Education
- University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1993
- Appalachian State University, B.A., 1989
Bar Admissions
- Georgia
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- Supreme Court of Georgia
- Court of Appeals of Georgia
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia
- Speaker, “Recent Securities Decisions and Trends to Watch,” March 20, 2024.
- Speaker, “Securities Litigation and Disclosure Issues,” COVID-19 Litigation Podcast Series, COVID-19 Resource Center, April 21, 2020.
- Presenter, “The #MeToo Movement: Steps that Business Executives, Board Members and Legal and Compliance Counsel Need to Take to Protect Their Company,” Troutman Sanders Webinar, March 2018.
- Speaker, “Trends in SEC Enforcement & Securities Litigation,” Association of Corporate Growth, Costa Mesa, CA, May 22, 2014.
- Co-author, “SEC Takes Official Position on Inclusion of Issuer-Investor Mandatory Arbitration Provisions for IPOs,” Troutman Pepper Locke, September 23, 2025.
- Co-author, “District Judge Orders Return of Mootness Fees in Akorn Shareholder Lawsuits and Hints at Further Sanctions,” Troutman Pepper Locke, March 20, 2025.
- Co-author, “US Supreme Court to Hear Nvidia Crypto Mining Case on Securities Pleading Standard,” Troutman Pepper, June 18, 2024.
- Co-author, “US Supreme Court Limits Scope of Omission Liability for Section 10(b) Securities Fraud Claims,” Troutman Pepper, April 16, 2024.
- Co-author, “Unanimous Supreme Court Sharply Limits Liability under Section 11 for Companies Issuing Securities Through Direct Listings,” Troutman Pepper, June 9, 2023.
- Co-author, “Recent SEC Complaint Signals Increased Enforcement Risk for Companies on ESG Disclosures,” Troutman Pepper, May 10, 2022.
- Co-author, “Not “Securities” — A Victory for Crypto-Related Products,” Troutman Pepper, November 22, 2021.
- Co-author, “Delaware Supreme Court Adopts New Three-Part Test for Demand Futility,” Troutman Pepper, October 1, 2021.
- Co-author, “Second Circuit Rules Plaintiffs’ Securities Class Action Cannot Ride the Coattails of Foreign Bank’s Regulatory Troubles,” Troutman Pepper, September 2, 2021.
- Co-author, “District of Massachusetts Finds Optimistic Statements Do Not Amount to Actionable Securities Fraud,” Troutman Pepper, August 4, 2021.
- Co-author, “US Supreme Court Reverses Class Certification in 10b-5 Action,” Troutman Pepper, June 24, 2021.
- Co-author, “Second Circuit: Nonspecific Fraud Allegations Aren’t Enough,” Troutman Pepper, April 27, 2021.
- Co-author, “Operating in a Pandemic: Securities Litigation Risk Navigating Disclosure Concerns,” Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, May 14, 2020.
- Co-author, “Delaware Court of Chancery Sustains Caremark Claim Against Audit Committee,” Troutman Sanders, May 5, 2020.
- Co-author, “The Inevitable Wave of COVID-19-Related Securities Litigation: What Public Companies Can Expect and Do to Prepare,” Troutman Sanders, April 6, 2020.
- Co-author, “A Real Game-Changer: Supreme Court of Delaware Validates Federal Forum Provisions for Securities Act Cases,” Troutman Sanders, March 19, 2020.
- Co-author, “Delaware Chancery Court Strikes Down Federal Forum Provisions for Securities Act Cases,” Troutman Sanders, December 21, 2018.
- Co-author, “Supreme Court Unanimously Decides that State Courts Have Jurisdiction Over Class Actions Brought Under the Securities Act of 1933,” Troutman Sanders, March 23, 2018.
- Co-author, “New Georgia Law Strengthens Business Judgment Rule,” Troutman Sanders, May 15, 2017.
