ATLANTA (September 22, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that UK Partner Gareth Hawes has been recognized by Airline Economics, the flagship publication dedicated to commercial aviation finance and leasing industry, in its 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. The 40 Under 40 list highlights top up and coming aviation professionals who are nominated and endorsed by their peers, colleagues and clients in the aviation industry. Gareth was chosen from among the nearly 120 individuals nominated in 2023. Additionally, UK Partners Ben Graham-Evans and Matthew Leigh are recognized in the publication’s list of leading… Read more

ATLANTA (September 20, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Melissa Salsano has joined the Firm’s Construction Practice in the New York and Atlanta offices. Ms. Salsano was most recently an attorney with Dentons in the U.S. construction, infrastructure, and transportation law group. “We are pleased to welcome Melissa to SGR’s Construction group,” said Peter Crofton, partner and head of SGR’s Atlanta Construction Practice. “She brings combined experience in construction law and civil engineering that will enhance the Firm’s Construction Practice capabilities in New York and Atlanta.” As an experienced construction lawyer, litigator and… Read more

ATLANTA (September 19, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Rachel Thomasen has joined the Firm’s Global Transport Practice as a senior associate based in the London office. Rachel joins SGR from Clifford Chance where she practiced as part of the asset finance team based out of the London and Hong Kong offices. Rachel has extensive experience acting on behalf of lessors and financiers in cross border asset finance and leasing transactions, including full and limited recourse operating lease financings, export credit financings, portfolio acquisitions, sale and leaseback transactions, tax leases, finance leases, operating… Read more

ATLANTA (September 6, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Jacksonville Partner Richard Rivera has received the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD) 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, presented during the ABA 2023 Annual Meeting held in Denver, was given to Mr. Rivera for his extraordinary career characterized by exceptional contributions, unwavering dedication, and outstanding leadership to the YLD. This is only the second time that this Lifetime Achievement Award has been given out by the YLD. Mr. Rivera has been involved with the ABA YLD for many years, including serving… Read more

ATLANTA (August 25, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that firm client Frontline Asset Strategies recently received a favorable decision in a California federal court after the judge dismissed a class action complaint filed against the client, despite its strict compliance with regulatory guidance under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The court also rejected a contrary decision from another federal court in favor of Frontline Asset Strategies. Frontline Asset Strategies is a full-service collection agency based in Roseville, MN with a satellite office in Jacksonville, FL. The SGR legal team included Scott Gallagher,… Read more

ATLANTA (August 23, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that partners Jay Schwartz, John Spillman, Tom Hong, and Julie Sebastian once again have been recognized in the IFLR1000 Leading Lawyers for 2023,  a guide to the world’s leading financial and corporate law firms produced by the International Financial Law Review (IFLR), within the Corporate/M&A and/or Banking and Finance practice areas in Georgia. Recognized for his work in M&A, Mr. Schwartz earned the “Highly Regarded” ranking. Mr. Spillman earned the “Highly Regarded” ranking in M&A in the technology and telecommunications industry. Mr. Hong earned the… Read more

ATLANTA (August 21, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that the Firm served as legal counsel to EJOT Group, a worldwide provider of innovative, engineered fasteners and joining technology, in the realignment of its long-standing joint venture with Accurate Threaded Fasteners, Inc. (ATF), a leading designer and manufacturer of tight-tolerance metal components, assemblies and engineered fasteners. As part of the implementation of the future concept “EJOT 2025,” the EJOT Group will focus more strongly on international markets outside Europe, which includes the strategic reorientation of the activities in North America. The core point is… Read more

ATLANTA (August 21, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Tampa Partner Robert Stines has been appointed chair of the American Bar Association’s TIPS Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Committee for a term beginning on September 1. Most recently, Mr. Stines was the Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Committee’s chair-elect. Robert Stines is a partner in SGR’s Litigation Practice. Mr. Stines has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor in the areas of cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, cyber insurance, e-discovery, and emerging technologies. He counsels clients in a range of industry sectors on privacy and data… Read more

ATLANTA (August 17, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that the Firm served as legal counsel to RapidIT-Cloudbera, Inc., a leading, Georgia-based (IT services and consulting) End to End Workday Automation Solutions company, in its sale to Kainos Group plc, a UK-headquartered IT provider. Kainos and RapidIT-Cloudbera both offer automated testing products which allow customers the ability to rapidly auto-generate test cases. As a result of the acquisition, Kainos will combine Genie, RapidIT-Cloudbera’s Workday-focused product, with its own market-leading Smart Test product to provide customers with greater compliance and quality assurance more quickly, with… Read more

ATLANTA (August 17, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that four of the Firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® as 2024 “Lawyer of the Year.” The Best Lawyers in America® is the leading peer review-based directory of legal practitioners. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” These lawyers are selected for receiving the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. For the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, more than 13.7 million votes… Read more