MEMBER CENTER
Session 1: You Don’t Have to Be Scrooge McDuck to Properly Handle Your Firm Finances
Brad Cranmer, Owner of Mansfield, Melancon, Cranmer & Dick
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Brad Cranmer, a Baton Rouge native, opened his own law practice right out of law school focused on fighting for his clients’ rights. He also spent several years as a prosecutor for the City of Baton Rouge protecting the public’s interests.
Since helping form Mansfield, Melancon, Cranmer & Dick in 2018, Brad has devoted the majority of his practice to Family Law. Brad has represented hundreds of clients throughout multiple parishes in Southeast Louisiana. Brad represents clients in divorces, custody, visitation, community property, domestic restraining orders, spousal support, and almost any other family law issue. Brad is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts, in the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Louisiana, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kortney Simmons, Partner at Casey, Simmons & Bryant, PLLC
Memphis, Tennessee
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Kortney Simmons received her law degree with a Certificate in Criminal Law from The University of Mississippi School of Law in 2011. Prior to law school, Kortney received a B.S. in International Relations from Middle Tennessee State University upon graduating cum laude in 2007.
The Tennessee Bar admitted Kortney in 2011, after which she joined Divorce Incorporated as an associate attorney. In 2015, Kortney partnered with G. Michael Casey and Daniel P. Bryant to form the law offices of Casey, Simmons and Bryant, PLLC. Currently, Kortney provides services across the State of Tennessee in the areas of family law, criminal defense, and juvenile law, with a primary focus in West Tennessee. Kortney is currently licensed in Tennessee courts as well as U.S. District Court for Western District of Tennessee.
Session 2: Don’t Be the Wicked Step-Mother: Managing Non-Attorney Staff and the Ethical Limits of the Work They Can Do
Matt Gunn, Partner, Dinsmore
Louisville, Kentucky
Matt Gunn has concentrated his practice in business immigration law for 23 years. He has experience representing both privately-held and publicly-traded client corporations in a variety of business immigration matters, with particular emphasis on all forms of nonimmigrant visas. In addition, Matt represents employers with all forms of permanent residence applications including extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers and professors and special handling cases while also assisting employers in the navigation of the DOL’s complex PERM process. In addition, he has also counseled employers in the preparation and execution of employment eligibility verification and compliance programs, which includes counsel during government-directed and employer's internal I-9 audits. Matt also has a long history of serving the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) both nationally and regionally.
Claire Tuley, Baker Donelson
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Claire Tuley focuses her practice on commercial real estate and finance transactions, with a particular emphasis on the long-term care industry at Baker Donelson in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She regularly represents health care lenders and owner/operators of long-term care and seniors housing facilities in acquisitions, dispositions and financing transactions. Claire works on all phases of a transaction, including corporate formation, due diligence, and coordination with local counsel. She also does extensive work representing national health care lenders in balance sheet and bridge-to-HUD loans and mezzanine loans. Prior to law school, Claire worked as a paralegal at Baker Donelson and cultivated considerable experience assisting clients in large-scale financing transactions.
Jess Waltman, Davis & Crump (via recorded presentation)
Gulfport, Mississippi
Jess Waltman joined Davis & Crump, P.C., in Gulfport, Mississippi, in August of 2016, and his practice focuses on litigating complex pharmaceutical and medical device cases. He is licensed to practice in all state courts in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana and Mississippi; before all federal courts in Louisiana and Mississippi; and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He graduated, magna cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2016 and was awarded the “Robert C. Khayat Award for Outstanding Service to the Mississippi Law Journal” and the 2016 “Outstanding Law Student Award.”
Jess was elected to serve as the president of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Mississippi Bar for the 2022-2023 bar year. Jess also serves as a member of the Board of Bar Commissioners of the Mississippi Bar as well as a member of the Mississippi Bar’s Diversity Committee.
Session 3: Dig a Little Deeper: Brand Building Power Hour
Table 1 — Hosted by Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
“Developing your Elevator Speech and Personal Brand”
Brittany Faith, Director, Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison, PC
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Brittany Faith is head of GKH’s Immigration Practice Group and has extensive experience serving clients throughout the world with their immigration needs. She also is a regular contributor and speaker on immigration issues for organizations such as the American Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), and the Tennessee Bar Association.
Brittany serves her community through her involvement in bar associations and volunteer work. She currently serves as the chair of the America Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) Midsouth Chapter and on AILA’s Distance Learning Committee. She recently was sworn in as president of the Tennessee Bar Association YLD. She is on the ABA YLD Council serving as its co-director of Practices Services. She was part of the reinvigoration of the Southeast Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (SETLAW) and served as its president in 2015. She also was selected to serve on the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts Immigration Task Force.