- Co-author, “That’s a Lot of Pineapples — Delaware Court of Chancery Holds Dole Executives Personally Liable for $148 Million in Damages from Breaches of Fiduciary Duty and Fraud in Going-Private Transaction: Lessons for Deal Lawyers,” Troutman Sanders, September 16, 2015.
- Co-author, “The Supreme Court’s Recent Omnicare Decision Already Netting Big Results for Issuers,” TerraLex Connections, June 2015.
- “Courts Increasingly Skeptical of the Value of Disclosure-Only Settlements,” Deal Lawyers, March-April 2015.
- “Protections Remain in Place for Georgia Officers, Directors,” Law360, July 22, 2014.
- “Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies Business Judgment Rule for Directors and Officers of Georgia Corporations and Banks,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, July 16, 2014
- “Supreme Court Allows for Rebuttal of Fraud-On-The-Market Presumption in Securities Actions at Class Certification Stage,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, July 11, 2014.
- “The Fall of the Moench Presumption: The Supreme Court’s Unfavorable (yet Favorable) Ruling for Fiduciaries in Fifth Third Bancorp v. Dudenhoeffer,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, July 3, 2014
- “Attys’ Fees Under Increasing Scrutiny in M&A Settlements,” Law360, April 3, 2014.
- “SEC Announces 2014 Examination Priorities: Market-Wide Priorities Include Conflicts of Interest and Information Technology Controls,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, February 4, 2014.
- “Federal Court’s Dismissal of Shareholder Derivative Action Entitled to Preclusive Effect in Courts of Delaware,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, May 2, 2013.
- “Securities Fraud Plaintiffs Do Not Need to Prove Materiality to Obtain Class Certification,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, March 12, 2013.
- “Court Relies on Morrison to Dismiss ‘Foreign-Cubed’ and ‘Foreign-Squared’ Claims,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, September 22, 2011.
- “U.S. Supreme Court Rules That Proof of Loss Causation Is Not a Prerequisite for Class Certification in Securities Fraud Cases,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, June 8, 2011.
- “PSLRA Confidential: Post-TELLABS Treatment of Confidential Witnesses,” The Business Suit, June 10, 2010.
- “Federal Regulators Target Banks and Bank Holding Companies for Deficient Financial Reporting,” Troutman Sanders Advisory, May 19, 2010.
- Co-author, “An Upside to the Downturn: Using Dura and Tellabs to Defeat Stock Drop Claims,” DRI Commercial Litigation Committee, The Business Suit, June 2009.
- “Delaware Chancery Court Dismisses Claims for Breach of Fiduciary Duty in Connection with Subprime Exposure in Citigroup Derivative Action,” March 9, 2009.
- Co-author, “Recent Decisions in Subprime Securities Litigation: The Wave of Litigation Continues but Is the Flood of Dismissals Subsiding?,” DRI Commercial Litigation Committee, The Business Suit, January 2009.
- Co-author, “Insider Reporting and Short-Swing Trading,” Chapter 8 in Federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Vol. 2, Matthew Bender/Lexis Nexis, 2007.
- Co-author, “When the Sweet Turns Sour: Investigations, Litigation, and New SEC Disclosure Rules Are on the Menu for Companies That Backdated Stock Options,” DRI Commercial Litigation Committee, The Business Suit, Sept. 2006.
- Co-author, “The United States Supreme Court Sounds the Death Knell for Class Action Suits Asserting Securities Holder Claims Under State Law,” DRI Commercial Litigation Committee, The Business Suit, May 2006.
- “Life After Enron: Basic Litigation Risk Management with Regard to Document Creation, Retention and Destruction,” Advanced Securities Law Seminar, Georgia State Bar, March 2002.
- “Effective Surveillance: How to Design and Implement an Effective Surveillance Program, An Overview of Compliance Officer Liability for Failure to Supervise,” Securities Industry Association Compliance and Legal Division Seminar, October 1999.