News Article

WINSTON SALEM, NC - Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC today announced that 12 of its attorneys have been invited to become members* of the firm. The lawyers, all of whom previously served in associate or of counsel roles at Womble Carlyle, include: David Bradin, Jennifer Collins, Sarah Day, Christina Douglas, Doug Hanna, Sara Lincoln, Alonzo Llorens, John Morrow, Joel Pieper, Laura Seidel, Tricia Snyder and Todd Sullivan.

"All of the talented people that we have at Womble Carlyle are, quite simply, the reason for our firm's success," said Womble Carlyle Managing Member Keith Vaughan. "This group of new members certainly is exemplary of that talent, and I join the rest of the Womble Carlyle attorneys and staff in congratulating them and thanking them for their outstanding service to our clients and our law firm."

Part of the Research Triangle Park office's Technology and Commerce Practice Group, David Bradin has an intellectual property practice. A licensed patent attorney, he has a strong emphasis on patent preparation and prosecution; rendering legal opinions with respect to patentability, validity, infringement and right to use; and counseling clients in the United States and abroad on general IP issues. He is particularly interested in biotech and chemical patent prosecution with technical emphasis on pharmaceutical chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, petroleum chemistry, organic synthesis and drug delivery devices. Bradin received his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, holds a master's degree in organic chemistry from the Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Wittenberg University.

Jennifer Collins, from Womble Carlyle's Raleigh office, also works in the intellectual property section of the Technology and Commerce Practice Group. Her principal practice area is technology transactions, including the preparation and negotiation of complex development, licensing and distribution agreements relating to information technology and biotechnology. Jennifer also practices in the areas of patent licensing, promotions and sweepstakes law, copyright law and trademark law. She received her J.D. with honors from the University of Louisville and a bachelor's degree in English and history from Clemson University.

Sarah Day is part of the Business Litigation Practice Group in the Greenville office. Focusing her practice primarily in the area of commercial litigation, her background includes representation of clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission, internal and special investigations and representation of corporate clients in connection with government investigations. Her background also includes representation of foreign banks in connection with public finance transactions. She received her J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, and has a bachelor's degree in English and political science from Clemson University.

Christina Douglas is part of the Product Liability Litigation Practice Group in the Winston-Salem office. She practices primarily in the areas of product liability and commercial litigation. Douglas has represented clients in complex product liability matters in state and federal courts throughout the U.S. She received her J.D. from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis and her bachelor's degree in English and journalism from the University of Mississippi.

A member of the Business Litigation Practice Group in the Raleigh office, Doug Hanna is a veteran litigator who has tried more than 25 jury trials to verdict in state courts, federal courts and military courts-martial. He also focuses his practice in the area of condemnation law and handles complex business disputes for national banks, large insurance companies and a wide variety of small and large businesses. He received his J.D. from the Wake Forest School of Law and a bachelor's degree in general studies from the University of Michigan.

Sara Lincoln works in the Business Litigation Practice Group in Womble Carlyle's Charlotte office. She focuses her practice in the areas of business and commercial litigation, including professional malpractice defense, product liability litigation, contract litigation, construction litigation and general civil litigation. During the past 10 years, she has tried 18 jury trials to verdict. Lincoln is regularly asked to speak to audiences of attorneys and clients regarding the legal analysis of medical records as well as the establishment of strong risk management practices. She received her J.D. with honors from the University of Akron School of Law and earned her bachelor's degree in psychology with honors from Wheaton College.

Alonzo Llorens works in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group in the Womble Carlyle Atlanta office. His securities law practice has specific emphasis on public offerings, private placements, public and private securities regulation, SEC compliance and corporate governance matters. He also handles complex securities matters, such as: mergers and acquisitions, tender offers and proxy contests. In venture-capital-related matters, Llorens has represented issuers, venture capitalists and incubators. He received his J.D. from the Howard University School of Law and his bachelor's degree in international trade and finance from Louisiana State University.

John Morrow is part of the Technology and Commerce Practice Group in the Winston-Salem office. He focuses his practice on litigating commercial disputes involving various types of intellectual property, resulting in his significant experience in the realm of patent, trademark and copyright infringement actions. He received his J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law and his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina.

Joel Pieper is part of the Product Liability Litigation Group in the Atlanta office. While he has a broad depth of experience in large-scale, complex commercial litigation, he has particular experience in class action and multi-jurisdictional litigation as well as in civil RICO cases. Pieper's litigation practice also includes commercial construction, lender liability and insurance coverage disputes. He received his J.D. with high honors from the University of Georgia, where he also earned his bachelor's degree in psychology.

An attorney in the Capital Markets Practice Group in the Atlanta office, Laura Seidel primarily serves clients in the areas of corporate finance, commercial real estate and corporate and business law. These areas of practice have provided her with experience in structuring, negotiating and closing loan transactions; in acquisitions and dispositions of real property; and in general corporate and securities transactions. She also has significant experience with representation of lenders in connection with conduit lending transactions secured by all types of commercial real estate, including: office, retail, industrial, warehouse, multi-family and hotel properties. Seidel received her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, her LL.M. in taxation from the New York University School of Law and her bachelor's degree with honors in accounting from Mercer University.

Practicing in the Charlotte office's Capital Markets Practice Group, Tricia Snyder provides counsel to commercial banks, investment banks and corporations in connection with numerous types of capital markets and corporate finance transactions, focusing primarily on syndicated lending in a broad range of industries. She received her J.D. with honors from Emory University and a bachelor's degree with honors from Georgia State University.

Todd Sullivan is part of the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the Womble Carlyle Raleigh office. In labor and employment matters, he represents the management of small, medium-sized and Fortune 500 businesses, public sector clients and non-profit agencies in state and federal courts as well as before the National Labor Relations Board; the North Carolina and United States Departments of Labor; and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His experience includes successfully defending clients accused of age, sex, race and disability discrimination; successfully representing employers in union organizing campaigns and defending them against unfair labor practice charges; designing and implementing employee handbooks; assisting in the planning and implementation of workforce reductions; and litigating various other employment disputes. He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School and a bachelor's degree with honors in philosophy from Lake Forest College.

About Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC
A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle ranks among the 100 leading firms in the country, and is considered a top firm for companies doing business in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The firm is the 2003 recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Corporate Leadership Award, becoming the first law firm in the country to receive the Fund's highest honor.

Founded in Winston-Salem, NC in 1876, Womble Carlyle operates in four states and the District of Columbia with 470 attorneys in nine offices located in Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park and Winston-Salem, NC; Washington DC and Tysons Corner, VA.

*In the organizational structure of a Professional Limited Liability Company, the term member is equivalent to the term partner in general partnership law firms.