Bradley Elevates 17 Attorneys to Partner or Counsel

Bradley is pleased to announce that 15 of the firm’s attorneys have been elevated to partner and two attorneys have been elevated to counsel, effective January 1, 2023. The new partners are Sara D. Accardi, J. Mark Adams Jr., Caleb L. Barron, Stanley E. Blackmon, Connor M. Blair, J. Daniel Feltham Jr., Jake M. Gipson, Carolyne Jones Hess, Kimberly M. Ingram-Hogan, Nicole B. Jones, Sarah Sutton Osborne, Kristina Allen Reliford, Kyle W. Robisch, Lauren P. Schick, and Brooke Baird Smith. The new counsel are Leah M. Campbell and Lisa Markman.

“We are proud of this exceptional group of attorneys who have shown their commitment to the firm and their practices through hard work and successful results for our clients,” said Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. “We congratulate them on this significant achievement and look forward to their continued contributions that will lead our firm forward.”

Details about each attorney, grouped by office, are as follows:

Birmingham

Mr. Adams maintains a diverse general litigation practice defending product liability and life sciences litigation, toxic tort litigation, business torts and general commercial litigation. He has significant experience defending clients in product liability cases in state and federal courts across the country and has defended manufacturers of products ranging from prescription drugs to tires. Mr. Adams has additional experience in all aspects of defending mass litigation, having served as a member of the MDL national counsel teams for pharmaceutical manufacturers. He received his J.D. from the University of Alabama Law School and earned his B.S. from Wake Forest University.

Mr. Blackmon concentrates his practice on high-stakes and appellate litigation throughout the federal and state court systems, with a focus on legal strategy, motion practice and appeals. He has worked on numerous appeals resulting in significant victories for clients that have had a tangible impact in their respective industries. He also represents clients at the U.S. Supreme Court and has litigated cases across the substantive spectrum, including pharmaceutical product liability, non-compete violations, commercial breach of contract, fraud and securities fraud. Mr. Blackmon earned his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and his B.S. from Mississippi State University.

Mr. Feltham provides strategic counsel to privately held and publicly traded companies on a broad range of transactional matters, particularly in M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations and general corporate matters. He also serves as outside general counsel to venture capital funds, private equity portfolio companies and family-owned businesses and has participated in numerous transactions across industries both domestically and internationally. A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, Mr. Feltham earned his B.S. from Auburn University’s Raymond J. Harbert College of Business.

Mr. Gipson is a member of Bradley’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and handles matters involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and unfair competition. He counsels clients in obtaining, managing, protecting, and defending various intellectual property rights, with an emphasis on patent and trademark litigation, and represents clients in federal and state courts throughout the country. Mr. Gipson assists clients with procuring patent and trademark rights, utilizing his background in engineering to help him understand his clients’ technologies. He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law and received his B.S. from the University of Florida.

Ms. Hess represents public and private clients on a wide range of transactional matters as a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group, counseling them on commercial real estate, real estate-based financing, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues and other corporate matters. She provides strategic advice and represents buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants and developers on acquisitions, development and leasing transactions throughout the country. Ms. Hess received her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Ms. Jones is a member of Bradley’s Banking and Financial Services and Litigation practice groups. She focuses her practice on defending claims and advising financial institutions on compliance with state and federal regulations, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Ms. Jones has experience assisting clients in responding to and resolving government investigations by federal and state regulators. She earned her J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law and her B.A. from Bates College.

Charlotte

A member of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services Practice Group, Ms. Campbell has experience representing financial services and insurance company clients in both federal and state courts, as well as before state regulators. She has advised national mortgage servicers on FDCPA claims and counsels loan finance companies on Unfair, Deceptive, or Abuse Acts or Practices (UDAAP) claims, while also assisting banks with issues related to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Ms. Campbell also provides intellectual property guidance in M&A and in corporate structuring matters and advises on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implementation and cross-border encryption issues. She received her J.D. from Tulane University Law School and earned her B.A. from The Evergreen State College.

Huntsville

Ms. Osborne’s practice intersects government contracts law and complex civil litigation. She advises clients on a wide range of procurement and federal contracting matters, including compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)/ Export Administration (EAR) export regulations, intellectual property rights, Small Business Administration programs, state procurement law and federal grant issues. Ms. Osborne regularly represents contractors in litigation and in the prosecution and defense of bid protests at the Government Accountability Office and the United States Court of Federal Claims. She is a graduate of the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and earned her B.B.A. from The George Washington University.

