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Leadership

Sam Matchett, President of ALDC, Partner, King & Spalding LLP

Sam Matchett is a partner on King & Spalding's Atlanta Labor & Employment Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on employment relationship matters, with an emphasis in labor and employment law litigation in both state and federal courts, governmental agencies, and arbitration tribunals. Mr. Matchett routinely defends employers in litigation involving the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and employment-related state law claims. Mr. Matchett's practice entails extensive experience in employment discrimination. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Matchett provides general client advice on the avoidance of employee-related problems and presents seminars concerning all aspects of employment law. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and several appellate courts.

Thomas Wardell – Founder of ALDC, Partner, McKenna Long Aldridge LLP

Tom Wardell serves as Co-Chair of the Corporate Department and focuses on corporate counseling, corporate finance and securities, acquisitions and dispositions, and corporate reorganizations and restructurings. He represents public and private companies, and he also counsels companies on compliance and governance matters, including investigations both internal and with regulatory significance.

While residing in Boston, Tom was an adjunct professor at Boston University School of Management and a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School. He also spoke at other law and business schools conducting courses in investment banking, commercial transactions and public finance. Tom was president and CEO of Versyss from 1988 to 1993. Versyss was a provider of computer systems for small business applications. It was the largest provider in the U.S. for the physician practice and credit union industries and one of the top three providers for the construction and building supply industry.

Tom was involved with the financial restructuring of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Penn Central Railroad Company.

Atlanta Magazine has recognized Tom as a “Georgia Super Lawyer” in 2004 and 2006 for his advisory services to publicly held companies.

STEVEN M. BERNSTEIN, Vice President of ALDC, Partner, Fisher & Phillips LLP

Steve has practiced labor and employment law on behalf of management for the past 14 years. During that time period, he has counseled employers in the southeast, and throughout other areas of the United States and Canada in their efforts to remain union free. Previously, he worked for brief periods with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and with Senator Kennedy's Minority Labor Committee staff.

Steve currently represents employers in the state and federal courts, as well as before the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other state and federal agencies. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to the implementation of preventive employee relations programs that include supervisory training and the development and administration of effective workplace policies and procedures.

JILL HARRISON, Secretary of ALDC, Partner, Dow Lohnes PLLC
Jill Harrison joined Dow Lohnes's Atlanta Litigation practice in 1995. Her practice includes extensive counseling and advice to employers nationwide on all aspects of the employment relationship, including avoidance and defense of discrimination claims, compliance with disability and medical leave laws, sexual harassment training for supervisors, employee discipline and termination, employment and consulting agreements including restrictive covenants, severance and release agreements, personnel policy design and implementation, union avoidance strategy, and collective bargaining. Ms. Harrison regularly represents employers in state and federal courts throughout the country in actions alleging discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, emotional distress and other employment-related claims. She also has experience in union representation elections and unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board and in grievance arbitrations under collective bargaining agreements.

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Membership Chairperson of ALDC, Partner, Sutherland LLP

Allegra is co-chair of the firm’s complex business litigation group. Her practice includes commercial litigation and labor and employment law. She has represented companies throughout the United States and abroad in numerous trials and other forums.
Allegra has litigated cases in federal and state courts for primarily Fortune 100 companies from California to New York and has extensive experience negotiating complex settlements and finding creative solutions. She is regularly quoted in the media as a leading practitioner in her field. Georgia Trend magazine recognized Allegra as one of “40 Under 40” Rising Stars in Georgia in 2003, and the magazine has also repeatedly named her in the Georgia Trend “Legal Elite.” She was featured on the cover of the 2006 “Legal Elite” edition. The Fulton County Daily Report featured Allegra in its annual “On the Rise” issue in August 2004. In 2005, Atlanta Woman named her one of “Atlanta’s 25 Power Women to Watch.”

Atlanta Magazine has also repeatedly named her a “Georgia Super Lawyer,” as well as regularly recognized her in its “Top 50 Female Georgia Super Lawyers.”

