Meredith Hobbs

May 03, 2007 | Law.com

Jones Day has snagged Bryan E. Davis from Alston & Bird as a partner. The firm also has landed John R. White as of counsel and Bruce G. Luna II and Patricia J. Luna as associates from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Davis was formerly the co-head of the mergers and acquisitions practice at Alston, where he was lead outside counsel for Cingular Wireless in its $1.4 billion purchase of FCC licenses out of the bankruptcy from NextWave Telecom.

By Meredith Hobbs

2 minute read

June 07, 2007 | The Legal Intelligencer

An intellectual property group has decamped from general practice firm Carlton Fields for IP boutique Woodcock Washburn in the competitive local market for IP talent.

By Meredith Hobbs

5 minute read

June 01, 2011 | Law.com

Plaintiffs lawyers Alan J. Hamilton and Jeffrey P. Shiver have taken the plunge and started their own shop in Atlanta, Shiver Hamilton, after several years at high-profile plaintiffs firms. "It's a big risk," said Hamilton. "But we saved up money and have a good banking relationship."

By Meredith Hobbs

4 minute read

September 20, 2007 | Law.com

Former Bush administration lawyer John C. Yoo is already thinking about his ex-client's legacy. Speaking at a Federalist Society luncheon this week, Yoo argued that history will view President Bush more like Franklin D. Roosevelt or Harry S. Truman than Richard Nixon. Declaring that Bush's abrogations of power from the other branches are for the United States' defense, the former deputy assistant attorney general asserted that an "imperial judiciary" is a bigger danger right now than an imperial presidency.

By Meredith Hobbs

4 minute read

April 21, 2011 | Law.com

Deal lawyer William C. "Cal" Smith III jumped from a partnership at Troutman Sanders to one at King & Spalding last week. He has carved out a niche representing forest products companies, stemming from contacts he made during a stint in-house at Georgia-Pacific Corp.

By Meredith Hobbs

5 minute read

May 26, 2006 | National Law Journal

After 26 years as a construction law boutique, Griffin Cochrane & Marshall has combined with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, more than doubling the larger firm's construction litigation and arbitration practice. Says Lee Davis, who has been president of Griffin Cochrane, "I turned down a $10 million matter ... because I was too busy. That'll make you sick." Davis adds that the merger will also enable his firm to offer finance, real estate and corporate expertise to clients.

By Meredith Hobbs

3 minute read

July 11, 2006 | Law.com

Atlanta lawyer James Rayis, son of Iraqi immigrants, has been doing business in Iraq for 2 1/2 years, helping companies seeking reconstruction deals cut through red tape. Recently, he also trained the Iraqi oil ministry's legal department in fundamentals of international trade law. Rayis sees the promise of Iraq but acknowledges that the country is still in chaos. He deals with the present dangers on business trips by maintaining a low profile -- including wearing thrift store suits.

By Meredith Hobbs

7 minute read

June 14, 2007 | Law.com

The mission of the Southern Center for Human Rights is "to challenge the misuse of the criminal justice system to target and control poor people of color," says its director, Lisa Kung. The center exerts a disproportionate influence for a small public interest law firm whose nine lawyers' combined salary is less than that of the average partner at a big firm. Because the center receives no government money, it's one of the rare public interest groups that can bring class actions against prisons and jails.

By Meredith Hobbs

9 minute read

April 12, 2011 | Legaltech News

Should your law firm continue to bill by the hour -- or would alternative billing work better? That's the question that was posed to four in-house counsel at the American Bar Association's midyear meeting. Despite the potential advantages of alternative billing -- and lawyers' dislike of having to track their time by the hour -- firms have been slow to adapt.

By Meredith Hobbs

5 minute read

October 19, 2006 | National Law Journal

Firms with Atlanta offices are expanding their IP practices, giving regional companies more options when looking for counsel. Chemical, biotech and pharma are all the rage among firms, including Merchant & Gould, King & Spalding and Fish & Richardson, which opened an Atlanta office earlier this year. Attorneys from new law school grads to partners are discovering that Atlanta is the next big thing in intellectual property law.

By Meredith Hobbs

3 minute read