CLE Hours: 12 including 12 General, 1 Ethics, 1 Professionalism, 4 Trial Practice
Description vOD1, Brochure v1
Mr. Sanders is a graduate of the University of the South and Tulane Law School, and he has been with Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, since law school. He is an experienced complex business litigator, who specializes in antitrust. He has overseen civil and criminal matters, including government investigations and multi-district class actions. He has worked with the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and state agencies on various matters. He also serves as outside general counsel for several clients and is the Interim General Counsel for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Over the course of his career, he has represented and assisted a range of clients, including airlines, trade associations, foundations, manufacturers, food processors, research institutions, institutions of higher education, and indigents.
Mr. Sanders leads the firm’s Antitrust Practice and has served as co-chair of its Manufacturing Practice. He is Chair of the Antitrust Section of the Georgia State Bar and the Immediate Past Chair of the General Practice and Trial Section of the Georgia State Bar.
During his career at SGR, Mr. Sanders has been active in the firm’s pro bono initiatives. As an associate, he received SGR’s Fellowship to Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc., where he represented indigents. Since then, he has been extensively involved with ALAS, and he currently is the Secretary of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee and Chair of its Governance Committee.
Mitch Robinson is a business and trial attorney focusing his practice on labor and employment, commercial litigation, government investigations and appellate matters. His litigation experience includes defending and counseling employers with respect to single-plaintiff, collective action and class action cases involving wage and hour claims, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, government investigations and common law tort and contract cases.
Additionally, Mitch routinely provides advice and counsel on multi-million dollar corporate transactions as well as employment and regulatory issues and drafts sports, entertainment, and corporate agreements.
Prior to entering into private practice, Mitch served as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. He also worked as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he advised on and was involved in various subject matter areas involving energy, education, housing, federal budget, immigration and appropriations.
Mitch received his BA from Tufts University and JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Natasha is a Principal Shareholder in the Atlanta office of the firm of Greenberg Traurig, where she is Chair of the Atlanta office’s Labor & Employment practice group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Due Diligence group. She has received several industry and peer nominated accolades, including being listed among the Lawdragon 500, Legal 500 United States, Benchmark Litigation, and Super Lawyers.
Natasha has held numerous board positions, including serving on the boards for the Atlanta Boys& Girls Club of Metro Atlanta and Habitat for Humanity. She continues her community service endeavors through organizations such as the Atlanta Food Bank and the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers’ Foundation.
She is a graduate of Tulane Law School and received her undergraduate degree from Mississippi University for Women and a graduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.
MEGAN S. LEWIS
Assistant Chief, Washington Criminal II Section
U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
Meg Lewis is an Assistant Chief of the Washington Criminal II Section of the Antitrust Division at the United States Department of Justice, which investigates and prosecutes regional, national, and international criminal antitrust cases, procurement fraud, and other crimes affecting competitive processes. She has led and supervised complex white-collar investigations and prosecutions in a wide range of industries since joining the Department of Justice in 2014. Before joining the Department of Justice, she litigated cases, conducted internal investigations, and counseled clients on antitrust issues and other complex commercial matters at a private law firm. She also completed clerkships with judges on the D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals. She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from Pomona College.
Julia M. Maloney is a Trial Attorney in the Washington Criminal II Section of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. Julia’s focus at the Division has been on investigating and prosecuting white collar crimes with a focus on criminal violations of the Sherman Act. She served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida from 2022 until 2023. While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Julia served as lead trial counsel on behalf of the United States in three federal felony trials.
Julia received the Assistant Attorney General’s Award of Distinction in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and an Award of Excellence from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2022. She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Journal of Criminal Law and clerked on D.C. Superior Court prior to joining the Division in 2019.
After graduating from Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama, Joel F. Dubina graduated from The University of Alabama in the fall of 1970. He then attended the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama and after graduating he and his wife, Beth, returned to Montgomery where he clerked for United States District Judge Robert E. Varner. After practicing law for nine years Judge Dubina was then appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge in 1983, a United States District Judge in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. He became Chief Judge of the Eleventh Circuit on June 1, 2009. While serving as Chief Judge, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Judge Dubina as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States and its seven-member Executive Committee. On August 1, 2013, Judge Dubina stepped down as Chief Judge of the Eleventh Circuit and on October 26, 2013, took senior status.
Alison Wallis is the President of the National Association of Parliamentarians.Sheholds a law degree from Loyola UniversitySchool of Lawin New Orleans. Shewas a prosecutor and appellate attorney for many years and now handles post-conviction matters in Jefferson Parish. Alison enjoys providing professional service to a wide variety of clients, including homeowner associations, labor unions, nonprofit organizations, lineage societies, and professional groups.In addition to numerous elected and appointed positions within the NationalAssociation of Parliamentarians, Alison served three terms as President of the American Institute of Parliamentarians and is a Certified Parliamentarian-Teacher. Alison has also served as President of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers, a group limited to attorneys with advanced parliamentary credentials. Alison has been qualified in court proceedings as an expert witness in the field of parliamentary law. Alison loves to show how parliamentary procedure can improve real life meetings and how parliamentarians can make their specialized knowledge practical.