Roy Hadley, Treasurer ALDC and Counsel at Powell & Goldstien LLP

Mr. Hadley has an extensive background in counseling clients in complex corporate transactions, particularly those involving intellectual property and technology. His previous roles as general counsel and chief privacy officer in the corporate sector have provided him with invaluable insight on the impact of legal issues on his clients' business needs and allow him to provide "real world" solutions to clients. Mr. Hadley focuses his corporate practice in the areas of information security and privacy, technology and business process outsourcing, telecommunications, intellectual property, information technology, software development and licensing, and entertainment/media. Mr. Hadley has overseen cross-border transactions in South and Central America, Asia-Pacific and the European Union involving information management, business processes, data security and privacy. He also has experience in providing information security and technology accessibility assessments/audits, data security breach remediation, electronic records management and e-discovery. See Mr. Hadley's biography at:

http://www.pogolaw.com/people-attorneys-profile-1157.html

Karen D. Fultz, Partner, Cozen & O'Connor

Karen D. Fultz joined the firm's Atlanta office in July, 2002 and practices with the Insurance Litigation Group. Karen focuses her practice on subrogation and recovery. Prior to joining Cozen O'Connor, Karen was an associate with Lackland and Associates in Atlanta. She also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Denise Page Hood of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Ernest Greer, Esq. Greenberg Traurig LLP

Co-Managing Shareholder, Atlanta Office Co-Chair, Litigation Practice - Atlanta greere@gtlaw.com. Greenberg Traurig LLP The Forum 3290 Northside Parkway Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30327. Phone: (678) 553-2420. Fax: (678) 553-2212. Ernest Greer's practice consists of the representation of clients in various complex litigation matters, including class action litigation, construction, contracts (suits on account and guarantee/indemnity agreements), employment, partnership disputes, and other commercial litigation matters. Ernest has also served or is serving as counsel in the formation of some of the largest minority business enterprise/majority business enterprise ventures in the country, including ventures in the construction, flexible packaging and real estate development.

R. Javoyne Hicks, Esq. Dekalb District Attorney's Office

R. Javoyne Hicks became an Assistant Attorney General in the Special Prosecutions Unit of the State of Georgia Department of Law in April 2000. As a member of the Special Prosecutions Unit, Ms. Hicks primarily handles white-collar crime and government corruption cases. One of her efforts is fighting Identity Theft. She is working with state and local law enforcement agencies on the prosecution of identity theft cases and is the driving force behind Attorney General Thurbert Baker’s Stop Identity Theft Network. In addition to the above, Ms. Hicks also served as the 2003 Georgia Coordinator of the Attorney General’s Co-Sponsored 18th National Conference on Preventing Crime in the Black Community. A conference with approximately 2500 attendees.

Carter Hoyt, Managing Director, American Legal Search LLC

Ms. Carter M. Hoyt Managing Director AMERICAN Legal Search, LLC. 2999 Piedmont Rd., NE Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30305. direct dial - (404) 604-2454. fax - (404) 846-7917. e-mail - carter@americanlegalsearch.com. Carter Hoyt is the Managing Director of the Atlanta office of AMERICAN Legal Search where she works with candidates and clients, both in law firms and corporate legal departments throughout the country, to fill permanent and contract attorney, paralegal and other legal staffing needs. Click here to find out more about Ms. Hoyt:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/carterhoyt

Dionysia Johnson-Massie, Partner, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Atlanta 3348 Peachtree Road, N.E. Suite 1100 Atlanta, Georgia 30326-1008 Telephone: (404) 233-0330 Fax: (404) 233-2361 Email: djmassie@littler.com. Emphasis: Federal Employment Discrimination Litigation, Religious Discrimination and Accommodation Analysis, Management and Employee Training, including Diversity and Strategic Initiatives Implementation, Counseling on Personnel Matters, Policies and Practices, Litigating collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ms. Johnson-Massie is a litigator whose practice focuses primarily on federal employment discrimination litigation, including matters arising under Title VII, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She also has defended clients against state law defamation, intentional interference with business relationships, assault and battery and false imprisonment claims. As a former General Counsel, Ms. Johnson-Massie uses her business acumen to consider creative and cost effective strategies for minimizing her clients’ exposure to a myriad of legal risks and is readily available to provide advice and counsel on the practical and legal implications of everyday employment decisions.

