Beginning Lawyers Program (February 2025)

Ms. Karlise Yvette Grier Related Seminars and Products

Executive Director

Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism

In September 2017, Karlise Yvette Grier became the Executive Director of the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism. Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Grier worked as the managing attorney of Grier Law Office, P.C., an Atlanta law firm that concentrated in the areas of adoption, divorce, and family law. Ms. Grier was appointed to serve as a part-time Magistrate Court judge in Fulton County and served as a Judicial Officer in the Fulton County Superior Court Family Division from May 2006 through December 2008.  From March 2000 until June 2005, Ms. Grier served as a Judge Pro Hac Vice in the former City Court of Atlanta (“Traffic Court”).

Ms. Grier served as the Vice Chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Child Protection and Advocacy Section and the founding chair of the GABWA Family Law Section.  She is a past president of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and of the League of Women Voters of Atlanta-Fulton County.  She is a member of the 2015 Class (BCE) of Leadership Atlanta.

Ms. Grier received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College in 1986, and her law degree from the Emory University School of Law in 1992. She was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in that same year.

Ms. Grier was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was graduated from Frederick Douglass High School.  She is a member of Ben Hill United Methodist Church.

Mr. Damon Erik Elmore Related Seminars and Products

State Bar of Georgia

Damon serves as the Executive Director of the State Bar of Georgia. He was selected by a vote of the Board of Governors in October 2020. He is responsible for leading, managing, and executing the affairs of the Bar and implementing its policies and strategic direction for the overall benefit of the organization and the 55,000+ members, and Bar staff. He received his J.D. from the Emory University School of Law, and his B.A. from Savannah State University. Prior to joining the Bar, he served as Sr. Executive Director of People Strategy and General Counsel for Muncie Power Products. A native of Savannah, Georgia, Damon is a fan of community related activities and is the proud father of two daughters Ava and Simone.

Hon. Sarah Hawkins Warren Related Seminars and Products

Supreme Court of Georgia

Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia by Governor Nathan Deal and was sworn in on September 17, 2018.  She previously served as Solicitor General for the State of Georgia under Attorney General Chris Carr.

Justice Warren earned a B.A. in Public Policy and Spanish, magna cum laude, from Duke University.  After graduation, Justice Warren served as Deputy Press Secretary for the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Justice Warren received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Duke University School of Law, where she served as Editor in Chief of Law and Contemporary Problems and on the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society.

Following her graduation from law school, Justice Warren served as a law clerk to then-Chief Judge J.L. Edmondson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and to the Honorable Richard J. Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She also practiced as a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, D.C., where she represented clients before state and federal courts and was outside counsel to Georgia in Florida v. Georgia, No. 142 Original (United States Supreme Court).

In 2015, Justice Warren and her family returned home to Georgia, where she began service in the Office of Attorney General Sam Olens as Deputy Solicitor General and Special Counsel for Water Litigation.  In January 2017, she was appointed Solicitor General by Attorney General Chris Carr, and in that role served as the chief appellate lawyer for the State of Georgia and the primary constitutional law advisor to the Attorney General.  As Solicitor General, Justice Warren represented Georgia in multi-state litigation and in appeals before state and federal courts, including in an argument before the United States Supreme Court.

Justice Warren currently serves on the Duke Law School Board of Visitors, the Berry College Board of Trustees, and the Advisory Board for the Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.  She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Blaise, and their three childre

Hon. Kenneth Bryant Hodges III Related Seminars and Products

Judge

Georgia Court of Appeals

Kenneth (Ken) Bryant Hodges, III was elected to the Court of Appeals by the citizens of Georgia in 2018, winning every county in the state with wide bipartisan support in a contested election for a rare open seat on the Court. Judge Hodges took office on Jan. 1, 2019. With deep experience in diverse practice areas, Judge Hodges has served as a prosecutor, defended criminal cases, and been on both sides of a dispute in civil matters. He has been a court appointed receiver and a mediator. Judge Hodges is applying this experience on the bench to uphold the rule of law and ensure justice for all.

Judge Hodges was born and raised in Albany, GA. He graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, and earned his B.A. from Emory University in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in English in 1988. While at the University of Georgia Law School, he participated in a clinical program with a public defender and was sworn in under the Third Year Student Practice Act to try cases. He earned his J.D. from UGA Law in 1991 and set out to become a litigator. After working with a litigation firm in Atlanta, he returned to Albany as an Assistant District Attorney.

