. Prior to his election as the Managing Partner, Mr. Hays served as the firm’s Financial Partner and also headed the ...