Birmingham, AL. Maynard & Gale is pleased to announce the elevation of ten accomplished attorneys to shareholder, effective January 1, 2019: Allen B. “Josh” Bennett, Christie Keifer Borton, Emily J. Chancey, H. Finn Cox, Jr., Starr Turner Drum, Jessica Shaver Everest, Evan P. Moltz, Bradley G. Siegal, Ryan D. Thompson, and Ashley T. Wright.

“This talented group represents multiple practice areas and offices, as well as who we are as lawyers and what we are about as a Firm,” said Jeff Grantham, Managing Shareholder of the Firm. “Through their commitment to clients, their respective practice areas and teams, and to the Firm, they have earned the position of shareholder and we take pride in recognizing them.”

Josh Bennett is a member of Maynard’s Labor & Employment practice. He provides representation and guidance to clients across a broad range of EEO and labor and employment matters, and he has successfully litigated labor and employment and related tort cases in both state and federal courts throughout the United States. Josh is active in the Freshwater Land Trust where he serves as a member of the Board’s Governance Committee and President of the Junior Board. He is also president of the UVA Club of Birmingham. Mid-South Super Lawyers listed Josh as a “Rising Star” in Employment & Labor in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Josh received his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law. He holds a B.A. in Economics with distinction from the University of Virginia.

Christie Borton is a member of the Firm’s Real Estate practice. Her practice focuses primarily on commercial real estate transactions, including all aspects of the representation of buyers, sellers, developers and investors in the acquisition, development and disposition of real property located both within and outside the state of Alabama. She also advises landlords and tenants on various commercial leasing matters. In addition, Christie represents lenders and borrowers in commercial real estate financing transactions. Christie actively serves as a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham and was recognized by the organization as Big Sister of the Year in 2016. Christie is also beginning her third year on the Board of Directors for BirminghamCREW Mid-South Super Lawyers has consistently listed Christie as a “Rising Star” for Real Estate since 2016. Christie received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Emily Chancey is a member of Maynard’s Government Solutions and Litigation practices. She represents government contractors in connection with bid protest actions, claims against the government, and defending against qui tam actions in the United States Court of Federal Claims and in other state and federal courts throughout the country. Her litigation experience spans a broad and diverse business sector and includes representation of landlords, entities and individuals involved in shareholder disputes, and fiduciaries and other interested parties in contested estate matters. Emily is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, and she holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from Lipscomb University.

Finn Cox is a member of Maynard’s Litigation practice. He defends a broad array of civil claims in federal and state courts, including environmental, toxic tort and asbestos litigation, and general commercial and personal injury litigation. Finn also represents municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and other governmental entities in federal civil rights litigation. He has extensive experience in all aspects of civil litigation and routinely advises clients on legal issues related to civil litigation in state and federal courts in Alabama and Mississippi. Finn received his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law and holds a B.A. from Spring Hill College.

Starr Drum is a member of Maynard’s Cybersecurity & Privacy and Complex Litigation practices. She assists multinational clients with their privacy, cybersecurity, information governance, and e-discovery needs. Starr has extensive experience in developing globally compliant privacy and information governance policies and programs to manage the content and volume of data and protect its safety and security. The International Association of Privacy Professionals, the only globally-recognized credentialing program in information privacy, has certified Starr in privacy program management (“CIPM”), European data protection (“CIPP/E”), and as a Fellow of Information Privacy (“FIP”). Starr also serves on the International Association of Privacy Professionals Certification Advisory Board and is an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama School of Law where she received her J.D. She holds a B.A. in Film Studies from Emory University.

Jessica Everest is a member of the Firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation team. She dedicates her practice to representing employers in the design, implementation, administration, and correction of tax-qualified retirement plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, executive compensation arrangements, and health and other welfare benefit plans. She also provides advice to public and private companies concerning executive compensation matters and Section 409A compliance and has extensive experience dealing with complex employee benefit plan issues surrounding the purchase or sale of the equity interests or assets of corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. Jessica serves on Maynard’s Investment Committee and Women’s Initiative Committee. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and holds a B.A. from the University of Alabama.

Evan Moltz is a litigator in Maynard’s Complex Litigation, Product Liability, and Environmental and Regulatory Compliance practice groups. A seasoned mass tort and commercial litigator, Evan defends clients in a wide array of federal and state product liability claims and commercial litigation. He is extensively involved in all aspects of cases, from inception through trial, and has experience working with scientific and technical subject matters as well as complex legal issues. Evan received his J.D. summa cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law and holds a B.S. magna cum laude from the University of Alabama.

Brad Siegal is a member of the Firm’s Real Estate practice. He has broad real estate experience in acquisition, development, financing, and leasing representing buyers, sellers, developers, investors, landlords and tenants in all types of commercial real estate matters. Brad represents mixed-use real estate investment clients in all types of corporate matters, including acquisition, disposition, partnerships and joint ventures, leasing, and financing. He has also focused on economic incentives, multi-property and portfolio transactions, and ground-up development opportunities. Brad has been recognized in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and holds a B.S. in General Business from The University of Alabama.

Ryan Thompson is a member of Maynard’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring practice. He assists creditors, debtors, trustees, receivers, creditors’ committees, and various other entities in a wide range of commercial disputes and workout efforts, both within and outside of the context of bankruptcy. Ryan devotes a significant amount of his practice to representing clients in distressed mergers and acquisitions, general commercial litigation, landlord/tenant disputes, bankruptcy preference, and other avoidance litigation, receivership proceedings, UCC transactions, and all aspects of the bankruptcy process. Mid-South Super Lawyers has consistently listed Ryan as a “Rising Star” for Bankruptcy since 2016. Ryan received his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law and holds a B.A. cum laude from Samford University.

Ashley Wright is a corporate lawyer in the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions, Intellectual Property, and Antitrust practice groups. He advises clients ranging from start-up companies to publicly-traded companies on all types of corporate issues. His merger and acquisition experience covers a broad spectrum of deal sizes, ranging anywhere from million dollar deals to hundred million dollar deals. In addition, Ashley advises clients on a number of issues related to intellectual property, technology, software, software-as-a-service (SAAS) and the Internet. He also has experience negotiating patent and technology license agreements, representing both licensors and licensees. He regularly advises clients on a variety of antitrust issues involving the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Robinson-Patman Act. Ashley is a graduate of Yale University, and he received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Josh Bennett, Christie Borton, Starr Drum, Jessica Everest, Evan Moltz, Brad Siegal, Ryan Thompson, and Ashley Wright practice in Maynard’s Birmingham, AL office. Emily Chancey practices in the Firm’s Huntsville, AL office, and Finn Cox practices in the Firm’s Mobile, AL office.