Judge Hodges was elected District Attorney of the Dougherty Judicial Circuit in 1996 at the age of 30. Within the first two years, he cleared out a backlog of eight death penalty cases and took them to trial. He formed trial teams which effectively ended unnecessary delays in moving cases forward, and focused on laws and programs to better protect children in the county. This included a child prosecution unit, a child advocacy center, a truancy program to target unauthorized school absences, and he also established a sexual assault unit. In his second term, he was named District Attorney of the Year for the State of Georgia. During his 12 years as District Attorney, Ken was committed to managing an efficient office, which operated under budget every year. He was elected President of the DA’s Association and also served as Chairman of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council; he was appointed by Governor Roy Barnes as Chairman of the Legal Loan Forgiveness Task Force and as a member of the Certainty in Sentencing Commission.

In 2008, he returned to private practice, working in transactional law and then litigation. In 2015, Ken started his own law firm, Ken Hodges Law, based in Albany and Atlanta with a focus on commercial litigation. Judge Hodges was elected President of the State Bar of Georgia (2018-2019), the first judge to lead the organization in its history. He currently serves on the State Bar’s Office of General Counsel Oversight Committee, is Chairman of the Advisory Board for Truist-Albany, and is Vice-Chairman of the Albany-Dougherty Airport Commission. Ken also serves on the Board of Advisors of University of Georgia’s State Botanical Garden and the Board of Directors of the Southwest Georgia Legal Self-Help Center, a non-profit that works to improve access to justice for low-income people in the region. Ken is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, the Emory Board of Visitors, and is a member and past-President of the Dougherty County Bar Association.

Judge Hodges has published articles in various legal and main stream media outlets, he has been a legal commentator on local and national television and radio programs, and has lectured at every law school in Georgia. He is a frequent presenter at legal education courses for practicing attorneys, and teaches classes for law enforcement personnel across the state. He has been named a Legal Elite, a Super Lawyer, and has earned the highest possible rankings with AVVO and Martindale-Hubbell, the preeminent attorney rating organization. He is a past Trustee and graduate of Leadership Georgia, a graduate of Leadership Albany, past Secretary and board member of The Urban League of Greater Atlanta, past President of the Artesian City Sertoma Club, former member of the Albany Rotary Club, past Chairman of the Easter Seals of Southwest Georgia, past Chairman of the Southwest Georgia Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, past board member of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and has served on the boards of the American Heart Association and the Albany Civil Rights Institute. Ken was named a “40 under 40” by Georgia Trend.

As an attorney, he was admitted to practice with the United States Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Northern and Middle Federal District Courts of Georgia, the Georgia Supreme Court, and the Georgia Court of Appeals. He is a Master with the Bleckly Inn of Court and the W. Louis Sands American Inn of Court, and is a Fellow with the Lawyer’s Foundation of Georgia. Judge Hodges has been widely recognized for his legal and civic accomplishments during his more than 27 years as a practicing attorney, including as the recipient of the State Bar’s Commitment to Equality Award, the Justice Benham Award for Community Service, and The Eagle Award from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for his work on behalf of crime victims.

Ken and his wife, Melissa, married in 2004 and have two children, Margaret and Jack, and a field spaniel, Buzzy. They are parishioners at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church in Albany and remain active in their community. The family cherishes time together and enjoy being active, whether it’s time spent in the beautiful southwest Georgia outdoors or exploring the state, visiting friends and family. An avid pilot, Judge Hodges is commerical, instrument, and multi-engine rated and enjoys being up in the air, like his father and grandfather, a Naval aviator, before him.

Mr. Plamen Ivanov Russev Related Seminars and Products

Plamen Russev is a practicing attorney with more than 20 years of experience in technology, corporate and financing transactions. He is currently Counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright and has worked at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, SunTrust Bank, Alston & Bird and Eversheds Sutherland. Before law school, he worked for an international IT company in the US, UK, Malaysia and Brazil. In addition to his legal practice, Plamen is a certified Integral Coach and a breathwork practitioner. He is the current Chair of the Lawyer Assistance Program, a member of the Attorney Wellness Committee of the State Bar of Georgia and has served as Chair and Co-Chair of its Mental Well-Being Subcommittee. He has developed, facilitated and collaborated in mindfulness and well-being seminars and series for attorneys and law students, and provides breath and stress coaching to individuals and groups. Plamen received his B.A. from Harvard College, J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and Integral Coach certification from New Ventures West.