Rita A. Sheffey joined the Atlanta Legal Aid Society (“Legal Aid”) on August 1, 2023, where she oversees more than 150 staff (85 lawyers) who help low-income people meet basic legal needs, removing barriers to justice through civil legal assistance. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Rita served for eight years as Emory University School of Law’s Assistant Dean for Public Service. In that role, she oversaw the law school's Pro Bono Program, advised students interested in post-graduate federal and state court judicial clerkships, and employment with government and public interest organizations, and managed the Volunteer Clinic for Veterans and Emory Immigrant Legal Assistance. Prior to joining Emory in January 2015, Rita was a partner with Hunton & Williams LLP (now Hunton Andrews Kurth) where she focused on complex litigation and served as Hunton & Williams’ Southside Legal Center pro bono clinic director and Atlanta Pro Bono Committee Chair.
Rita has served in numerous leadership positions, including as President of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, and Emory’s Lamar Inn of Court (now Cooper Inn of Court), among others. She was a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2005 and has served on the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP), the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Bar Caucus (affiliated with NCBP), and on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the American Judicial System. Rita was a self-described “quasi-insider” with Legal Aid. Not only did she serve as Board President, but she also co-chaired the 90th Anniversary Planning Committee, served on the Strategic Planning Committee, mentored a number of staff attorneys, and supported the work of Legal Aid through her service to the Atlanta Bar and the State Bar of Georgia.
Rita has received numerous awards for her leadership and pro bono efforts, including the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Extraordinary Pro Bono Service Award in 2018, the Georgia State University College of Law's Ben F. Johnson, Jr. Public Service Award in 2015, and the inaugural Rita A. Sheffey Public Interest Award from the Atlanta Bar’s Public Interest Law Section in 2012. Rita grew up in southwest Virginia and has degrees from the University of Virginia (B.A. in chemistry), Duke University (Ph.D. in chemistry), Boston College Law School (J.D.) and Emory’s Candler School of Theology (Master’s in Religion and Public Life). She also did a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biological Chemistry at Harvard Medical School.
Megan Richards Flores is a Member of GDCR Attorneys at Law. She leads the Firm's Trust & Estates and Tax practices, and is a member of the Firm's Business Transactions and Corporate Law practices. With two decades of experience, Ms. Flores provides legal counsel on tax, estate planning and estate administration matters to individuals and families, as well as privately held businesses.
Megan works with individuals and married couples to develop comprehensive, and sometimes complex, estate plans, and with families who have lost a loved one in administering estates and trusts. In addition, Megan works with other attorneys in the firm’s Business Transactions and Corporate Law practice to design and implement tax-efficient business and investment structures, nonqualified executive compensation plans, and tax strategies to facilitate transactions such as mergers and acquisitions.
Megan received an L.L.M. in Taxation from University San Diego School of Law, a J.D. degree from Tulane University School of Law and a B.A. degree in History from California State University, Long Beach. She is admitted to practice in Georgia and California.
Professional Experience:
Superior Court Judge, Griffin Judicial Circuit (covering Fayette, Pike, Spalding, and Upson counties) – August 17, 2021, to the present.
Associate Juvenile Court Judge, Griffin Judicial Circuit, August 31, 2020 – August 16, 2021.
Chief Judge, Fayetteville Municipal Court (Part-time position) – Interim Chief Judge from July 2018 until December 2018. Chief Judge from January 2019 until August 2020. While serving in this capacity as a part-time Judge, continued to manage and operate The Kreuziger Law Firm, P.C.
The Kreuziger Law Firm, P.C. – owned and operated the law firm from approximately June 2006 until August 2020 in the following areas of practice: Criminal Law (major felonies and misdemeanors); Family Law matters and also served as Guardian ad Litem; Personal Injury related cases; Landlord/Tenant matters; Breach of Contract; was lead counsel in several jury and bench trials in criminal and civil matters; and Criminal and Civil Appeals to both the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court. Part-time Solicitor for two (2) municipalities and subsequently served as a part-time Municipal Court Judge. Also served as a conflict attorney for the Georgia Public Defender Council for approximately eleven (11) years on a contractual basis.
Solicitor for the Town of Tyrone, Georgia and for the City of Senoia, Georgia – Served in this capacity for several years on a contractual basis from approximately 2006 until 2013.
Assistant District Attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit. Served as an Assistant District Attorney prosecuting felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile related matters from approximately 2002 until 2006.
