ATLANTA (April 25, 2007) — Stefan Tiessen has accomplished much in his career as an international attorney. His latest victory: becoming an American citizen.

Mr. Tiessen is a partner in the International Section of Smith, Gambrell & Russell. He received his U.S. citizenship March 30, 2007.

Originally from Germany, Mr. Tiessen has lived in the U.S. for 25 years. He spent the past 20 years in Atlanta, 15 of them as an attorney with SGR, and previously lived in San Francisco, New York and Champaign-Urbana.

“I will enjoy the rights associated with citizenship, especially the right to vote,” said Mr. Tiessen.

Mr. Tiessen is currently the managing partner of SGR’s office in Frankfurt, Germany.

He has legal expertise in the corporate and commercial concerns of U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies. Mr. Tiessen received his European legal education from the University of Freiburg and his American J.D. from the University of Illinois. He began the citizenship process 18 months ago with help from SGR immigration attorney Anton Mertens.