Seyfarth Shaw LLP > Atlanta, United States > Firm Profile

Seyfarth Shaw LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions) Tier 1

Equipped with ‘excellent knowledge of the industry’, Seyfarth Shaw LLP is highly regarded for its ability handle labor and employment disputes, notably class actions, government investigations and bet-the-company trials. The group is also adept at representing employers in BIPA litigation across the hotel, healthcare and airline industries. Laura Maechtlen leads the practice from the San Francisco office and is called upon by clients in crisis or with matters involving significant business impact. New York-based Gary Friedman assists employers in litigation concerning restrictive covenants and employment-related class actions. In the Chicago office, reputed litigator Camille Olson defends clients in high stakes discrimination, harassment and wage and hour matters, while Noah Finkel specializes in actual and putative collective or class action matters under the FLSA. The Massachusetts office benefits from Barry Miller‘s expertise in the trial of claims under the FLSA and other wage laws. Annette Idalski is a notable figure in the Atlanta office for her significant experience as a trial lawyer in matters involving the energy and telecoms industries.

Labor and employment > Labor-management relations Tier 1

Seyfarth Shaw LLP‘s labor management relations client roster features significant names in the retail and aviation sectors. The firm's practice is well regarded for its ability to handle unfair labor practice charges and representation proceedings before the NLRB. Other areas of focus include collective bargaining, union organizing campaigns, strikes and picketing. The trio responsible for leading the practice is formed of New York-based Glenn Smith, who has extensive collective bargaining negotiation experience; Seattle-based Molly Gabel, who is a key advisor to several mainline and regional air carriers and Chicago-based Karla Sanchez, who excels in unfair labor practice proceedings and representation proceedings before the NLRB. Arthur Telegen is well known in the Boston office for his skilled approach to NLRB matters. Bryan O'Keefe is a go-to contact for clients seeking advice on the employment implications or corporate transactions in the Washington DC office. Brian Stolzenbach brings comprehensive labor and employment expertise in contentious and non-contentious matters to the Chicago office.

Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling Tier 1

Seyfarth Shaw LLP‘s team assists its impressive client roster on the full range of employment matters in both national and international contexts, with a specialism advising on litigation avoidance strategies. Chicago-based team lead David Baffa is noted for his expertise in crisis response and investigations as well as in employee relations and cultural assessment matters. New York is home to William P. Perkins whose workload includes discrimination and harassment claims, reductions in force, contract negotiations and day-to-day advice, and Gary Friedman who is an expert in the handling novel employment issues in litigation, investigation and counseling contexts. Washington DC’s Lawrence Lorber handles regulatory enforcement actions, while Boston-based Lisa Damon is noted for her experience advising C-suite executives on complex employment issues, including DE&I initiatives. From Chicago, Ellen McLaughlin and Camille Olson are also preeminent in their fields; McLaughlin specializes in leave and accommodation issues while Olson has capabilities undertaking discrimination, harassment, wage and labor, and independent contractor matters. Atlanta’s Renate Walker is a name to note. In 2024, Michele Beilke and Julia Trankiem joined the Los Angeles team, while Alan Marcuis joined the team in Dallas.

Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation) Tier 1

Seyfarth Shaw LLP stands out for its ‘exceptional expertise’ and ‘collaboration’ among its construction team. The national practice is led by California’s Michael McKeeman, who handles contract drafting, negotiation, and disputes; and New York’s Alison Ashford; who structures complex infrastructure projects such as airports, rail stations, and educational facilities. Washington DC’s ‘incredibly knowledgeable’ Charles Wall advises on large projects delivered through public-private partnerships, design-build, and progressive design-build. Washington DC’s Bennett Greenberg and Michael Wagner are similarly experienced while also arbitrating and litigating government contract and infrastructure disputes. San Francisco’s Gregg Dulik and Los Angeles’ new recruit Brenda Radmacher bring further dispute strength to the practice, often handling claims involving bid protests, mechanic’s liens and defects arising from public and private projects. In the Seattle office, Meghan Douris and Ryan Dumm advise clients on the challenges associated with constructing high-rise buildings and heavy civil infrastructure developments, while Ashley Sherwood deals with multi-party actions involving various contract-based claims.

