Dentons has landed a corporate partner, Perry Smith, from AmTrust Financial Services, a multinational property and casualty insurer, where he was the general counsel for its specialty risk and warranty global business unit. 

After the four-year in-house job, Smith said he thinks Dentons' global reach for deals will give him a competitive edge in building his client base.

"The vision and ambition of the firm was appealing to me," said Smith, who joined Dentons on Sept. 3. "And it's a firm that's rapidly growing with a robust internationally integrated, middle market M&A practice."

Smith said he's handled a lot of acquisition matters for companies abroad over his 15 years in practice. "It's a good fit."

Before the in-house role at AmTrust Financial, Smith spent eight years at Alston & Bird, where he was a partner, after starting his career at McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago.

Middle market deal work is a highly competitive area in Atlanta, Smith acknowledged.

Dentons' decentralized and large scale global platform "is a distinguishing feature in the market," Smith said. "Some clients are indifferent to that, but I think it will resonate with some clients."

"Dentons is unique in having institutional relationships with practitioners around the globe. I think that will help drive referrals here," he said, adding that the firm's Atlanta office has a team of very capable corporate practitioners.

Dentons' model seems to be producing a good flow of work for the Atlanta practice, Smith said, noting that some of his new law partners are doing deals with partners in London, Singapore, India and other international jurisdictions.

Smith grew up abroad, living in Singapore and China as a child, so a firm with an international practice appealed to him for that reason as well, he said.

BRIEFLY

Barnes & Thornburg has added environmental lawyer Richard Glaze Jr. as a partner from Balch & Bingham. Glaze also spent 18 years as a senior attorney in the criminal investigations division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, before joining Balch in 2010.

"We're seeing an increase in water matters arising from aging infrastructure and an economy that's driving real estate transactions, both issues that Richard focuses on heavily and will skillfully navigate on behalf of our clients," said the firm's Atlanta managing partner, John Koenig.

Jay Ruby has joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its immigration and compliance practice from Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy. Ruby represents clients in industries such as entertainment and film, higher education and financial services in immigration matters including visas, compliance and M&A due diligence.

Bruce Siegal has joined Taylor English Duma as counsel. Siegal is the former general counsel for Collegiate Licensing Co. in Atlanta, a division of IMG College that in January became part of Learfield IMG College. Siegal has a brand protection and licensing practice, primarily in the sports and entertainment industry.

Marci Rubensohn has joined Holland & Knight as a senior policy adviser on the firm's Georgia government advocacy team from ConnectSouth Public Affairs. Rubensohn was the deputy director of the Georgia Municipal Association from 2005 to 2016.

Alyssa Baskam joined plaintiffs firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles as of counsel from Butler Law Firm, where she was an associate. Baskam is leading Beasley Allen's nursing home litigation team.

Clay Ratterree has retired from Ellis, Painter, Ratterree & Adams in Savannah and moved to Atlanta to become a neutral at Henning Mediation and Arbitration Services. Ratterree was one of the first people to register as a mediator with the Supreme Court of Georgia and has maintained a litigation and arbitration practice since 1992.

Hawkins Parnell & Young has promoted Zachary Lewis to partner. Lewis is a litigator focused on general and professional liability defense, construction claims and insurance coverage matters.

Will Simmons has been elected board president of the National Association for Court Management. Simmons is the district court administrator for the Georgia Superior Courts' Sixth Judicial District, which encompasses 26 judges in 14 counties. He is a past president of the Georgia Council of Court Administrators.