Balch & Bingham LLP is pleased to announce that nine attorneys from across the firm’s footprint have been named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List. The annual list recognizes talented young litigators who have built strong litigation practices and gained success in the courtroom.
“This group of litigators has combined business intelligence, industry leadership and high-quality legal counsel early in their careers to provide outstanding service,” said Russ Campbell, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and chair of the Litigation Practice. “We commend each attorney for this recognition, and we look forward to their continued contributions to our firm.”
Benchmark Litigation is the only ranking publication in the United States that exclusively recognizes attorneys in the litigation field. Honorees are selected through a multiphase review process that assesses recent case work and peer-and client-based reviews.
With more than 90 active litigators firm wide, Balch represents clients in state, federal and appellate courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court. A key strength of the practice is Balch’s work in heavily regulated industries including energy, financial services and healthcare.
The Balch attorneys recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s 2019 40 & Under Hot List include:
- Conrad Anderson IV, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, is a tech-minded trial attorney who litigates all manner of business disputes. He frequently defends class action lawsuits, often on behalf of financial institutions. Conrad recently secured a favorable settlement for a publicly-traded retail property owner/manager in a nationwide RICO class action alleging fraudulent utility charges assessed to tenants.
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Thomas DeBray, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, maintains a diverse civil litigation practice, providing counsel in cases concerning property damage or disputes, business disputes, and defending alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Thomas recently tried a case regarding a business contract dispute in state circuit court, and obtained a judgment in favor of the client.
- Geremy Gregory, partner in the firm’s Jacksonville office, has successfully litigated hundreds of matters on behalf of financial institutions in Florida and Georgia, often resolving cases prior to discovery. Geremy also regularly represents clients in a variety of real estate matters, from easement disputes to priority issues. In addition, Geremy represents manufacturers and electric utilities, particularly in matters involving loss by fire.
- Adam Israel, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, focuses his practice on complex business litigation. Adam regularly represents businesses and individuals primarily in the areas of business torts and unfair competition. A substantial portion of Adam’s practice is devoted to representing businesses and individuals in non-compete, non-solicitation, and theft of trade secrets cases in trial and appellate courts. Adam also regularly represents nuclear utilities in matters arising from the Department of Energy’s delay in disposing of the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel.
- Anne Kaufold-Wiggins, partner in the firm’s Atlanta office, defends corporate clients in trial, upon dispositive motions, and on appeal. For more than a decade, Anne has successfully defended her clients, many of which are electric utilities, in a wide variety of litigation, including high stakes personal injury and wrongful death cases, fire cause and origin claims, complex commercial litigation, class actions, and other energy-related litigation. She serves on Georgia’s Judicial Nominating Commission, is President of the Mercer Law School Alumni Board, the President-Elect for the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the Women’s Energy Network, and a member of the State Bar’s Georgia Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency
- Lane Knight, partner in the firm’s Montgomery office, represents a wide variety of financial services clients, with a concentration on banking and mortgage servicing litigation. He is recognized for his vast experience within the financial services industry, and serves as counsel to some of the nation's largest banks and loan servicers in litigated matters throughout the Southeast.
- Kelly Pate, partner in the firm’s Montgomery office, has an active and diverse civil litigation practice in Alabama federal and state courts. She represents a variety of clients in matters ranging from employment and business disputes, constitutional challenges, and injury claims. For example, Kelly has successfully resolved harassment litigation coming in the wake of the #metoo movement, assisted clients with claims involving complex construction disputes, and navigated litigation for clients faced with serious personal injury claims.
- Brant Pettis, partner in the firm’s Gulfport office, routinely represents contractors, state agencies and utilities regarding contract, environmental and regulatory claims. Brant is currently representing a state agency in a +$20 million lawsuit against a terminated contractor concerning a public construction project.
- Jason Tompkins, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and chair of the Appellate Practice, has served as lead counsel on hundreds of individual cases and more than forty class actions in numerous jurisdictions and at all levels of the federal court system. For example, in Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, Jason successfully represented one of the nation’s largest buyers of unpaid debt to advance an Eleventh Circuit class action to the Supreme Court, resulting in a key decision on the intersection of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Bankruptcy Code.
