Taylor English Named As Finalist For 2012 Client Advisor Awards

Atlanta– December 15, 2011 Atlanta law firm Taylor English Duma LLP has been named as a finalist in the 2012 Client Advisor Awards. The Client Advisor Awards is the country’s only award program honoring the economic impact of Professional Services Firms, advisor professionalism and ‘clients of choice’. The program, which was established in 2005, sets the standard for best practice behavior and results in the relationships between professional services firms and their clients.

Taylor English is nominated for its representation of entrepreneur Bill Allen and his Undoda app, a revolutionary program designed to help students with dyslexia improve reading skills through three-dimensional learning. The Taylor English legal team led by attorney Jonathan B. Wilson, assisted Allen in structuring the transaction with the developers that made the final product possible.

“We’re extremely grateful to be nominated for the Client Advisor Award,” Mr. Wilson says. “It has been a privilege to work so closely with the Undoda team and to contribute in some small way to their success. We hope that any attention we get from the nomination will introduce more people to the Undoda app so that it continues to make a positive difference in the lives of children.”

Each year the Client Advisor Awards evaluates numerous nominations for each category, and three finalists are selected per category. Each finalist is then interviewed individually and evaluated on the basis of creativity, teamwork and client value. Once completed, a small, confidential panel of judges convenes to determine the winner.

Award recipients will be unveiled during the 2012 Client Advisor Awards dinner on January 31, 2012 at the Cherokee Town Club in Atlanta, GA, featuring a keynote presentation on innovation and creativity in professional services by Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative:  How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice.

Ten Taylor English Attorneys Recognized As State’s “Legal Elite”

Atlanta– December 15, 2011 – Georgia Trend magazine named 10 attorneys from Taylor English Duma LLP to its ninth annual listing of the state’s “Legal Elite.” The magazine recognized attorneys from five separate practice areas as among the best in the state, based on votes cast solely by practicing attorneys in Georgia.

“The Taylor English model remains quite simple: attract the area’s best attorneys, give them the flexibility to be efficient about how they structure engagements, and ask everyone to be laser focused on driving client results,” said Al B. Hill, managing partner of Taylor English. “Our growth, combined with the entrepreneurial spirit that we’ve maintained, is a testament to the outstanding group of attorneys that make up the firm. We applaud the 10 Taylor English attorneys recognized to this year’s Legal Elite, as well as our peers from other Atlanta firms that were part of this prestigious group.”

In addition to the recognition by Georgia Trend magazine, the firm was also recognized by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the Top Work Places for 2011 and by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the Best Places To Work. The firm was also recognized in 2010 by Atlanta Business Chronicle as the fastest-growing law firm in Atlanta.

Taylor English members of the 2011 Legal Elite ranking include:

Ilene W. Berman – Employment, Labor, and Immigration

Scott G. Blews – Employment, Labor, and Immigration

Foy R. Devine – Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Paul G. Durdaller – Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy

Joe M. English – Employment, Labor, and Immigration

Randy C. Gepp – Employment, Labor, and Immigration

Aaron J. Kowan – Taxation

John K. Rezac – Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy

Marc A. Taylor – Employment, Labor, and Immigration

Jonathan B. Wilson – Corporate & Business Law

Taylor English W. Dennis (Denny) Summers Leads Firm’s ESOP Practice

Atlanta- December 5, 2011- Behind the expertise of attorney W. Dennis Summers, Atlanta law firm Taylor English Duma LLP becomes a leader in advising companies on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Mr. Summers, who joined the firm earlier this year, brings over 30 years of corporate law experience focusing on ownership succession, mergers and acquisitions, and general business law matters. Summers is part of the firm’s growing and impressive Corporate & Business practice group.

“ESOPs are an invaluable option in today’s marketplace for business owners looking for liquidity, diversification, and tax savings,” says Summers. “I advise a wide range of companies seeking to explore their options for selling the business, redistributing ownership, or creating an exit strategy for some of the owners. ESOPs also provide compelling tax benefits, including the ability to create a tax free entity, the opportunity to defer the capital gains taxes on sale of a company’s shares, as well as tax deductions on both principal and interest paid on ESOP loans.

Mr. Summers brings to Taylor English over 30 years of broad experience in a variety of industries, with an emphasis on the healthcare and service industries. He has represented clients in virtually every aspect of ESOP transactions, including corporate ESOP sponsors, ESOP trustees, shareholders, lenders, and buyers and sellers of ESOP companies.

“Denny has the experience and a skill set that are unique and invaluable to the firm. He has been a leader in corporate transactions for over 30 years. The potential to deliver value to our existing and prospective clients is exciting,” says Managing Partner Al Hill.

“Joining Taylor English was a great opportunity for me to bring a much needed skill to a rapidly growing firm,” says Mr. Summers. “Taylor English’s approach to client relationships encourages each of us to be creative, flexible and thorough in how we deliver client solutions. I’m thrilled to be a vital part of this exciting firm as we redefine how law firms help business.”

In addition to the ESOP expertise Mr. Summers brings, Taylor English has recently expanded its Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice group with the addition of Don Kohla from King & Spalding. For over 30 years, Mr. Kohla has been representing clients with mergers and acquisitions, employee benefit, and executive compensation plans. His expertise on ERISA and ERISA-related matters and his experience assisting and implementing all types of employee benefit plans has earned him the highest industry honors, including The Best Lawyers in America each year for over 25 years and Super Lawyer every year since its inception in Georgia.

Prior to joining Taylor English, Mr. Summers was a partner in the Atlanta office of McGuire Woods LLP, a national law firm, for eleven years. Prior to 1999, he practiced law with various law firms, including nearly 20 years in his own firm. Before entering private practice, he served as law clerk to the Honorable James C. Hill, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and as staff counsel to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (Watergate Committee).