Press Release

30 September 2024– Buchalter is pleased to announce that Alison Ballard has joined the Firm as a Shareholder in its new Atlanta office. Ballard will be a key member of Buchalter’s Litigation practice group, bringing a wealth of experience in commercial litigation with a strong focus intellectual property, trade secrets, and employee mobility. Also joining the Atlanta office is Kelly Mullally, who will be a member of the Firm’s Intellectual Property group.

Buchalter opened its Atlanta office in August of this year with eight attorneys, and has since expanded to fifteen attorneys and support staff. This is Buchalter’s second location in the Southeast, following the successful launch of the Nashville office in 2023. This expansion into Atlanta further solidifies Buchalter’s commitment to serving clients across strategic markets in the U.S.

“I am thrilled to welcome Alison and Kelly to Buchalter,” said Adam Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer of Buchalter. “These additions to our Atlanta office support our expansion in the Southeast; Alison’s expertise in intellectual property and commercial litigation, and Kelly’s experience in patent and trademark litigation will be invaluable as we continue to build our presence in Atlanta by bringing over the highest quality legal talent.”

Ballard is an accomplished litigator with extensive experience representing clients as lead counsel in complex disputes across federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration and before administrative agencies. Her practice covers a wide range of industries, with an emphasis on prosecuting and defending her clients’ rights in intellectual property, trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and commercial contracts. Ballard has particular experience with the technology sector, representing publicly-traded service providers to start ups and developers, and litigating cases involving large scale data, forensic investigations, and data privacy.

“I am delighted to join Buchalter and be part of the dynamic team in Atlanta, which is led by some of the most talented lawyers I know” said Ballard. “This move offers an incredible opportunity, for me and my clients, to greatly expand both the geographic reach of my practice and the breadth of services I can provide. I look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional service to our clients, as well as introduce all Buchalter has to offer to the Atlanta legal market and this region.”

Ballard’s commitment to her community is also evident in her service on nonprofit boards, including with Georgia Appleseed, a nonprofit focused on advancing justice through law and policy change for the most underrepresented children in the state, to keep them in school, in healthy housing, and out of the criminal justice system. Ballard was integral the founding of Georgia Appleseed’s FAIR Project, which trains attorneys to provide direct legal representation to foster children facing school disciplinary hearings.
Mullally has experience in all stages of patent and trademark litigation, from bench and jury trials in the U.S. District Courts, to U.S. Circuit Court appeals, through the U.S. Supreme Court certiorari petition stage. She represents clients and collaborates with trial counsel to best preserve, posture, and perfect critical issues for appeal. Mullally also relies on her appellate background to address threshold procedural issues and resolve difficult legal questions in a broad range of subject matters.

Seth Trimble, Managing Shareholder of the Atlanta office, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are delighted to welcome Alison and Kelly to our Atlanta office. They demonstrate a commitment to clients that align perfectly with Buchalter’s values and adds depth to our litigation and intellectual property practices in the Southeast and firm-wide.”

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Buchalter is a full-service business law firm representing local, regional, national, and international clients in a multitude of practice areas and their subspecialties, among them: Bank and Finance, Corporate, Health Care, Litigation, Insolvency and Financial Law, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Real Estate, and Tax and Estate Planning. Buchalter has more than 500 attorneys with offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington. For more information about the firm, visit: buchalter.com.