Ms. Claudia Susan Saari Related Seminars and Products

Claudia Saari is the recently retired Circuit Public Defender for DeKalb County, Georgia.  Ms. Saari received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a law degree from Emory University. She joined the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office in 1987 and over the next three decades tried a wide variety of cases ranging from DUI to death penalty cases.  Ms. Saari led an office of over 110 people who represented clients in all courts.

 Ms. Saari is a Fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), a 1999 graduate of Leadership DeKalb, a Master with the Carley-Clarke Inn of Court, a member of the State Bar Board of Governors, a former Chairperson of the Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency, and Chairperson for the State Bar Indigent Defense Committee. Ms. Saari also serves on a number of committees and boards including the State Bar, ACTL, the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, and Olmsted Linear Park.  In 2009, Ms. Saari was the recipient of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Indigent Defense Award, a recipient of the GACDL President’s Commitment to GACDL Award, in 2016 she was honored by the American Constitution Society with its Legal Legend Award, and in 2020 she received the Gideon’s Promise John Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ms. Ashley Loren Massengale Related Seminars and Products

Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

Ashley is a graduate of Yale University and Duke School of Law.  She began her career as an associate in Alston & Bird's technology transactional practice before moving in-house in 2007.  She spent four years at Superior Essex before joining Porsche Cars North America in 2011 where she currently serves as Associate General Counsel.  Her practice varies across a wide variety of topics with a current focus on privacy and digitalization topics. 

Mr. Kenneth Mitchell Jr. Related Seminars and Products

Cobb County Solicitor General's Office

Kenneth Mitchell is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from American University Washington College of Law.

Kenneth serves as the Chief Assistant Solicitor General of Cobb County. As Chief Assistant, Kenneth supervises all 28 attorneys and manages the Office’s prosecution of all misdemeanor and traffic cases in Cobb County, the third largest county by population in the State of Georgia. Additionally, Kenneth supervises the Office’s Pre-Trial Diversion programs and Accountability Court programs for his Office.

Kenneth began his career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, where he represented the State of Georgia in a number of trials; and gained experience prosecuting serious violent felonies. For his work, Kenneth was named Division Attorney of the Year three times for his trial advocacy and earned placement in Fulton County District Attorney Office’s Major Case Division, which prosecuted homicides and high-profile cases in Atlanta. Upon leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Kenneth entered private practice and continued to serve as a zealous advocate in the courtroom and has successfully represented a number of clients in the Metro Atlanta area in criminal defense and business litigation.

Currently, Kenneth is the President of the Young Lawyer’s Division of the State Bar of Georgia. As YLD President, he manages 29 committees that support the State Bar though organizing continuing legal education courses (CLE’s), community service projects, and provide resources for all legal practice areas in the State of Georgia. As YLD President, Kenneth is also an executive officer of the entire State Bar of Georgia, which consists of all attorneys in the State of Georgia, more than 50,000 attorneys. Prior to serving as YLD President, Kenneth previously served the YLD as its secretary, treasurer, and president-elect. Additionally, Kenneth serves on the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, where he supports the Chief Justice’s mission to enhance professionalism among Georgia lawyers and ensure access to justice.

Ms. Brenda King Woodard Related Seminars and Products

Georgia Department of Behavorial Health and Developmental Disabilities

Brenda King Woodard Bio

Brenda King Woodard serves as general counsel and ethics officer for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities ("DBHDD"), a $2+ billion state agency that supports people with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or any combination of these. In her role, she serves as chief legal strategist and is responsible for developing and implementing legal strategies that support DBHDD’s vision and mission. Woodard works collaboratively to help the agency thrive in this dynamic healthcare environment.  

Woodard is an active member of the State Bar of Georgia. She is an appointed member of the Communications Committee. Woodard is immediate past chair of the Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency. She is a former member of the Arc of Justice Steering Committee and the Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession. She is admitted to the Georgia state and federal courts and the United States Supreme Court.  She is also a member of the Legal Division of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. 

