ATLANTA (November 5, 2008) — Elizabeth L. Branch (“Lisa”) has joined the Atlanta office of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP as a partner in the Litigation Section.

Ms. Branch has experience in business and commercial litigation at the trial and appellate court levels in both the state and federal court systems. Additionally, her practice will include homeland security issues and regulatory matters, with a focus on the transportation sector.

Ms. Branch originally joined Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP in 1996 after the completion of a federal clerkship. She left the firm in 2004 to serve as a senior official in the George W. Bush Administration, first at the Department of Homeland Security and then at the Office of Management and Budget in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. She worked extensively on federal regulations affecting many industries, including air, rail, trucking, shipping, chemical, food, health care, education, and agriculture, and can assist clients with navigating the complex federal regulatory process as well as with compliance issues.

Ms. Branch often speaks at conferences on regulatory and homeland security issues, and she is the co-author of a law review article describing the regulatory policies of the Bush Administration. She is currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Homeland Security Committee of the Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section for the American Bar Association.

A native of Georgia, Ms. Branch graduated, cum laude, with a B.A. in English from Davidson College in 1990. In 1994, she received her J.D. with distinction from Emory University School of Law.