Brittany’s dedication and skill has earned her numerous accolades. In 2021, she received the AILA Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for her outstanding contributions made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law. In 2019, she was one of only 40 attorneys in the country to be selected for the “ABA on the Rise-Top 40 Young Lawyers” award. In 2022, she received the TBA YLD’s President’s Award for her service to the division. In 2017, she was awarded the TBA YLD President’s Recognition Award. In 2020, Brittany was selected for membership in the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, in which membership is limited to one third of one percent of all lawyers in America. She has been nominated to be a Super Lawyer Rising Star since 2017, and she maintains a 10.0 Superb Rating from Avvo. She was also awarded the AILA Pro Bono Hero Award in 2014.
Matt Brock, Partner, Best & Brock
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Matt Brock graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2005 with a degree in political science. While in college, Matt founded an e-commerce business that he later sold in 2013. He earned his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, and was part of the first class to serve in the small business incubator at the school. Matt also studied abroad in Nice, France and Hangzhou, China. Upon graduation, he received a Global Legal Studies Scholar Award.
Matt focuses his practice on impaired driving crimes, but also handles cases from Class C misdemeanors to first degree murders. He is a certified instructor for the DUI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing course recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — the same course police officers take to make DUI arrests. He is a board member for the DUI Defense Lawyers Association as well as a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Chattanooga Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Table 2 — Hosted by Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
“Marketing through Bar Service:
Why Marketing Matters Even in Government Practice”
Jennifer Gordon Lampton, Law Clerk, Orleans Parish Civil District Court
New Orleans, Louisiana
Jennifer Gordon Lampton is the senior law clerk for Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott of Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division D. She received her Bachelor of Science in Management from the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans, and her law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Jennifer is board chair of Voices for International Business and Education Inc. (VIBE), which operates the International High School of New Orleans. Her professional affiliations include: Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, District 1 Representative; New Orleans Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Treasurer; Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society; Association of Women Attorneys; and the A.P. Tureaud American Inn of Court.
Jared Nelson, Liskow & Lewis
Lafayette, Louisiana
Jared Nelson is a litigation associate in the Lafayette office of Liskow & Lewis with his primary practice being in the areas of environmental and energy law. Prior to joining the firm, Jared served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana, Louisiana Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, handling tort and civil rights litigation on behalf of the state. Prior to practicing law, Jared served as a Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Louisiana, Department of Public Safety and Corrections, for seven years.
Born and raised in New York City, Jared received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Virginia in 2008, Master of Public Administration from Southern University-Baton Rouge in 2010, and his law degree from the Southern University Law Center, cum laude, in 2018. His professional affiliations include: Louisiana State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Council, District 3 Representative; Louisiana State Bar Association, House of Delegates Member; Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Young Lawyers Committee, District 3 Representative; Institute of Energy Law, Young Energy Professionals’ Committee, Vice Chair of Law Student Outreach Committee; Lafayette Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section Member; Greater Lafayette Louis A. Martinet Legal Society; and American Inns of Court of Acadiana Member. In his community, Jared is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
Table 3 — Hosted by State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno and Other Marketing Things That Are Unethical Everywhere”
Rizza O’Connor, Partner, Bryant & O'Connor Law Firm
Vidalia, Georgia
Rizza O’Connor focuses her practice in real estate, estate planning and small business law. As an avid community volunteer and leader, Rizza believes that strong families create a strong community. Rizza recently joined the Bryant & O'Connor Law Firm after 10 years in public service, having served as the Toombs County Chief Magistrate Court judge for eight years and more than two years as an assistant district attorney. She also has extensive experience in leadership positions with the State Bar of Georgia, including being a past president of the Young Lawyers Division. Rizza has worked with lawyers across the state to improve the delivery of legal services to various communities.
A native of Savannah, Rizza was born to Filipino immigrants who built a life in the United States from scratch. After high school, Rizza attended Mercer University for her undergraduate studies and then Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. While at Mercer, Rizza served as the Student Bar Association President. She remains connected to the school and serves on its Board of Alumni.
Adrienne Browning, Tucker and Browning Law PC
Brunswick, Georgia
Adrienne Browning is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Florida Coastal School of Law. After college, Adrienne worked at the Georgia State Capitol for two legislative sessions as an aid to four state senators. During her time at the Florida Coastal School of Law, she was recognized and awarded for superior trial skills and graduated with honors. She has given lectures and presentations at police departments on subjects such as courtroom testimony.