Ms. Nkoyo-Ene Richard Effiong Related Seminars and Products

Director of Law Practice Management Program

State Bar of Georgia

Nkoyo-Ene Effiong is the Director of Law Practice Management Program for the State Bar of Georgia. In that role, she helps Georgia lawyers tap into innovation to build a profitable and purpose-filled practice with less struggle and stress. With a steadfast focus on equipping lawpreneurs with the confidence, competence and capacity to leverage the right tools for their practice, Nkoyo seeks to advance a more innovative and inclusive legal profession that meets the needs of legal professionals and legal consumers.

Additionally, Nkoyo is a frequent local and national speaker and writer on legal innovation and practice management topics. She regularly contributes to the Georgia Bar Journal, the ABA and other bar publications. 

Prior to joining the State Bar, Nkoyo was the founder and principal attorney at The Effiong Firm LLC, an education and nonprofit law firm that advocated unapologetically for excellence, equity, and education justice alongside marginalized communities. As a strategic partner, Nkoyo helped families and mission-driven leaders leverage the law to protect the people and purposes that mattered most to them using a mix of flat-fee and subscription legal services.

Nkoyo is a proud graduate of Brown University and New York University School of Law.

You can reach Nkoyo at nkoyoe@gabar.org or 404-527-8770.

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Mr. Russell David Willard Related Seminars and Products

State Bar of Georgia

On July 1, 2024, Russell Willard joined the State Bar of Georgia as General Counsel Designate. On February 1, 2025, he became General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia, a unified bar organization with more than 54,000 members. As General Counsel, he serves as legal counsel to the State Bar, and his ten lawyer office also handles lawyer disciplinary matters for the State Bar.

Prior to joining the State Bar, Russell served for twenty-three years in the Georgia Office of the Attorney General. He began his service as Communications Director overseeing the communications and policy initiatives for the Attorney General, and then moved to a litigation position in the office, ultimately becoming Section Chief for the group in the office that handled legal matters for the state’s education agencies, including the Department of Education, the Board of Regents, and the Technical College System, the state’s election entities, including the Secretary of State and the State Election Board, the Georgia Public Defender Council, and the state’s Judicial Branch. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Russell served for three years as Counsel for the House Majority Caucus in the Georgia General Assembly.

A lifelong Georgian, Russell received his undergraduate degree with honors in 1993 from the University of Georgia and went on to receive his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1996.

Mr. James Stephen Lewis Related Seminars and Products

State Bar of Georgia

Assistant General Counsel

Ms. Christine Lupo Mast Related Seminars and Products

Hawkins Parnell & Young LLP

Christine Mast is a senior partner at Hawkins Parnell & Young in Atlanta. She is a go-to attorney for legal professionals faced with malpractice claims, lawsuits, disciplinary, licensing, and ethics issues. 30 years’ experience defending lawyer claims gives Christine a unique Jack-of-all-trades knowledge base coupled with deep understanding of legal standards of care and ethical requirements, enabling her to swiftly assess each situation, drawing on her expertise in her clients’ specific practice area, to develop an effective and appropriate defense and resolution strategy. Her wide range of subject matter experience also specially positions Christine to provide skillful defense to insurance agents and brokers, appraisers, surveyors and real estate professionals. Christine creatively counsels and advises clients in diffusing, avoiding or mitigating claims, often persuading the opposition of the lack of a viable claim altogether. When litigation is inevitable, Christine is called upon for her strong advocacy on behalf of her clients, guiding them through trial while minimizing the impact on her clients’ reputations and livelihoods. Her candor and straightforward manner is a proven asset to Christine’s attorney clients in both trial and appellate advocacy and dispute resolution with party opponents.

Christine also devotes significant time to representation of clients in premises and products liability cases, commercial litigation disputes, and insurance coverage.  A testament to her skillful, pragmatic handling of serious and sensitive claims, Christine’s former litigation opponents seek out her advice, counsel, and when necessary, her defense when they find themselves on the wrong end of a claim. A natural complement to her defense of legal and other professionals, Christine defends litigants and their counsel against sanctions and protects professionals in licensing and disciplinary matters.

