National labor and employment firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart has named Patrick Clark as the firm's new leader for its Atlanta headquarters.

Clark succeeds Greg Hare as managing shareholder in Atlanta, as Hare returns to his practice after five years in the role.

Clark, who joined Ogletree in 2009, is responsible for strategic oversight and growth for the office, the firm said in an announcement after its annual shareholder meeting in late January.

Ogletree has about 60 lawyers in its Atlanta office, according to its website. Overall, the Am Law 100 firm has more than 900 lawyers in 53 offices in the United States, Europe, Canada and Mexico. It reported $509.8 million in revenue for 2018, the latest year of available financial results.

An employment lawyer, Clark's focus is on health care companies, such as longtime client Ardent Health Services, based in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as paper building products makers, such as  Georgia-Pacific, and insurance and publishing companies.

Clark, who has tried cases to verdict in seven states, is viewed as one of the firm's "go-to" lawyers for cases heading to trial, according to the announcement. He is admitted to the bar in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, California and New Mexico.

After earning undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama, Clark spent five years with a plaintiffs employment firm in Birmingham, representing labor unions and employees in disputes with management, before switching to management-side employment law in 1997.