Adrienne previously worked as a prosecutor in the Glynn County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in crimes against women and children. In 2019, she joined attorney Alan Tucker to form Tucker and Browning Law, P.C., where she focuses on criminal defense and frequently appears as a lawyer for indigent defendants. Additionally, she is a lawyer for the Police Benevolent Association where she represents police officers on issues ranging from employment matters to use of force issues. In 2018, she argued in front of the Georgia Court of Appeals for six local Brunswick police officers.
Table 4 — Hosted by American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
“The Benefits of Pro Bono and Community Service”
Richard D. Rivera, Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP
Jacksonville, Florida
Rich is a partner in the Litigation and Intellectual Property practices of Smith, Gambrell & Russell. His litigation practice is focused on commercial litigation, with a special emphasis in defending actions brought under consumer protection statutes, such as the FDCPA, FCRA, TCPA and their state-level counterparts. His intellectual property practice is focused on advising clients on trademark and copyright issues, compliance with state and federal laws governing sweepstakes and other promotional activities, software and internet technology, and marketing and licensing issues. Rich also represents clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Rich received his B.A. in economics from the University of Florida in 2009. He earned law degree, cum laude, from Florida State University College of Law in 2013. While in law school, he was a member of the Florida State University Law Review, an editor of the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and an article selection editor of the Journal of Transnational Law & Policy.
Session 4: Finding Justice: How Young Lawyers Can Become Young Judges. A Guide for those Considering Judicial Service
Zack Walden, 8th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge (Moderator)
Jacksboro, Tennessee
Judge Zack Walden was elected Eighth Judicial District Criminal Court Judge in 2022. At age 31, Zack is the youngest judge in the state. He graduated with honors from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2016, where he was a member of the Alabama Law Review Editorial Board and obtained undergraduate degrees from East Tennessee State University in 2013. Prior to his election, Judge Walden worked as a criminal defense litigator at Eldridge & Blakney PC in Knoxville, representing clients in state and federal court. He currently serves on the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Board as the High School Mock Trial Committee chair.
Judge Logan Murphy, Hillsborough County Court Judge
Tampa, Florida
Judge Logan Murphy was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the Hillsborough County Court in 2021, where he serves in the Civil Division. Before his appointment, he was a shareholder at Hill Ward Henderson, where he handled appeals and a wide variety of commercial litigation. Earlier in his career, he served as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge James D. Whittemore. He received his B.S. from the University of Florida and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Judge Murphy is an active member of the legal community at both the local and national levels. From 2019 to 2020, he served as Chair of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and he now sits on the board of the American Bar Foundation. Locally, Judge Murphy is a member of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee, the 13th Judicial Circuit’s Professional Committee, and the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federalist Society. His regional involvement includes membership in the Florida Bar Association, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
Judge Shayna Beevers Morvant, 24th Judicial District Court
Gretna, Louisiana
Honorable Shayna Beevers Morvant was elected to the 24th Judicial District Court and took office in October 2020. Prior to her election, she was managing partner of the Gretna law firm of Beevers & Beevers, L.L.P. She received a B.S.M. degree in 2009 from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and her J.D. degree in 2012 from Tulane Law School.
During her time as a general practitioner, Judge Beevers Morvant gained extensive class action and civil litigation experience. Her practice areas included personal injury, criminal defense, family law, and representation of local law enforcement agencies.
She is a member of the adjunct faculty at Tulane University Law School, teaching litigation skills for the Boot Camp and Trial Advocacy Programs.
Judge Beevers Morvant makes time to promote the interest of her community. She is a leader in Tulane’s American Inn of Court, a national association that promotes ethics and professionalism in law. Additionally, she believes in promoting respect for law; as such she is currently the President of the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education and working on Chief Justice Weimer’s Judges Imparting Knowledge, Education, & Skills Task Force.
Most recently, Judge Beevers Morvant has been appointed as a Specialty Court Judge working with criminal offenders to provide life skills and prevent recidivism through the re-entry court program and swift and certain probation.
On the bench, she has partnered with some of her colleagues to bring the courts into the technology world, going beyond Zoom hearings to using Wonder and QR codes for base juror selection.
A passion prior to assuming her duties on the bench was working with the Wills for Heroes Program where she prepared wills and trusts for first responders at no charge. She was a member of Bridging the Gap Legal Education Committee, which assisted students transitioning into the practice of law. She was elected for two terms on the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) Young Lawyers Division Council as the District 2 Representative. She served on the LSBA’s House of Delegates and was elected to the Nominating Committee for the years 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. For several years she was the secretary of the Civil Law and Litigation Section and a regular contributor to the Louisiana Bar Journal. Additionally, she was a member of the 2015-2016 Leadership LSBA Class.