Her successful representation is evident in a long list of appellate decisions affirming favorable rulings for her clients. Most notably, Christine argued and won a landmark case before the Georgia Supreme Court in Leibel v. Johnson, resulting in a unanimous decision limiting expert testimony in legal malpractice cases and reversing a multi-million-dollar judgment against her lawyer-client.

Christine was included as one of Georgia’s top 100 lawyers in 2019, 2020 and 2021 by Super Lawyers and was selected by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year for Legal Malpractice Defendants in 2015 and 2022 and for Professional Malpractice Law Defendants in 2021. 

Christine also dedicates herself to service within Hawkins Parnell and she has the distinction of being the first woman elected to the compensation committee, the executive committee, and in 2020 to the role as Hawkins Parnell’s managing partner. 

Mr. Warren Carl Lietz III Related Seminars and Products

Finch McCranie LLP

Carl Lietz is a trial lawyer whose practice is focused primarily on complex, federal criminal matters in the white-collar area. But like all trial lawyers, Carl is comfortable handling any matter, civil or criminal, that may ultimately get resolved in a courtroom. For his entire career, Carl has worked almost exclusively in federal court, defending the most serious and challenging cases that exist in the federal criminal system. Although Carl has quietly resolved many matters without any charges ever being filed, Carl also has the experience, courage, and courtroom skills that it takes to go the distance, and obtain a favorable result at trial. As a result of his hard work, Carl has developed a reputation for courtroom success.

At the beginning of his career, Carl clerked for two federal judges and then worked as a trial attorney for 5 years in the Federal Defender Office in Atlanta. In the Defender Office, Carl appeared in court regularly, presenting cases to juries, litigating evidentiary and sentencing hearings, and arguing cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In addition, he was also a member of the defense team in the Olympic Park bombing case of United States v. Eric Robert Rudolph.

Since leaving the Defender Office in 2006, Carl has continued to devote his career to the defense of individuals and entities facing or dealing with federal criminal charges, and the seemingly overwhelming power of the federal government. Indeed, because of his vast experience, Carl is qualified to handle anything and everything in federal court. Carl regularly handles matters under the more commonly utilized federal criminal statutes, including investigations and prosecutions involving allegations of mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, health care fraud, bribery, public corruption, overprescribing, adulteration and misbranding of drugs, and money laundering. Furthermore, Carl has also obtained favorable results in cases involving more obscure federal criminal statutes, including the federal criminal copyright statutes, the controlled substance analogue act and a host of other rarely used federal criminal provisions.

In addition to serving as lead counsel in countless federal criminal cases, Carl is also a team player. For that reason, other lawyers regularly recruit him to work on substantial white-collar matters and civil matters, as a member of a multi-lawyer team. Among other responsibilities, Carl has been recruited by criminal and civil lawyers to try cases as co-counsel, write pretrial motions, litigate issues involving expert witnesses, and prepare the mitigation portion of a sentencing presentation.

Carl is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, a national, legal, honorary society for outstanding criminal trial lawyers, with admission to fellowship by invitation only. In addition, in every edition since 2012, Carl has been selected for inclusion into The Best Lawyers in America (White-Collar Criminal Defense). Carl regularly lectures at national and regional seminars pertaining to federal criminal law, and for the last seven years, he has taught a trial practice course as an adjunct faculty member at the Georgia State University, College of Law.

Carl currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Defender Program, Inc., and he recently served as a member of the United States Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He is also a member of the Federal Bar Association's White-Collar Law Committee, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta.

Mr. James Lloyd Paisley Related Seminars and Products

Paisley Law, LLC

Mr. Quinton G. Washington Related Seminars and Products

Washington Legal Group

Hon. Quinton G. Washington

Founder | Washington Legal Group | Atlanta, Georgia

Quinton G. Washington is the founder of Washington Legal Group, a respected law firm in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities navigate the legal system. With a background in family law, personal injury, crisis management, and government affairs, Mr. Washington takes pride in providing practical, results-driven legal counsel to his clients.

