Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has added environmental law partner Martin Shelton from Atlanta real estate and litigation firm Weissman.

Martin Shelton (Courtesy photo)

"What drew me to the firm was Lewis Brisbois' depth of practice areas and its national client base," Shelton said in an Oct. 9 announcement. "I also knew them as a firm with great people and a welcoming culture, which has proven true already, and I'm looking forward to growing my practice with this new team."

Shelton's move to the national, full-service firm comes after a 24-year career practicing at Atlanta boutiques. He advises clients on environmental issues for real estate transactions, including remediation and liability risks. He also handles regulatory compliance, litigation and Brownfield remediation and redevelopment.

Lewis Brisbois has embarked on an expansion push this year, growing to about 1,500 lawyers in 52 cities across 29 states. That includes a new, six-lawyer Savannah office that the firm opened in March. The Savannah office managing partner, Brantley Rowlen, relocated from Lewis Brisbois' Atlanta office, while the firm hired partner Brandon Carter in September from now-defunct LeClairRyan.

So far this year, Lewis Brisbois has also opened offices in Charlotte; St Louis; Washington, D.C.; Schererville, Indiana; Salt Lake City; Roanoke, Virginia; and Minneapolis.

The Atlanta office, which launched a decade ago, has 46 lawyers with Shelton's addition, according to the firm's website. The firm added litigation partner Daniel Norris from Alston & Bird in September.

James Elliott, who for the past 34 years served as the city attorney for Warner Robins, has joined Butler Snow's Macon office as of counsel in its public finance, tax incentives and credit markets group. The Mississippi-based firm has been expanding its Georgia public finance practice, adding two Atlanta partners and another in Macon to its bond team in 2017. Butler Snow opened its Atlanta office in 2014, with lawyers from public finance boutique Peck Shaffer & Williams' local office.

Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers continued its growth spree in September, adding another five lawyers for a total of 19 hires this year to date. That gives the Atlanta litigation defense firm 152 lawyers, according to its website.

Janie Hagood joined as a senior attorney from Wasser, Sours & Harris. The other four new hires are associates. Briana Burrows came from Cuzdey, Ehrmann, Stine & Sansalone. Anelise Codrington clerked for Clayton County State Court after earning a J.D. from Mercer in 2017. Amy Katz joined from Copeland, Stair, Kingma & Lovell. Matthew Liverman was a staff attorney for Travelers.

Plaintiffs firm Beasley, Allen Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles has hired two lawyers for its Atlanta office. Donovan Potter Sr., who joined as of counsel from Swift Currie, is focusing on trucking accident, premises liability and product liability cases. Ashtyne Traylor, a staff attorney, has relocated from the firm's Montgomery headquarters. She is on the toxic torts team, handling asbestos-related illness cases.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton has added two associates. Jacob Edwards joined the construction litigation practice after clerking for Judge Adalberto Jordan of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, in Miami. He earned a J.D. from the University of Georgia in 2017. Jessica Truelove joined the trademark and copyright practice after clerking for Judge Eleanor Ross of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. She earned a J.D. from Georgia State University, also in 2017.

Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker has also added two associates. Anne Gray Herring joined from Coleman Talley after earning a law degree from Emory University in 2017. Noah Mason was an attorney for Travelers and is a 2015 graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School. That gives the national firm 13 lawyers in Atlanta after launching its local outpost with six lawyers in March 2017.

Plaintiffs firm Harris Lowry Manton has promoted Yvonne Godfrey and Madeline McNeeley to partners. Godfrey joined the firm in 2013 after working as a staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. McNeeley arrived in 2011 after clerking for Judge Peter Fay and working as a staff attorney, also for the Eleventh Circuit.

Harris Lowry has also hired Beth Manley Brooks as an associate in its Savannah office. Brooks, a 2017 graduate of Mercer University Law School, spent the last two years clerking for Judge Hugh Lawson of the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Georgia.

Family law firm Hedgepeth Heredia has named Michaela Mericle a partner. Mericle handles all areas of family law including high-asset divorce and complicated custody cases. She joined the firm in 2017 as a senior associate from Stern & Edlin Family Law.