Dispute resolution > E-discovery Tier 2

Seyfarth Shaw LLP operates an innovative e-discovery department, with a deep bench of attorneys possessing strong technical expertise. The firm is active on both advisory and contentious matters, handling complex technical subjects such as AI, digital forensics and database infrastructure. Jay Carle leads the team as a capable litigator with a wealth of experience in cyber security, legal software design and technical project management, making him a well-rounded advisor for clients across multiple industries. Matthew Christoff also handles complex litigation cases, leveraging the latest e-discovery technologies and defending their use.  Kathleen McConnell, who operates from San Francisco, holds expertise in data protection, information security and AI. She is praised for her use of data science in litigation, working alongside Jaime Raba on high-stakes e-discovery cases. Jason Priebe in Atlanta is also a valued partner, advising clients on domestic and international data privacy and information management issues. Scott Carlson retired in November 2024. All attorneys work from the Chicago office unless otherwise specified.

Government > Government contracts Tier 2

Seyfarth Shaw LLP is highly regarded for its stellar track record in complex bid protests before the GAO, while also handling contract claims and litigation, international law compliance matters and a broad array of internal investigations, namely those related to small business set-asides, security clearances, export controls and cost accounting. Adam Lasky sits in Seattle and is experienced in bid protests before the GAO, the US court of federal claims and the federal circuit and leads the team alongside Amy Conant-Hoang, who is based in the firms Washington DC office alongside the rest of the government contracts team. Conant-Hoang handles internal investigations, corporate transactions alongside her thriving bid protests practice, Edward Arnold is a go-to practitioner for FCA litigation, internal investigations and whistleblower complaints, Erica Bakies is an expert in foreign investments and the national security aspects of procurement, and Zachary Jacobson advises contractors in the emerging technologies, space, aerospace and defense industries on IP rights aspects. Ken Kanzawa joined the practice in December 2024 and covers both litigation and compliance counselling.

Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters) Tier 2

The team at Seyfarth Shaw LLP is well regarded by its clients for its ‘exceptional expertise and collaboration’, advising widely on matters concerning mass data theft, breaches of contract, computer fraud, workforce raiding, destruction of evidence, and complex trade secret misappropriation. The practice is jointly led by three partners: experienced Chicago-based trial attorney Michael Wexler and Los Angeles-based Robert Milligan both handle non-compete, computer fraud, and trade secret matters, as does the Boston-based Katherine Perrelli. Also in Boston, Dawn Mertineit is well equipped to assist clients across a range of industries with the remit of complex commercial disputes. Jesse Coleman is a key practitioner in Houston with a track record of litigating across the energy, telecoms, hospitality, and healthcare sectors. Advising on reputational risk relating to restrictive covenants and trade secrets forms a key portion of New York’s Gary Friedman‘s workload. Daniel Joshua Salinas is also a key name in Los Angeles.

Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design Tier 2

The employee benefit and executive compensation team at Seyfarth Shaw LLP leverages both experience and bench depth to supply counsel covering a range of benefit, compensation and retirement plan issues to clients across the nation. The team is led from the Chicago office by the highly experienced national chair Diane Dygert, whose breadth of expertise covers the establishment, implementation and administration of benefit plans and fiduciary governance training alongside general transactional counsel. She is joined by Jennifer Kraft, who specializes in qualified retirement plans and traditional defined benefit plans, as well as Jon Karelitz, who has worked on some of the largest pension design projects in US history, and Ben Conley, who specializes in reproductive health benefit plans. Across the nation, the team is represented by experts in Seattle’s Liz Deckman regarding plan design legislation during M&As and New York’s Richard Schwartz in special tax and ERISA rules.

