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Russell Jones and Kathryn McConnell have left Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton to become shareholders at Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest labor and employment firm.

That gives Littler's Atlanta office 43 lawyers, according to its website. The firm has more than 1,300 lawyers in more than 75 offices worldwide.

“Adding Russell and Katy, who both bring extensive experience in labor and employment law and a deep knowledge of the region, will further strengthen our team in Atlanta,” said Littler's Atlanta managing shareholder, L. Traywick Duffie, in an announcement.

Jones provides training and counseling to management on issues such as compliance with employment laws, wage and hour issues, disability and medical leave requirements and union avoidance. He also handles litigation and mediation.

“Having begun my legal career at Littler nearly 18 years ago, I am thrilled to rejoin the Atlanta office and to be part of a firm with unparalleled capabilities and resources,” Jones said in a statement.

McConnell counsels and defends management on employment and traditional labor law matters, including discrimination, harassment, workplace retaliation, wage and hour compliance, unfair labor practice charges, union avoidance and restrictive covenants.

She said in a statement that Littler would allow her to represent “employers operating in the U.S. and globally,” thanks to a “global footprint that is unrivaled in the space.”

Jones and McConnell had joined Kilpatrick in 2013 from the now-defunct firm Dow Lohnes after Dow Lohnes' main client, Cox Enterprises, decided to spread its legal work among more firms in Atlanta. Cox said at the time that it would continue using the Dow Lohnes lawyers if they moved to other firms. Dow Lohnes subsequently closed its Atlanta office at the end of 2013, and its Washington headquarters was acquired by Cooley.

BRIEFLY
A. Diane Baker has joined MendenFreiman as a partner from Taylor, Feil, Harper, Lumsden & Hess, giving the business and estate planning boutique 11 lawyers. Baker has more than 30 years practicing trusts and estates, and business law, including 15 years running her own solo practice. She is a member of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, ElderCare Matters, a national alliance of elder care professionals, and is a past president of the Estate Planning Council of North Georgia.

Michelle Guthrie Whitelaw has joined Drew Eckl & Farnham as of counsel from GuideOne Insurance, where she was litigation counsel for Alabama and Tennessee. She has special expertise representing medical facilities and houses of worship. Whitelaw is a member of the Charles Longstreet Weltner Inn of Court.

Smith Gambrell & Russell has added three new associates to its Atlanta office. Alex Brock joined the zoning and land-use practice after earning a J.D. in 2016 from Georgia State University. Danielle Burnett joined the litigation practice after earning a J.D. in 2017 from the University of Georgia. Nick Flint joined the corporate practice. He is also a 2017 graduate of UGA Law.

Freed Howard has added Desmond Dennis and Xin “Mina” Zhan as associates. Dennis joined from Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs and handles labor and employment, business and commercial real estate litigation. He is a 2016 graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Zhan, a native of Anhui Province, China, helps clients enforce intellectual property rights in China, where she practiced law for two years. She holds an LL.B. from South China Normal University, an LL.M. from the University of Bristol in England and earned a J.D. in 2017 from Emory University School of Law.

Family law firm Kessler & Solomiany has promoted Steve Kirson and Brooke French to partner. The firm has also added Sam Melamed as an associate. Melamed, a 2014 graduate of UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, was a staff attorney to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jane Barwick.

Miller & Martin has added two lawyers, M. Heith Frost and Jessica Malloy-Thorpe, to its business litigation practice. Frost, a 2014 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law, clerked for Judge S. Allan Alexander of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi and Judge Travis McDonough of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Before becoming a lawyer, he owned a small trucking company, Frost Express, based in Tunnel Hill, Georgia.

Malloy-Thorpe, a 2013 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, clerked for Judge Susan Lee of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and Judge Susan Collins of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton has added six first-year associates to its Atlanta office. Stephanie Bedard, a 2016 graduate of University of Virginia School of Law, clerked for Judge Virginia Hopkins of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama before joining Kilpatrick's litigation team.

The other new associates earned their law degrees this year. Erica Chanin, on the trademark and copyright team, has a J.D. from University of North Carolina. Kenesia Cook, also on the trademark and copyright team, has a J.D. from George Washington University.

Melissa Glasgow, a patent lawyer focused on mechanical and medical devices, is a graduate of University of Texas School of Law. David Hsu, a graduate of GSU College of Law, is also a patent lawyer, focused on electronics and software. Hannah Loo, in the corporate department, graduated from University of Chicago Law School.

Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry has added Reed Bennett as an associate in its corporate, securities and finance practice. Bennett is a 2017 graduate of UGA Law.

Polsinelli has elected Stan Hill to shareholder. Hill is a member of the firm's labor and employment practice.

Julie McGhee Howard of NowackHoward, has been elected president of the national Community Associations Institute's College of Community Association Lawyers, effective Jan. 1, 2018. She was elected to the group's board of governors in 2015. Fewer than 175 homeowners association lawyers nationally have been invited to join the college.

Brent Gilfedder, a partner in the capital transactions and real estate practice at King & Spalding, has joined Atlanta Habitat for Humanity's board of directors for a three-year term. The group plans to build 50 new houses locally this year and repair another 50.