Law Clerk and Intern - Served as a law clerk in two civil litigation firms, assisting with catastrophic personal injury claims and workers’ compensation matters. During the last semester of law school, interned in the Special Prosecution Division for the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Georgia.
Forensic Serologist and Forensic Toxicologist - Prior to becoming an attorney, worked as a Forensic Serologist (analyzing rapes, homicides, and burglaries) with the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, in Shreveport, Louisiana; and subsequently as a Forensic Toxicologist (identification and analysis of drugs) for SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories in Dallas, Texas.
Education and Licensure:
Licensed to practice law in Georgia and Wisconsin. Received a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Northwestern State University in Louisiana.
Admitted to practice in the following jurisdictions:
United States Supreme Court – May 03, 2010
Supreme Court of the State of Georgia – September 17, 2002
Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia – September 13, 2002
Sworn into the State Bar of Georgia on June 21, 2002
Supreme Court of Wisconsin – November 12, 2009
Professional Associations/Committees, Recognitions, and Presentations:
Georgia Board of Governors – Griffin Post 2, Representative; Georgia Council of Superior Court Judges (CSCJ); Georgia Council of Superior Court Judges – Uniform Superior Court Rules Committee; Georgia Council of Superior Court Judges – Legislative Committee; Georgia Council of Superior Court Judges – Special Committee on Judicial Wellness; Georgia General Practice and Trial Law Section – Secretary; Georgia Association of Women Lawyers; Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys; Atlanta Lawyer’s Club; State Bar of Georgia; State Bar of Wisconsin; Member of the Fayette County Bar Association; and, Member of the Spalding County Bar Association.
Guest Presenter, Continuing Education – Georgia Association of Civil Process Servers – “Georgia Process Service, Definitions and Objectives” (2023); Fayette County Bar Association Award for Outstanding Service to the Legal Community (2023); Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) Presenter – “Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct” (Fayette County Bar Association – 2022); Guest Presenter – “Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct: The Preamble – A Great Place to Start!” (Fayette County Bar Association – 2023); 2022 Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Distinguished Alumni Award; Leadership Academy for the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, 2009; Guest Instructor for the DUI Case Preparation and Courtroom Presentation at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (2009 – 2011); CLE presenter - “How to Try a Case in a Conservative Jurisdiction – The Importance of Understanding Venue” (2010); CLE presenter – “Preparation and Investigation of a Criminal Case” (2011); and, The John Marshall Law School Award for Outstanding Service to School and Community (2001).
Judge Wesley B. “Wes” Tailor was appointed to the State Court of Fulton County in December of 2010. He currently serves as Chief Judge. In addition to his regular criminal and civil matters, Judge Tailor presides over the Fulton County Recovery Treatment Court Program and hears cases docketed in the Metro Atlanta Business Case Division of the Superior Court of Fulton County.
In 2021, Judge Tailor served as President of the Executive Committee of the Council of State Court Judges and was a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia. During his tenure, Judge Tailor created an ad hoc committee to work with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to address competency evaluations in misdemeanor cases statewide. He currently is the Co-Chair of the Uniform Court Rules Committee.
Judge Tailor previously served as Chair of the Joint Governance Committee for the Fulton County State and Superior Courts; Chair of the Judicial Section for the State Bar of Georgia; Chair of the Lawyer Referral Information Services Board of Trustees for the Atlanta Bar Association; and as a Board Member of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.
Judge Tailor began his legal career in 1999 as a litigation attorney with Troutman Sanders LLP. He then served as a prosecutor in the Office of the Solicitor-General for DeKalb County. From 2007 to 2010, Judge Tailor served as General Counsel to the Georgia Secretary of State, Director of Elections for the State of Georgia, and Assistant Secretary of State.
Judge Tailor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with concentrations in Finance and Economics, at the University of Richmond. After working for four years in the private sector, he then decided to go to law school and graduated summa cum laude and Order of the Coif from the University of Kentucky School of Law, where he was Associate Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal and served on the Honor Council.
After serving as a litigation and investigations partner with one of the largest firms in the United States, Robert Khayat formed the Khayat Law Firm (“KLF”) to represent a wide range of companies and individuals in need of big law experience with boutique firm cost efficiency. Since 2014, KLF has provided bespoke legal and advisory solutions to a select group of clients located across the country and industries including healthcare, financial services, tech, import/export, and philanthropy, among others. Although this often takes place in the context of courtroom or arbitration venues, the advice provided by KLF is focused on achieving the best result for our clients and helping our clients focus on their mission rather than engaging in protracted disputes.
Robert and KLF are consumed with the objective of deploying thoughtful strategies to achieve efficient and just outcomes for our clients. The KLF team is experienced with an array of modalities to achieve efficient and just outcomes, including litigation, arbitration, strategic advisory services, negotiation, general counsel services, and procurement of subject matter experts. Robert and the KLF team have served clients in federal and state courts, tried cases at the federal, state, and administrative levels, and represented clients in arbitration (JAMS, AAA, FINRA, and private), mediation, and provided strategic advisory services to philanthropic organizations invested in solving domestic and global concerns.