A former judge and current city attorney, Mr. Washington has represented clients in 30+ counties across Georgia, handling cases involving DUI defense, contested and uncontested divorce, child support matters, and multi-state family law issues. His unique background allows him to approach cases with a broad perspective, ensuring his clients receive well-rounded, strategic representation. He was also selected as one of 50 attorneys to participate in the Bill Daniels Criminal Defense Institute, further deepening his knowledge in criminal defense.

Mr. Washington is a frequent legal analyst and contributor on Court TV, Channel 2, and other local and national media outlets, where he provides expert legal commentary on high-profile cases and legal issues affecting communities.

Over the years, Mr. Washington has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Attorneys by Super Lawyers for the past four years and has consistently been named a Super Lawyer and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite honoree. His work has been featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and he holds an "Excellent" rating from the Attorney Search Network. His dedication to advocacy has also earned him recognition from the National Bar Association's Top 40 Attorneys Under 40 and the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers.

Education & Credentials

• Florida A&M University – B.A., 1997
• Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government – M.P.A., 1999
• Emory University School of Law – J.D., 2005
• Licensed: Georgia (2005), U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals, and Georgia Supreme Court

Professional Memberships & Community Engagement

Mr. Washington believes in mentorship and giving back to the legal community. He is actively involved in:

• Atlanta Bar Association
• Gate City Bar Association
• Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
• American Constitution Society
• Jack and Jill of Atlanta
• FAMU Alumni Association

Ms. Mercedes Gabrielle Ball Related Seminars and Products

State Bar of Georgia

Mercedes G. Ball, Esq. is an Assistant General Counsel and the Director of the Client Assistance Program at the State Bar of Georgia. In this capacity, she leads the resolution of all informal complaints and certain formal grievances lodged against Georgia attorneys. Prior to her time with the State Bar, Mercedes served as a Child Advocate Attorney at the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center where she holistically represented the interests of dependent children in civil court proceedings, mediations, and panels. Before her work with DeKalb, she was a Lead Trial Attorney at a Metro-Atlanta law firm.

Mercedes is driven by a commitment to improve and empower her community through service. From 2013-2020, she volunteered as the Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA) Foundation’s Sister2Sister Mentoring Program®, a juvenile court diversion program for court-involved teen girls. In this capacity, she increased the program’s volunteer base and expanded the program’s reach by creating a DeKalb County chapter. Under Mercedes’ leadership, the program served more than two hundred metro-Atlanta teen girls. Additionally, Mercedes also served as the first Director of the GABWA Foundation’s Women’s Health Initiative, an effort to bring needed medical services and health education to underserved communities through free community health fairs. During Mercedes’ tenure, the GABWA Foundation’s Women’s Health Initiative served more than one thousand individuals.

Mercedes is also a Sustainer member of the Junior League of DeKalb County where she served as the 2021-2022 President and Chief Operating Officer. In 2018, Mercedes created the DeKalb Saturday Scholars Initiative (DSSI), a literacy focused Saturday school, through a partnership with the Junior League of DeKalb and Oak View Elementary. DSSI served approximately one hundred children and received grant awards from Macy’s, Inc. Corporate Giving and the Forever Pink Foundation. During Mercedes’ tenure as President of the Junior League of DeKalb, she successfully lobbied the membership to rename and rebrand the organization’s event rental facility and headquarters; thereby, creating a space that better reflects the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Mercedes is the Vice Chair of the DeKalb County Department of Family and Children Services Advisory Board, a member of the DeKalb Pro Bono Board of Directors, and a proud member of the Decatur Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She is a 2017 graduate of Emerging Leaders of DeKalb and a 2018 New Leaders Council Atlanta Fellow. She is the recipient of the 2019 University of Georgia School of Law Young Alumni/Alumna of Excellence Award, the 2019 Junior League of DeKalb County President’s Award, and the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys’ 2020 Bensonetta Tipton Lane Award for Commitment to the Family. Mercedes is also a 2022 Outstanding Atlanta Honoree, the recipient of the 2024 Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession’s Commitment to Equality Award, and she was named a 2024 Civic Diversity Champion Honoree by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Mercedes earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, cum laude, from Spelman College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law. She resides in Decatur where, in her spare time, you can find her baking, reading, and spending time with loved ones.