Jewell Johnson, Partner, Fisher & Phillips LLP

1500 Resurgens Plaza. 945 East Paces Ferry Road. Atlanta, Georgia 30326. (404) 240-4286. Jewelle Johnson is a partner in the Atlanta office. She has successfully defended numerous companies against employment discrimination claims arising under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act in both state and federal courts. Ms. Johnson advises clients on preventative measures aimed at reducing employment-related claims and provides management and employee training on such topics as diversity, discrimination and harassment, wage and hour laws, and discipline and discharge. Jewelle was named as one of the "Top 25 Power Women to Watch in 2006" by Atlanta Woman magazine and was selected for two consecutive years (2005-2006) as one of "Georgia's Rising Star Super Lawyers" by Atlanta and Law & Politics magazines. In 2006, Jewelle was also one of 14 attorneys selected as one of the Daily Report's young lawyers "On the Rise." Click to see full Biography:

http://www.laborlawyers.com/showbio.aspx?Attorney-E.-Jewelle-Johnson&Show=4992

Board Members

Sheryl McCalla, Esq. ALDC Presenter and Board Member

Sheryl McCalla is a member of Doffermyre, Shields, Canfield, Knowles & Devine, LLC. She works with entrepreneurs, community leaders, bankruptcy trustees and others to recover damages on their behalf. She litigates primarily in the areas of commercial and environmental toxic tort law and has substantial experience in litigating disputes involving business matters, contracts, restrictive covenants, trade secrets and employment. She has played critical roles in jury and bench trials in state and federal courts. She has argued in courts including the Georgia Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and has successfully represented parties in other appellate courts throughout the country.

Aasia Mustakeem, Partner, Locke, Lord, Bissell & Brook LLP

The Proscenium, Ste. 1900 1170 Peachtree Street NE | Atlanta, GA 30309. 404.870.4688 | 404.806.5688 Fax. e-card amustakeem@lockelord. Practice: Ms. Mustakeem practices in the area of commercial real estate, including the representation of developers, purchasers and sellers in connection with the acquisition, disposition and development of office, hotel, retail, industrial and mixed-use projects.

Brent Wilson, Partner, Elarbee Thompson LLP

Brent L. Wilson: bwilson@elarbeethompson.com. (404) 582-8427. Practice Areas: Labor Relations Labor & Employment Litigation Employer Counseling, Training & Litigation Prevention Employment Litigation. Educational Institutions: Communications/Media/Technology Providers Alternative Dispute Resolution Education J.D., University of Georgia; State University of New York at Buffalo, 1976 B.A., cum laude, Morehouse College, 1973. Admitted to Practice Georgia Louisiana. Profile: Brent devotes a significant portion of his practice to defending employers in employment-related litigation and representing employers in traditional labor matters including unfair labor practice proceedings, representation cases, arbitration and collective bargaining. He is also focused on proactively counseling employers regarding day-to-day employment decisions to avoid litigation. He works with a variety of employers nationwide, including communications companies, service providers, educational institutions, non-profit groups, public entities and manufacturing operations.

Armando L. Basarrate II, Partner, Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs LLP

Han C. Choi, Partner, Troutman Sanders LLP

Raymond P. Carpenter, Esq. Holland & Knight LLP

Hakim Hilliard, Esq. McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Wade Hooper, President, Hooper Executive Search

Wade Hooper, a third generation Atlantan, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1993, and served in a number of capacities during his active duty career in the Navy, ranging from supporting the Chief of Naval Operations Staff in the Pentagon to serving as an Engineering Officer on a gas-turbine powered destroyer stationed in San Diego, CA. Following his Naval Service, Wade returned to Atlanta, and worked as a Materials Manager for a premier global furniture manufacturer, Herman Miller. The son, grandson and great grandson of Atlanta based lawyers, Wade felt the gravitational pull of family tradition too strong to completely overcome and found himself in the business of placing attorneys in the Atlanta law firm market. After five years with a national executive search firm where he became Managing Partner in the Atlanta office, Wade founded Hooper Executive Search. See

