Sean Gordon, Thompson Hine, Atlanta. (Courtesy photo)

Sean Gordon has returned to Thompson Hine as a partner in its bankruptcy practice after a nine-year hiatus at Greenberg Traurig.

“There's a buzz going on at the Atlanta office. It's been expanding rapidly, and I'm excited to be a part of that,” said Gordon, whose move was announced Wednesday.

Thompson Hine has been on a growth push in Atlanta. Gordon is the fourth partner to join the Cleveland-based firm's Atlanta office this year, giving it 30 lawyers. Labor and employment duo John Wymer and Bryan Stillwagon joined from Colorado-based Sherman & Howard in January, and trial lawyer Marla Butler joined from Robbins Kaplan in May.

Thompson Hines' Atlanta managing partner, Tim McDonald, called Gordon an important strategic addition to the office. “Sean originally helped expand Thompson Hine's insolvency and bankruptcy litigation practice to the Southeast and now provides additional experience at the local level,” McDonald said in a statement.

Gordon spent the first nine years of his career at Thompson Hine, joining the bankruptcy practice in the firm's Cleveland headquarters in 2001 after law school at Case Western Reserve University.

At that point, Gordon said, he was already set on bankruptcy law. He'd volunteered with the Legal Aid Society of Florida in Broward County before law school and was assigned to its housing unit, where he screened potential clients for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. “I really loved the bankruptcy world,” he said. “I thought it was fascinating that you could help people in financial trouble to get relief.”

Gordon and his family moved to Atlanta in 2007 after Thompson Hine opened an office here, and he joined Greenberg Traurig in 2010 after the recession hit.

Gordon said the main reason he returned to Thompson Hine was because of the firm's push to “provide innovation, value and transparency” to its clients, most notably through its investment in SmartPaTH, its proprietary approach to legal project management.

“All firms look at data on a larger-scale level, but I think this is very unique to Thompson Hine,” he said. “It includes data analytics and other tools that help clients budget their matters and reach targeted goals.” The ability to track all steps of their matters helps clients make strategic decisions about next steps and cut down on legal costs, Gordon said.

“I know everyone here,” he added, noting that he started his career working with Curtis Tuggle, who heads Thompson Hine's bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors' rights practice.

Gordon said he brought clients to Thompson Hine but declined to name them. Most are banks, he said, as well as some bankruptcy trustees and hedge funds. He said his bankruptcy practice is national, but he handles a lot of real estate valuation disputes as part of foreclosure-related litigation in Georgia. During the recession, he estimated, he handled 70 or 80 such cases.

Bankruptcy is often considered a counter-cyclical practice, but Gordon said that even in good times, companies “need bankruptcy assistance” and “it can be credit issues or operational issues that lead to bankruptcy filings even in the best of times.”

BRIEFLY

Jones Day has added Darcy White as a partner in its M&A practice from Paul Hastings. White has represented both public and private clients in domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers, stock acquisitions, asset acquisitions and dispositions and joint ventures. She's also advised on private equity and venture capital transactions in industries including information technology, biotech, manufacturing and consulting.

In the legal community, White is a board member of the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network, a past board member of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, and she's been recognized by Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta for her work helping charities gain nonprofit status. She's also a trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center.

Intellectual property practitioner Robert Lockwood has joined Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs as a partner from Barnes & Thornburg. Lockwood advises on trademark prosecution, infringement and postgrant proceedings as well as IP audits and M&A due diligence. He also drafts employment agreements to protect trade secrets and other IP.  “Robert's IP transactional and prosecution practice adds a new dimension to our existing IP litigation and brand protection capabilities,” said Ron Coleman, who heads the firm's IP litigation practice, in a statement.

Barnes & Thornburg has added Zachary Johnson as a director of Georgia government affairs from McGuireWoods Consulting. Johnson has also worked for the Georgia Department of Administrative Services as a lobbyist for sourcing and procurement issues. He handles government relations and public affairs, with a focus on advising higher education institutions and local governments on sourcing strategies and implementation.

After retiring as the Athens-Clarke County Attorney on June 30, Bill Berryman has joined Athens firm Fortson, Bentley & Griffin. Berryman, who had served as the Athens-Clarke County attorney since 2003, will represent local governments and oversee civil litigation matters at his new firm. “As an Athenian, I have been honored to serve this community in a variety of roles,” Berryman said in a statement. “I look forward to writing the final chapter of my career alongside the respected team at Fortson, Bentley & Griffin.”

Bouhan Falligant in Savannah has added Shayna Bowen as a partner from Morris Manning & Martin. Bowen practices health care law and represents health systems, doctor practices, nursing homes and other health care providers.

Wilson Elser has added Eleanor Jolley as an associate from Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers. Jolley will handle general litigation, including construction law, professional liability and insurance coverage.

The Georgia Defense Lawyers Association swore in new president Dave Nelson of Macon's Chambless Higdon Richardson Katz & Griggs as its annual meeting last month at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Florida. The other new officers are: treasurer George Hall of Hull Barrett in Augusta; secretary J. Dart Meadows of Balch & Bingham in Atlanta; and president-elect Jeff Ward of Drew Eckl & Farnham's Brunswick office.