Labor and employment > ERISA litigation Tier 2

Noted for its ‘deep knowledge of ERISA litigation nationwide,’ the team at Seyfarth Shaw LLP covers a broad spectrum of ERISA and employee benefits litigation covering all stages from filing through trial and appeal. Lawyers benefit from its collaboration with the employee benefits department’s compliance experts in matters including representing employers in disputes with multi-employer Taft-Hartley plans. In Chicago, Ian Morrison focuses on representing Fortune 500 companies in ERISA cases, and is sought out by employers and plan service providers for defense of significant ERISA litigation. Kathleen Cahill Slaught, in San Francisco, acts as lead trial counsel in ERISA litigation, and has been active in ERISA bench trials in the Central District of California in 2024. Also in Chicago, Sam Schwartz-Fenwick counsels clients in employment and employee benefit best practices matters across the changing legal and cultural landscape surrounding the LGBT community, including transgender insurance benefit coverage and setting up protocols for a more gender-fluid workforce, as well as counselling on claims arising from transgender and LGBT employee benefits discrimination.

Labor and employment > Immigration Tier 2

Seyfarth Shaw LLP is well equipped to help clients with immigration program management, talent mobility issues, workforce compliance matters and the immigration aspects of M&A activity and workforce changes. New York-based Jacob Cherry and Los Angeles-based Masha Aliaskari jointly head up the practice. Cherry excels in matters involving the technology and financial sectors. Aliaskari has deep experience in matters involving the intersection of immigration and M&A transactions. Leon Rodriguez is a highly regarded member of the practice who was appointed Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services under the Obama administration. Dawn Lurie is also a notable figure in the group and devotes her practice to compliance, investigations and diligence matters in the immigration space. Both Rodriguez and Lurie sit in the Washington DC office. Jim King, Russell Swapp and Gabriel Mozes departed in July 2024.

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m) Tier 2

Seyfarth Shaw LLP possesses a full-service M&A group that acts for a broad scope of start-ups, multinational companies, and private equity funds on acquisitions, disposals, and investment transactions. The practice is historically recognized for its experience in the TMT, life sciences, manufacturing, and food and beverage sectors, while it additionally boosted its transactional energy capability with the recent hire of Houston-based Christopher Cottrell from Polsinelli PC. In Chicago, department co-chair Suzanne Saxman contributes diverse industry experience, with strong showings in M&A involving the gaming, financial services, and waste management spheres. Andrew Lucano co-chairs the team from New York and maintains a broad corporate practice spanning M&A, capital markets, and governance issues. In Houston, Paul Pryzant specializes in representing strategic buyers, private equity funds, and portfolio companies in middle-market deals, while Stanley Bloch is an experienced M&A partner in New York. The team additionally draws on up-and-coming practitioners Aaron Gillett and Breanne Vaclavik, both of whom are based in Chicago.

Real estate Tier 2

Seyfarth Shaw LLP‘s real estate department is regularly engaged by a wide range of clients to handle matters ranging from acquisitions and dispositions to financing work, developments, and lease agreements. The practice’s client list is varied, featuring large commercial and investment banks, public and private pension funds, and life insurance companies. The firm has formed specialty areas within the practice, including the data center services, healthcare real estate and finance, and distressed situations groups. The team is led by Paul Mattingly, who is national chair of the real estate department based out of the Atlanta office; he leads teams that serve institutional real estate clients in transactions across the US. Catherine Burns chairs the Boston real estate practice, and is co-chair of the development practice group, representing clients in all aspects of investment transactions and touching upon every major asset class. Also in Boston is Eric Greenberg, who is co-chair of the firm’s leasing practice and focuses on commercial, retail, and office leasing issues.

Tax > Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, and charities) Tier 2

Seyfarth Shaw LLP advises a wide range of tax-exempt and nonprofit organizations, as well as individuals in their roles as officers, directors, and contributors. The practice handles matters related to nonprofit formation, executive compensation, intermediate sanction planning, tax controversies, and provides general tax advisory. Assistance with international matters is also available, with the practice handling foreign grant-making, the development of international affiliates and operations, as well as cross-border program-related investigations by private foundations. Douglas Mancino and Ofer Lion lead the practice from the Los Angeles office. Mancino brings extensive experience in audits, appeals, and tax controversies, including tax litigation; while Lion focuses on transactional tax matters, representing companies in both domestic and cross-border taxable transactions, tax-free spin-offs, and mergers and acquisitions.    

Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) Tier 3

Seyfarth Shaw LLP is experienced in supporting clients in both incident response and a wide array of disputes, including litigation and arbitration. The firm advises on cutting edge technologies, assisting with AI, biometrics, website tracking and the Internet of Things. The team is led from Houston by John Tomaszewski, a privacy specialist with multi-jurisdictional compliance expertise. Bart Lazar works in Chicago, acting on privacy and security matters. Also in Chicago, Jason Priebe focuses on the development of policies for the handling, transfer and disclosure of information. Karla Grossenbacher, who is based in Washington DC, is an expert on workplace privacy, including on data breaches involving employee information. In November 2024, Scott Carlson retired from practice.

Real estate > Real estate finance Tier 3

Seyfarth Shaw LLP receives high praise for its real estate finance team which represents institutional lenders, including several of the nation’s top insurance company mortgage originators and commercial loan servicers. The team handles a broad range of transactions from CMBS and CLO financings to healthcare finance and mezzanine structures. Leading the team is Daniel Evans in New York and Jay Wardlaw in Atlanta. Evans focuses on mortgage and mezzanine loan transactions while Wardlaw centers his practice on cross-country loans, including permanent mortgage, bridge, and construction loans. The group maintains dedicated specialty areas in different sectors such as healthcare real estate finance, headed up by Robin Freeman in San Francisco as well as distressed situations. In Charlotte, Katie Schwarting is a go-to for special servicing. The practice’s restructuring capabilities are further bolstered by Sadia Ghazi as well as restructuring expert Jason DeJonker and structured finance specialist Rick White. The team has also been bolstered by the addition of John Domby’s Charlotte-based originations practice in June 2024.  

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco) Tier 4

The product liability & complex tort and consumer class action practice groups at Seyfarth Shaw LLP handles individual claims, class actions, regulatory matters, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm also provides counseling on product safety, labeling, recalls, and regulatory compliance. The product liability team is led by seasoned litigators Thomas Locke , based in Washington DC, and Joseph Orzano , working out of Boston, while Chicago based Kristine Argentine heads up the consumer class action group.

Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense Tier 4

Led by William Prickett, Seyfarth Shaw LLP‘s growing New York-based practice regularly defends corporates, directors and officers, and financial services entities facing private class actions and regulatory enforcement actions, as well as in derivative shareholder litigation. Vincent Sama, a securities-focused litigator, has deep experience handling state and federal cases in courts throughout the country, and is equally as comfortable handling private litigation aspects as regulatory investigations. Senior counsel Gregory Markel has excellent relationships with D&O insurers. Markel's considerable securities law knowledge translates to work on class actions, involvement on corporate governance/fiduciary duty-related mandates, and from time to time his involvement as an expert witness in securities litigation.

Industry focus > Cannabis Tier 4

Headed by Stanley Jutkowitz in Washington DC, Seyfarth Shaw LLP routinely advises on wrongful discharge and disability discrimination claims relating to medical cannabis, alongside venture capital fundraising matters. The team is knowledgeable on soft IP issues- especially regarding cross-border trade mark issues, with Jutkowitz stands out for his work on corporate transactions and risk assessments in the cannabis space. In San Francisco, Jennifer Mora focuses on complex employment issues, Charlotte-based Frederick Smith is highlighted for his assistance to national retailers and drug testing companies, while Brian Michaelis is well versed in patents and trade secrets proceedings.

Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital) Tier 5

Seyfarth Shaw LLP is especially strong in assisting funds investing into the healthcare and the public sector, and is noted for being ‘very good at focusing on the key risks in any given contract’. Robert Bodansky in Washington DC is chair, Steven Richman in Atlanta is vice chair, and the duo oversee the practice. Bodansky is proficient in investment transactions, while Richman represents a range of institutional investors. Trevor Tullius in Washington DC has experience in both developed and emerging markets. Chicago-based Evan Sarosi leverages his former employment as senior counsel for a large Fortune 100 insurance company and in the words of one client, has ‘essentially has the same credentials as a professional investor.’

Tax > US taxes: non-contentious Tier 6