www.thinkhooper.com

Ajay Jindia, Assistant General Counsel, CompuCredit Corporation

Ajay Jindia, a co-founding member of ALDC, has been Assistant General Counsel of CompuCredit Corporation (NASDAQ: CCRT) since 2004, serving as general counsel to several divisions, including all of CompuCredit's UK, US retail lending, retail auto sales, installment lending, R&D, government affairs and public relations groups. Previously, Ajay practiced for seven years in corporate and commercial real estate law, most recently with a predecessor firm of Baker Donelson in Atlanta. Prior to that, Ajay interned with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Ajay began his career as a senior internal auditor and compliance officer for First Commerce Corporation, a $7 billion bank holding company that has since been acquired by JPMorgan Chase, located in New Orleans, where he worked for three years. In 2004, Ajay was named as one of the "Top 21 Attorneys under 40" in Georgia by the Fulton County Daily Report, Atlanta's legal newspaper; and "Rising Star" by Georgia Super Lawyers Magazine in 2005 and 2006. For more information about Ajay, please go to:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jindia

Charles Johnson, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

Monica Jones, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP

Harold Jordan, General Counsel, Morehouse School of Medicine

Harold Jordan is General Counsel of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Prior to joining Morehouse in 2007, Harold served as in-house counsel for INVESCO, an institutional money manager based in Atlanta, three healthcare systems based in Atlanta (Grady Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Charter Behavioral Health Systems) after starting his legal career in the litigation departments of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C. and Alston & Bird in Atlanta. Harold is currently the President of the Brown Club of Georgia, the Treasurer of the Inman Page Council (Brown University’s African-American Alumni Association), and is a former member of the Brown University’s Alumni Board of Governors and a former Co-Chair of the Multicultural Alumni Committee of the BAA Board of Governors. See:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/6/b5/ba7

Alonzo Llorens, Esq. Womble, Caryle, Sandridge & Rice PPLC

Alonzo Llorens is a member of the Firm’s Corporate and Securities practice group and concentrates primarily in the area of securities law including public offerings, private placements, public and private securities regulation, SEC compliance and corporate governance matters. Alonzo also handles other complex securities transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, tender offers and proxy contests. Alonzo’s venture capital financing experience includes the representation of issuers, venture capitalists and incubators. Alonzo’s practice also includes general corporate work for public and private clients on matters such as drafting and negotiating agreements and complex domestic and international due diligence matters.

Paul T. Kim, Partner, Lord Billell & Brook LLP

Curtis Mack, Partner, McGuire Woods LLP

Kenneth Neighbors, Partner, Greenberg Traurig LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP The Forum 3290 Northside Parkway Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30327 Phone: (678) 553-2180 Fax: (678) 553-2181 Kenneth M. Neighbors focuses primarily in the area of Public Finance, providing legal advice in support of various community redevelopment initiatives ranging from tax allocation district formation and financing, mixed-use, commercial, retail and multi-family real estate financings, to 501(c)(3) and other tax-exempt bond financings, and implementation of state and city supported grant programs. Ken also provides business and legal advice in connection with the acquisition, sale and management of real estate holdings and provides general representation in connection with corporate matters and corporate and venture capital financing transactions.

Gerry L. Williams, Partner, DLA Piper

One Atlantic Center 1201 West Peachtree Street, Suite 2800 Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3450. T: (404) 736-789. gerry.williams@dlapiper.com. Gerry L. Williams is a partner in DLA Piper's Corporate and Finance group, based in the Atlanta office. Mr. Williams represents private equity funds and Fortune 1000 and middle-market companies in matters involving mergers and acquisitions, securities and general corporate matters and cross-border acquisitions and joint ventures, primarily in China. He has represented companies in several industries, among them financial services, food and beverage, and consumer products. Among the clients he has represented in various industries are: A $300 million private equity fund in multiple platform acquisitions; A public bank holding company which he represented in the acquisition of a publicly traded bank holding company for approximately $400 million; A public telecommunications company in the acquisition of a wireless telecommunications company for approximately $375 million; An NYSE-listed Fortune 500 company in the sale of common stock of a public company in the office furniture manufacturing business for approximately $190 million; An NYSE-listed Fortune 500 company in the acquisition of its franchises in the tire retread business for an aggregate purchase price exceeding $135 million.

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