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Erik Belenky, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, has joined King & Spalding as a partner from Jones Day.

"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," Belenky said in an interview. "I've grown up professionally in Atlanta, where King & Spalding was once a regional powerhouse. Now it's a franchise globally, and the firm is committed to investing in and growing the transactional practice." 

Belenky, 47, spent seven years as a partner at Jones Day after stints at Paul Hastings and McKenna Long & Aldridge (now Dentons). 

He has advised public and private companies on M&A deals, including some big-ticket transactions that Jones Day has handled for Newell Brands. Those included Newell's $16 billion acquisition of Jarden, the $1.95 billion sale of its tools division to Stanley Black & Decker and the $2.3 billion sale of The Waddington Group to Novolex Holdings (a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group). He has also worked on large transactions for General Electric and RELX Group. 

Belenky declined to say whether he brought clients to King & Spalding, which he joined on Wednesday. "I'm looking forward to introducing my existing relationships to King & Spalding and helping them learn about the firm's capabilities," he said.

Belenky said he's known several King & Spalding partners for years, including Cal Smith, Keith Townsend and Rahul Patel in Atlanta. 

"King & Spalding's focus on significant growth in a culture that prioritizes teamwork is unique and exciting," he said. "Not every firm can pull that off." 

BRIEFLY

Greenberg Traurig has added Alison Elko Franklin as a shareholder in the firm's restructuring and bankruptcy practice from Dentons. Franklin, whom the Daily Report in 2016 named an "On the Rise" lawyer under 40, has represented debtors, creditors, committees, trustees and purchasers in various commercial bankruptcy proceedings and cross-border restructuring matters. 

Franklin is the 2019 recipient of the David W. Pollard Achievement Award from the Atlanta Bar Association's bankruptcy section, and she is an active pro bono volunteer. She co-founded the Reaffirmation Project, a joint project of the bar's bankruptcy section and Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and co-founded the Low-Income Creditor Assistance Project, a joint project of the bankruptcy section and the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. 

Litigator Daniel Norris has joined Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith as a partner from Alston & Bird. At Alston, he was a member of the defense team for Toyota in its unintended acceleration multidistrict litigation in California, among other large, high-stakes cases. "Lewis Brisbois' combination of a national platform and favorable rate flexibility will allow me to pursue the type of work I'm interested in with a wide range of clients," Norris said in an announcement.

Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs has hired Tara Ravi as counsel on its health care team from Baker & Hostetler, where she was an associate. Ravi advises health care providers on regulatory issues involving Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as federal and state licensure, and government investigations. Parker Hudson has more than 30 lawyers in Georgia and Florida in its health care practice.

Freeman Mathis & Gary has added Jeff Hord as of counsel from Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry and Tim Boughey as an associate from Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson. Hord defends employers in litigation and government agency proceedings. He also handles litigation and arbitration for business disputes. Boughey represents public and private sector employers in litigation.

Labor and employment firm FordHarrison has hired Amber Arnette as an associate for its practice representing the airline industry. Before joining the firm, Arnette clerked for Judge Frank Hull of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, after serving as a staff attorney for the court.

Michaela Mericle has been named a partner at family law firm Hedgepeth Heredia. Mericle handles all areas of family law, with particular experience in high-asset divorce and complicated custody cases. She earned a law degree from Mercer University in 2011.