Organizations and Memberships
Education
John Lockett practices law in Atlanta, Georgia and maintains a national commercial litigation practice with a particular emphasis on Complex Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Class Action and other complex, high-exposure litigation matters. Prior to starting his own law practice, John was a Partner at Morris, Manning &Martin, LLP an AMLAW 200 firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a graduate of The University of Alabama, The London School of Economicsand Political Science, and TheUniversity of Texas School of Law.
During the 48 years he has been practicing law in Atlanta, Tony has represented many individuals and businesses on a wide variety of complex matters. He has tried dozens of jury trials in many areas of the law (both civil and criminal, federal and state), bench trials (in federal and state courts), administrative and regulatory hearings (before both federal and state agencies and boards), and medical peer review hearings at hospitals.
He graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1972. He graduated from Northwestern University Law School in 1976, beginning his legal career in Atlanta with a large firm doing product liability and medical malpractice defense. From 1982 to 1985, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. From 1985 until 2020, he practiced with his own small firm in Atlanta. Since 2000, Tony has been a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith Gambrell Russell in Atlanta.
Betty Nguyen Davis is a plaintiff's personal injury attorney in Atlanta and runs her own practice, The Davis Injury Firm, LLC. Betty handles catastrophic injury cases, enjoys the strategy involved in litigation, and loves it when a weak case turns into a great case. Betty was recognized as in the Top 50 of Georgia Women Super Lawyers in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Betty has served in numerous legal organization and currently dedicates her time serving on the service council for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Betty is also the owner of Wellness Jurist, an organization dedicated to providing tools and resources to attorneys seeking wellness, recovery, and stress reduction to achieve their peak performance in the profession. Betty can be reached at betty@bettydavislaw.com.
Will Martin is a Partner with Drew Eckl & Farnham representing businesses in personal injury and wrongful death litigation. His practice focuses on all types of premises liability, product liability, and commercial transportation cases.
Will frequently represents property owners, managers, and business operators in high-stakes litigation arising from third-party criminal acts on their property. His experience includes handling cases dealing with gang violence, kidnappings, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
Will has served as national, local, and trial counsel defending product manufacturers in litigation involving industrial equipment components, construction equipment, and automotive products. He has represented clients at all stages of litigation in more than 35 states.
Since 2021, Will has served on the Board for the General Practice & Trial Law Section for the State Bar of Georgia. He is an active member of DRI, the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, and the ABA. In 2024, Will was named to Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation. He was named a Georgia Super Lawyer Rising Star every year from 2013 through 2020, and he has an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell.
Jason Pettie is a partner in Taylor English’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department focusing his practice on bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights matters. Jason is a veteran bankruptcy practitioner with experience representing debtors, trustees, creditors, equity holders, and asset purchasers. Jason offers clients the unique perspective of an attorney who also serves as a Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustee. Known as an excellent communicator, Jason is adept at managing multiparty litigation, and his work as a bankruptcy trustee provides him with an experienced perspective on how diverse cases play out.
In 2008, Jason was appointed to the panel of Chapter 7 trustees in the Northern District of Georgia by the Office of the U.S. Trustee. In this role, he has successfully administered more than 15,000 Chapter 7 cases, which have included estates worth up to $31 million. He has a deep understanding of managing bankruptcy cases from start to finish, with experience filing pleadings and adversary proceedings, submitting required reports, investigating cases for fraud, and making referrals to the Office of the U.S. Trustee.
Jason is member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees (NABT). Jason has served as an elected member of NABT’s Board of Directors since 2015. Through his role with the NABT, he has worked directly with members of Congress and Congressional staff to advocate for the organization’s legislative priorities. He also serves as chairman of NABT’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, a role which has led him to work with the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ) and the Office of the United States Trustee to broadly improve access to the bankruptcy system. Jason is a frequent speaker sharing his bankruptcy knowledge with attorneys at continuing legal education seminars and providing college students with information on financial literacy and debt management.
Jason clerked for the he Honorable Audrey R. Evans and Chief Judge Richard D. Taylor of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. Jason graduated from the Howard University School of Law, with honors, and he obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.
Please be advised that your credit will not be reported to the State Bar of Georgia CLE Regulation Department until after you have completed the steps necessary to earn credit for that program.
Self reporting is required for all other jurisdictions.
The information presented is solely for educational purposes. The opinions expressed by the faculty in their materials and presentations are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the State Bar of Georgia, its officers, directors and/or employees. The faculty is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and these presentations and publications are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. All publications and presentations were created to serve the continuing legal education needs of practicing attorneys.
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