Judge Beevers Morvant has frequently been selected as an instructor of continuing education since 2013, with a focus on social media, professionalism, and trial litigation. She has also presented CLE programs for the New Orleans Bar Association, the Jefferson Bar Association, and Tulane University Law School.
Apart from her legal related activities, she is a member of the Republican Women of Louisiana, the former chair of legislative affairs for the Junior League of New Orleans, and a Louisiana Children’s Museum campaign leader. Judge Beevers Morvant and her husband Wesley are the proud parents of two children.
Judge Andrew Pinson, Supreme Court of Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Judge Andrew Pinson was recently appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia, effective July 20, 2022. He previously served on the Court of Appeals.
Judge Pinson attended the University of Georgia for both college and law school. He graduated summa cum laude as a First Honor Graduate (4.0 GPA) with a degree in finance from the Terry School of Business. He graduated first in his class (summa cum laude) from law school.
After law school, Judge Pinson served as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for then-Chief Judge David B. Sentelle. He then joined Jones Day in Washington, D.C., before serving as law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Clarence Thomas. After clerking, Judge Pinson returned to Georgia and re-joined Jones Day as part of the firm’s Issues and Appeals Practice. In 2017, Judge Pinson joined the Office of Attorney General and, in 2018, was appointed Solicitor General of Georgia.
Judge Pinson serves on the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, where he helped start a new program that awards grants to promote legal professionalism in Georgia. He also serves on the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Lawyer Competency Task Force, the University of Georgia School of Law’s Young Alumni Council, and the Executive Board of the Atlanta Chapter of the Federalist Society.
CLE Session 5: Reimagine Tomorrow: Diversity and Inclusion Within Your Firm
Quinton Thompson, Morgan & Morgan
Memphis, Tennessee
Quinton Thompson is a personal injury litigation associate at Morgan & Morgan's Memphis office, where he primarily deals with automobile collisions, slip and falls, and wrongful deaths cases. He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he graduated magna cum laude with degrees in both Business Administration Management and Psychology.
Quinton went on to earn his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2015. During law school, he was named the recipient of the Damali K. Booker Award for his dedication to legal activism and commitment to confronting social issues. Immediately following law school, Quinton served as the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow with the Mississippi Center for Justice in Indianola, Mississippi. Over the course of his fellowship, Quinton counseled over 500 people about their criminal records, got 130 criminal arrests and convictions expunged, and helped more than 30 people obtain employment.
Quinton is the current president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. He also serves on the Memphis Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division Board and on the Summer Law Internship Committee, which helps place minority high school students in internships with judges, law firms, and corporate and government entities. Quinton is also active with the Tennessee Association for Justice and the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association.
Dahlia Walker-Huntington, Law Offices of Dahlia A. Walker, PA
Plantation, Florida
Dahlia Walker-Huntington is the principal of the Law Offices of Dahlia A. Walker, where she practices in the areas of immigration, family, international, criminal and personal injury law. She also is a family law and county court mediator, arbitrator and diversity & inclusion consultant.
Dahlia was a special magistrate for the City of Miramar and Broward County Animal Court and an adjunct professor at Miami-Dade College School of Criminal Justice. She holds a B.S. degree in Journalism from Florida International University, a law degree from University of Miami School of Law, and a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.
Dahlia is a past president of the Caribbean Bar Association and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association; Alpha Academy Alumnae Association. She also is a former member of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents Board of Directors. In addition, she is the founder and the former first president of The Jamaican Women of Florida (JWOF) Inc., a non-profit organization designed to provide an outlet for Jamaican women in Florida to empower themselves through charitable and educational outreach, mentoring and personal development. Dahlia is often called upon to participate in forums throughout the United States and Jamaica to speak on migration, immigration, citizenship, economic development, diversity and inclusion and women’s empowerment.
Kristen Amond, Mills & Amond LLP
New Orleans, Louisiana
Kristen Amond practices in federal courts in Louisiana, Mississippi, and New York and in state courts in Louisiana. As an attorney at Mills & Amond, she represents businesses of all sizes in all forms of business disputes. She also represents bankruptcy trustees, plan administrators, and receivers in complex litigation and investors in securities fraud lawsuits. Kristen has a special commitment to Louisiana's economic development, its culture, and, in particular, its underserved communities. As a member of the Civil Pro Bono Panels for Louisiana's Eastern and Middle Districts, she regularly volunteers her professional time to the representation of plaintiffs in civil rights cases.
Kristen attended the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Louisiana Law Review. Before law school, she taught in New Orleans charter schools and has been an advocate for public education ever since.
Kristen is the current secretary of the Louisiana State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Orleans chapter of the Federal Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division. She was recently recognized by the ABA YLD for its On the Rise-Top 40 Young Lawyer Award.