Stephen H. Sparwath

Mike Stevens is a partner in the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group. He focuses on executive compensation matters, with a particular emphasis on tax, securities and corporate governance issues relating to stock plans, incentive compensation arrangements, executive employment agreements and deferred compensation. Mr. Stevens frequently advises clients with respect to executive compensation issues relating to mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactio...

William Underwood is a partner on the Construction Team and head of the firm’s Atlanta office. He focuses on construction litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and contract drafting, review, and negotiation. William represents a broad array of domestic and international clients, including owners, general contractors, and design-build contractors, with issues related to large industrial and infrastructure construction projects located in the United States and abroad. He has represe...

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

Duncan Douglass heads Alston & Bird’s payment systems practice and focuses on transactions, product development and regulatory issues related to retail and wholesale payment systems and products. Payment Card Services Mr. Douglass regularly counsels payment card issuers and service providers in regulatory compliance matters, in structuring card issuance programs, and in negotiating co-branding, program manager, issuer processor and sales/distribution agent agreements. He also advise...

Lavern was named FordHarrison's first Talent and Recruiting Partner in 2018. In this new role, Lavern is responsible for recruiting and developing lawyers firm-wide. She will oversee the hiring and on-boarding of new lawyers, manage utilization and workflow, and design and implement talent development initiatives to support the career growth of our lawyers. Lavern concentrates her practice on defending employers in discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, whistle-blower, retaliation, employ...

John Shannon's comprehensive knowledge of executive compensation enables him to provide efficient and practical solutions to complex tax, securities, and corporate governance issues. John counsels public and private companies on employment and severance agreements, stock plans, and deferred compensation arrangements, and has extensive experience with compensation issues in M&A and corporate transactions. He regularly advises on equity-based and other incentive arrangements, nonqualified d...

Lee Clayton is a founding partner of Marsh Atkinson & Brantley. He defends clients in litigation related to catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, insurance coverage and bad faith claims, professional liability, appeals and commercial disputes. He handles large, complex cases defending claims on behalf of his clients, which include large national insurers, financial institutions and corporations, as well as individuals. Lee is regularly consulted on problematic fact patterns and...

Tim Butler helps companies thrive by developing tailored strategies to address their regulatory compliance challenges and vigorously defending them in government enforcement actions and bet-the-company lawsuits. A former prosecuting attorney for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and former senior official in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, Tim has led the defense of dozens of government investigations and enforcement actions brought by the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection ...

Jake Kaplan develops tax minimization strategies for families and tax-exempt organizations. Individuals come to Jake for estate and tax planning, while organizations seek Jake’s counsel on tax, governance, regulatory, and New Markets Tax Credit issues. Jake is a partner with Alston & Bird’s Federal & International Tax Group and co-leads the firm’s Tax Credit Transactions Team. He focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, exempt organizations, and New Mark...

Jonathan Golden is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Jonathan, who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2001. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.