Mr. Ivy Neal Cadle Related Seminars and Products

President

Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC

As a business-focused lawyer, Ivy partners with clients to solve complex, high-exposure disputes involving multiple parties, representing companies of all sizes across various industries in complex business litigation. From the outset, his approach is guided by his extensive jury trial experience. As a licensed certified public accountant, he also understands his clients' financial metrics and the risks to their bottom lines. Ivy takes ownership of his clients' legal concerns and counsels them with the heart of a teacher. By taking ownership of their legal risks, Ivy allows his clients to get back to their core business sooner so they can do what they do best.

Ivy cut his litigation teeth as a leading "dirt lawyer," becoming a skilled problem solver who provides business solutions to clients at every stage of a dispute from risk assessment through appeal. Having managed hundreds of cases through the litigation life cycle, he capably handles early resolution and dismissal of actions, complex motions practice, and trial in state and federal courts. Ivy also brings his litigation experience to the table when he negotiates and implements real estate solutions concerning land use plans, real property appraisals, business valuations, and conservation easements.

He represents clients from a wide variety of industries. They include oil and gas interests; fast food franchisors and franchisees; hotel investors; private medical practices; hospitals; insurance companies; cellular service providers; banks; mortgage servicers; commercial shopping center and office developers; national drugstore chains; residential real estate developers; convenience store chains and a variety of individually owned enterprises; and business operations.

Additionally, Ivy is experienced in real estate and property litigation matters, including eminent domain, land use, zoning issues, and conservation easements across Georgia, with a focus on the Atlanta-metro, its outlying towns, including Marietta, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, McDonough, Douglasville, and Cumming, as well as other metropolitan areas such as Macon, Savannah, Columbus, and Augusta.

Mr. Jarvarus Antwon Gresham Related Seminars and Products

BakerHostetler LLP

Jarvarus Gresham’s litigation practice encompasses a variety of industries, including sports liability, healthcare inside correctional facilities, property disputes, False Claims Act litigation and business dispute litigation.

Jarvarus has experience in all stages of civil litigation and counsels clients from case initiation through trial and subsequent appeals. He is adept at facilitating and advising clients through the civil discovery process, including propounding pragmatic discovery, taking and defending depositions and tracking key admissions throughout the process. Notably, Jarvarus has counseled and advised Major League Baseball and National Football League teams on issues related to general liability, I-9 compliance, garnishments and bailments.

Ms. Nicole Christine Leet Related Seminars and Products

Gray Rust St. Amand Moffett & Brieske LLP

Nicole Leet is a litigation partner with Gray, Rust, St. Amand, Moffett & Brieske LLP in Atlanta. She specializes in complex civil litigation and appeals, primarily in the areas of construction, product and premises liability. An experienced trial and appellate attorney, Ms. Leet has obtained successful outcomes for her clients in both state and federal court all over Georgia. Ms. Leet has been honored as a “Super Lawyer” in the area of Civil Litigation for 2022-2024 and was honored as a “Rising Star Super Lawyer” every year from 2012-2021. She is actively involved in the legal community, having served as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia as well as currently serving on the Board of Governors of the State Bar.

Mr. Jeremy Jamal Abernathy Related Seminars and Products

Abernathy Ditzel Hendrick, LLC.

Jeremy grew up in the west Cobb county area, and graduated from John McEachern High School in 1997.  He then graduated from Morehouse College (Bachelor of Arts, 2001), and Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law (Juris Doctorate, 2005).

Jeremy practices family law at the law firm, Abernathy, Ditzel, Hendrick, LLC. in Marietta, Georgia.  Jeremy has been named a Super Lawyer and Georgia Trend Legal Elite Attorney.  Jeremy is the vice chair Family Law Section for the State Bar of Georgia.  Jeremy also is a municipal court judge in Woodstock, Georgia.

Mr. Adam Lindsay Hebbard Related Seminars and Products

HY Law

Selected as Athens' Favorite Lawyer by Flagpole Magazine, Adam L. Hebbard has practiced in Athens since his graduation from UGA Law in 2008; a proud double dawg, Adam maintains a diverse practice including criminal, civil, and administrative litigation, juvenile and probate court work, and providing transactional services to individuals and small businesses.

In addition to his practice, Adam serves on the board of the General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia, teaches a pre-trial criminal litigation seminar as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, and enjoys spending time with his kids and playing in a handful of bands when he can find the time.