Jill Travis, the next executive director of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, is an experienced law-writer, criminal defense lawyer and educator. Travis will succeed Jennifer Koehler Mackall as GACDL's leader on Dec. 1.

Travis has served as deputy legislative counsel for the Georgia General Assembly for the past 18 years, where she drafted nearly 10,000 bills and amendments, including all the laws pertaining to criminal justice reform, overhauls of the Juvenile and Evidence Codes and creation of the Georgia Public Defender Council. Before that, she spent 14 years practicing criminal defense law, first in private practice, then as chief public defender for Douglas County from 1994 to 2000.

Travis has been an instructor for the Bill Daniel Trial Advocacy Program since its inception in 1999, becoming director in 2008. She has taught trial advocacy at the University of Georgia, Georgia State University and the ICLE's Georgia Trial Skills Clinic.

Travis is an active GACDL member who's served on the board of directors and as the group's 2005 president. She has been awarded the GACDL President's Award by four of the group's presidents.

Judge William Duffey Jr. has joined JAMS as a neutral after retiring after 14 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, preceded by a stint as U.S. attorney for the Northern District in Atlanta. He is handling a variety of disputes as an arbitrator, mediator and special master.

Litigator Teresa Adams has joined Taylor English Duma as a partner from her own firm, Adams Law. Adams handles complex commercial litigation cases involving fraud, embezzlement, professional liability and owner and investor disputes. Also a CPA, she's represented clients in government investigations and internal ones involving fraud allegations. She volunteers as a child advocate through the Truancy Intervention Project.

Christine Ryan has joined Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz's commercial real estate group as of counsel from HunterMcLean in Savannah. Ryan handles real estate transactions and lease agreements, as well as real estate financing.

Brian Annino has joined MendenFreiman as a senior attorney handling business law and trusts and estates matters from his own shop, Annino Law Firm, where he spent almost a decade representing businesses and individuals. Annino represents businesses in corporate and transactional matters, as well as government investigations.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton has added two associates, Kathryn Ederle and Ben Richardson, to its complex commercial litigation team. Ederle rejoined Kilpatrick, where she'd practiced from 2010 to 2014 from the Khayat Law Firm. Richardson joined from McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans. He also clerked for Judge W. Keith Watkins of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.

Patent litigation attorney Shaton Menzie has joined Womble Bond Dickinson as an associate from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner. Before earning a J.D. from the University of Chicago in 2013, Menzie worked in the university's Office of Technology and Intellectual Property, now called the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers continues its growth spree, adding nine associates after making seven associate hires in September. That brings the litigation firm's lawyer head count to about 150. Sara Alexandre joined from Carlock Copeland & Stair, Rebecca Beane from Cole, Scott & Kissane in Florida, Tara Schlairet from Zimmerman Kiser Sutcliffe (also in Florida), Ivy White from Goodman McGuffey and Robert Young from Poole Huffman.

Avery Carter, Clay Clifton, Nichole Novosel and Kristen Vigilant joined as first-year associates after working at Swift Currie as summer associates. Carter earned a law degree from the University of Florida, Clifton from the University of Richmond, Novosel from the University of Georgia and Vigilant from the University of Alabama.

Drew Eckl & Farnham has also hired a large fall crop of new associates. Amanda Myers joined from Anderson Crawley & Burke in Ridgeland, Mississippi, David Rusnak from Atlanta real estate and litigation firm Weissman and Caryn Dreibelbis from personal injury boutique Broughton Law.

Drew Eckl also hired three first-year associates: Katelyn Fischer, Monique Clark and Shayla Bivins. Fischer is a new graduate of Mercer University School of Law, while Clark earned a law degree from Emory University and Bivins earned hers from the University of Georgia.

Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun & Rogers in Marietta has added two associates. Brandon White joined the business litigation practice after working for the Fulton County Solicitor's Office, and Arun Gupta joined the trusts and estates practice group from Frisella Law in San Diego.

Cameron Roberts has rejoined Rogers & Hardin as a litigation associate after a year as clerk for Judge Beverly Martin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Roberts also clerked for Judge J. Randal Hall of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District after earning a law degree in 2015 from the University of Georgia.

James-Bates-Brannan-Groover has added a seasoned practitioner and two first-year associates to its Macon office. Rick Epps joined as of counsel in the financial institution and real estate practice group after 19 years at Martin Snow.

Katie Coeyman joined the firm's tax and wealth planning practice group with a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. David Cromer joined the litigation practice after earning his J.D. from Mercer University School of Law where he was editor-in-chief of the Mercer Law Review.

Florida-based Carlton Fields has added Roben West as an associate in its property and casualty insurance practice group. West previously clerked for Judge Charles Wilson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Tampa after graduating as salutatorian from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. The firm's national insurance industry team has grown to more than 100 lawyers in 10 offices.

Ashmin Chowdhurry has joined Burr & Forman as a first-year associate in the lending practice group after earning her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law. She was previously a summer associate with the firm.

Tom Holder of Gerber & Holder has been elected president of the Workers' Injury Law and Advocacy Group. He is the first Georgia attorney to lead the national nonprofit, made up of more than 1,000 workers' compensation plaintiffs lawyers.

Henry Quillian III of Taylor English Duma became the new president of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association on Oct. 1 and will serve a one-year term. As the Federal Bar Association's charitable arm, the foundation supports legal research and education to foster improvements in the practice of federal law.