Best Lawyers Near You in Athens, Georgia
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Practice Areas
Patrick Clark is a shareholder in the Firm and concentrates his practice on advice and litigation in all areas of employment law. Although Patrick has particular expertise in representing healthcare industry clients, his representative clients also include insurance, paper/building products and publishing companies. Patrick’s representation of clients encompasses litigation in state and federal courts across the country.Patrick is viewed as one of the Firm’s “go to” la...
Burton Dodd is a partner in the firm's Atlanta office. For more than 30 years he has successfully defended colleges and universities, independent schools, multi-national manufacturers, hospitals, professional medical groups, textile manufacturers, telecommunications corporations, and other employers throughout the United States against claims of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge brought in federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Burton al...
Rob Stone is a partner in Alston & Bird’s Health Care Group, whose practice focuses on health care compliance and regulatory matters, primarily counseling national health care systems, academic medical centers, physician groups and other health care providers. His skills include assisting with the broad range of federal and state fraud and abuse issues, from compliance program development and review to internal and government investigations. He has extensive experience preparing, ne...
Will Sugden is partner with the Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Group at Alston & Bird. He represents debtors, bankruptcy trustees, creditors’ committees and other fiduciaries, as well as creditors and indenture trustees, in bankruptcy proceedings. Will has substantial experience advising parties on insolvency-related issues arising in workouts and insolvency-related issues in significant transactions. He also has significant experience advising clients on derivatives safe-...
Andrew C. Durden is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. Andrew C., 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 Andrew C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Meredith Jones Kingsley is a partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and representing corporations in government and internal investigations. Meredith serves clients in a variety of industries, including automotive, health care, and banking. Meredith has extensive experience defending companies against qui tam litigation and associated government investigations and representing domestic and foreign companies in investigat...
Ashley Brightwell is a partner in Alston & Bird's Labor & Employment Group. Ashley has extensive experience representing management in all areas of employment law, including litigating discrimination and harassment suits, counseling employers on their obligations under various federal and state statutes (such as the Family and Medical Leave Act) and litigating class-action cases alleging violations of the wage and hour laws. Ashley's practice also has a safety and health component tha...
Craig Cleland defends employers in litigation—including in class actions—and counsels them on compliance and risk management. He is also Co-Chair of the Firm’s Class Action Practice Group. Craig has served on several Atlanta-area nonprofit boards, including as chair. He is currently on the Advisory Committee for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society as well as on the Board of the Atlanta Bar Labor and Employment Section. Craig is also named in Best Lawyers in America, Atlanta Magazi...
Leslie Dent is an experienced trial lawyer who has successfully tried cases ranging from individual discrimination matters to complex wage and hour class actions. She represents employers in class and collective actions involving off-the-clock claims, challenges to exempt status and other wage-related claims, as well as Rule 23 class actions alleging discrimination claims. Leslie counsels and represents employers on a broad range of employment law issues, including discrimination, harassment,...
Chris Dillon is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Atlanta office and a member of the firm's Financial Services Team, as well as co-lead of the Asset-Based Lending Team. He is a highly experienced financial services attorney who represents lenders and borrowers in a wide variety of domestic and international commercial finance transactions. Mr. Dillon has negotiated and documented numerous secured and unsecured credit facilities, including syndicated and single bank loans, asset-based loan...
Lucas A. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Lucas A., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lucas A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
David O'Neal is a former federal prosecutor, who defends companies and individuals in high-stakes federal investigations, False Claims Act litigation against the government and whistleblowers, and complex civil litigation. He is one of the few defense attorneys in the nation that has prosecuted criminal fraud cases and pursued civil False Claims Act investigations and litigation on behalf of the United States. He also has deep experience related to enforcement under the Controlled Substances ...
William L. Baggett, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law and Litigation - Construction. William L., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Amie’s experience as in-house counsel for both institutional and privately held real estate fund managers enables her to provide her clients with commercially minded and practical advice on real estate fund formation, management, compliance, and joint ventures. Amie Benedetto is a partner in the Real Estate Finance & Investment Group. Amie offers counsel on a variety of investment management and securities law matters, with an emphasis on private real estate investment vehicles, sep...
Read's practice focuses upon representing employers in connection with lawsuits, charges, claims, arbitrations, grievances, and appeals filed by employees. He also proactively counsels and advises employers regarding various aspects of employment law (including non-competition and trade secret matters); assists employers in designing and implementing personnel policies and procedures, employee handbooks, employment agreements (including non-competition agreements), and employment dispute reso...