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Aug 19, 2021

SGR Partners Randall Constantine, Melissa Dearing, Jeffrey Tenen, Alan Wachs, and Kathryn Zickert Named 2022 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year”

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ATLANTA (August 19, 2021) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that five of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers as 2022 “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,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer review assessments. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.

The following five SGR attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas and cities:

Randall A. Constantine was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Atlanta.
Melissa A. Dearing was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Jacksonville.
Jeffrey S. Tenen was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Securitization and Structured Finance Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Miami.
Alan S. Wachs was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Litigation – Insurance “Lawyer of the Year” in Jacksonville.
Kathryn M. Zickert was named the Best Lawyers® 2022 Land Use and Zoning “Lawyer of the Year” in Atlanta.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer review evaluation. Almost 113,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and Best Lawyers has received more than 15 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, more than 10.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 66,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

Randall Constantine is a partner in SGR’s Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Practice in Atlanta. He has extensive experience in employee benefits litigation involving single and multiemployer pension and welfare plans, nonqualified plans, and a wide array of fiduciary, administrative and benefits issues. In the executive compensation area, Mr. Constantine represents both companies and senior management. Mr. Constantine is also recognized in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – ERISA, and Litigation – Labor and Employment. He was previously named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in Georgia for Litigation – ERISA in 2021.

Melissa Dearing is a partner in the SGR’s Jacksonville Litigation and Labor and Employment. She practices in all aspects of labor and employment and immigration law, including the handling of discrimination and harassment litigation, wage and hour compliance and litigation, union avoidance, non-compete, non-solicitation and trade secret litigation, and general employee relations advice. Ms. Dearing is also recognized in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Litigation – Labor and Employment.

Jeffrey Tenen is a partner in the Miami office of SGR. As a member of the Global Transport Practice, his primary areas of practice are aircraft finance and leasing, cross-border structured lending and asset-based financing transactions, aviation, and international business and commercial transactions. He is also recognized in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Corporate Law, Derivatives and Futures Law, and Transportation Law. Previously, Mr. Tenen was named the Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in Transportation Law in 2020, Securitization and Structured Finance in 2015, and in Derivatives and Futures Law in 2021 and 2018 in Miami.

Alan Wachs is a partner in the Litigation Practice in SGR’s Jacksonville office. He focuses on commercial litigation with emphasis in complex contract disputes, trade secret disputes, intellectual property litigation, covenant not to compete litigation, partnership and shareholder disputes, and commercial products liability litigation. Additionally, Mr. Wachs practices in insurance coverage litigation, bad faith litigation, re-insurance litigation, and agent/broker litigation, including professional negligence claims. He is also recognized in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law, and Litigation – Intellectual Property.

Kathryn Zickert a partner in and the leader of SGR’s Zoning, Planning and Land Use Practice in Atlanta. She practices in all aspects of land use and zoning including environmental and land use litigation, condemnation, re-zonings, variances, special or conditional use permits, special exceptions, subdivision approvals and all other permitting, fair housing, developments of regional impact and historic preservation. Ms. Zickert is also recognized in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Litigation – Land Use and Zoning. She was previously named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in Georgia for Litigation – Land Use and Zoning in 2021, 2019, 2017, and 2015, as well as in Land Use and Zoning in 2016.

To view SGR’s list of the SGR attorneys elected for inclusion in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, click here.

About Best Lawyers®
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers awards are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe. Visit www.bestlawyers.com for more information.

About Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP
SGR is a full service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The firm’s 250 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 45 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, construction, employment law, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Founded in 1893, SGR has offices in Atlanta, Austin, Jacksonville, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Munich, New York, Southampton, and Washington, D.C.


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