Nashville

Mr. Barron provides advice on a broad range of employee benefits and executive compensation matters for privately held companies, churches, universities and government entities. He also prepares governing documents for retirement, deferred compensation, and welfare plans. Mr. Barron advises employers regarding benefits issues for major mergers and acquisitions on state law issues that impact the administration of employee benefit plans. He regularly assists plan administrators in meeting their fiduciary and administrative responsibilities, providing counsel in regard to benefit claims, litigation, prohibited transactions, and regulatory filings with the IRS and DOL. Mr. Barron earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and received his B.S. from the University of Tennessee.

Mr. Blair litigates complex business, construction, and intellectual property disputes, as well as constitutional law. He represents clients at the trial level in business and construction disputes involving a wide variety of issues and has successfully disposed of cases at the responsive pleading and summary judgement stages. Mr. Blair has tried cases to verdict in both state and federal court and has successfully briefed post-trial motions. Additionally, he has an extensive appellate practice and has written and coordinated numerous amici briefs. Mr. Blair received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ms. Ingram-Hogan’s practice focuses on complex business litigation, class or mass action defense, and appeals in state and federal courts, providing her clients with high-quality advocacy and strategic solutions. She has experience in intellectual property, competitive practices, ERISA, False Claims Act, product liability, business tort and breach of contract disputes. Ms. Ingram-Hogan concentrates much of her practice on drafting critical motions and appellate briefs for a variety of teams and is skilled in alternative disputes resolution, regularly representing clients in mediation and arbitration. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and received her B.A. from Clemson University.

A member of Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group, Ms. Reliford focuses her practice on non-compete litigation, securities and government investigations, and complex business disputes. She has experience assisting U.S. and international companies across a variety of industries in developing practical solutions to resolve disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible. Ms. Reliford has experience in all facets of commercial disputes, including dispositive motions, discovery management, witness preparation, trial briefing and witness examination, and has played an integral role in significant federal trade secret litigation matters. She received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and earned her B.S. from the University of Connecticut.

Ms. Schick regularly negotiates and drafts commercial leases for retail, healthcare, office and industrial projects on a national basis. She represents both landlords and tenants and is well versed in handling complex leasing matters. Ms. Schick also advises real estate developers, real estate brokers and property managers on leasing and management of commercial real estate. She assists numerous franchisees in a variety of commercial real estate and leasing-related matters and is a Board-Certified Estate Planning Law Specialist by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Ms. Schick is a graduate of the University of Denver Strum College of Law and received her B.A. from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Ms. Smith is a member of Bradley’s Real Estate Practice Group and counsels clients in real estate finance, real estate acquisitions and dispositions, real estate development and healthcare lending. She represents numerous life insurance companies, as well as regional and local banks and corporate clients, in a variety of commercial and real estate lending matters secured by real property. Ms. Smith also assists real estate developers with due diligence, acquisition and entitlement for residential and commercial developments. She received her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned her B.S. from Lipscomb University.

Tampa

Ms. Accardi is a commercial litigator who regularly handles a wide range of commercial, real property, and business litigation matters. She represents businesses and commercial clients in complex litigation across a variety of industries in state and federal courts across the country. Ms. Accardi has experience with jury and non-jury trials, arbitrations, and other pre-suit dispute resolution practices, and assists clients with government investigations, civil investigative demands, and internal investigations. She also has handled contested consumer mortgage foreclosure trials for banks and mortgage services across the state of Florida. Ms. Accardi earned her J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and received her M.A. and B.A. from the University of Florida.

Mr. Robisch assists companies and individuals in protecting their business and personal interests through commercial, business, and complex litigation. He is frequently called upon to prosecute and defend cases in federal and state courts across the country and routinely appears in courts nationwide. Mr. Robisch represents a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, middle-market businesses, startups, closely held corporations and individual entrepreneurs, and frequently counsels clients on strategies to minimize legal risk and obtain favorable settlements. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and earned his B.A. from the University of Florida.

Washington, D.C.

Ms. Markman focuses her practice on construction litigation and government contracts. She has experience in complex litigation, representing general contractors and subcontractors across a range of public and private projects both domestically and abroad. Ms. Markman has also represented and counseled contractors in cases involving federal and state Miller Act claims, requests for equitable adjustment, mechanic’s liens, delay claims and surety disputes. Through her government contracts work, she has litigated contract claims and bid protests, including procurements worth several billion dollars, before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Government Accountability Office and the Board of Contract Appeals. Ms. Markman is a graduate of Washington & Lee University School of Law and earned her B.A. from the University of California at San Diego.