Alison M. Ballard

Partner

Atlanta, Georgia

Ms. Ballard is a litigation partner at Taylor English where she has practiced for more than a decade. She personally represents public companies, large corporations, small businesses, executives, and individuals across a diverse range of industries as lead counsel in all types of commercial disputes and litigation in federal and state courts and in arbitration.

Ms. Ballard focuses on the protection and enforcement of her client’s rights related to intellectual property and other commercial disputes, including employment matters, contracts, and business torts. She regularly represents clients in disputes over trade secrets and the enforcement of restrictive covenants.

Ms. Ballard has significant experience with the technology sector. She provides data privacy compliance advice to businesses of all sizes, from a publicly traded SaaS technology company to small businesses, in matters such as online consumer privacy policies, data breach response, cross-border transfers of data in litigation, and others.

Ms. Ballard is Chair of the Firm’s E-Discovery Committee. She directs forensic collections of data, investigations, and large-scale, complex electronic discovery matters. She has created and implemented protocols of e-discovery best practices and regularly trains attorneys on effective electronic document collection and production. She serves on a working group of The Sedona Conference, a leading law and policy organization this field.

Ms. Ballard serves as Deputy General Counsel to the firm.

Ms. Ballard donates her time to her community and serves a number of leadership roles, including presently the Georgia Appleseed Board of Directors. She co-founded Georgia Appleseed’s Student Tribunal Project, which trains attorneys to pro bono represent Georgia foster children in school disciplinary hearings.

Affiliations

  • Board of Directors, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
  • Executive Committee of the Young Professionals Council, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Member and Past President
  • Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Student Tribunal Project, Co-Founder
  • State Bar of Georgia, Labor & Employment Section, Mentorship Academy, Mentor
  • The Lola, Founding Member
  • University of Georgia School of Law Alumni Association, Firm Representative
  • University of Georgia School of Law Mentorship Program, Mentor, 2020-2021
  • Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Volunteer
  • Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Cobb County TPO Volunteer
  • The Sedona Conference, Working Group 1: Electronic Document Retention and Production, Member
  • International Association of Privacy Professionals
  • State Bar of Georgia, Young Lawyers Division, Labor & Employment Committee, Co-Chair, 2013-2015
  • State Bar of Georgia, E-Discovery & the Use of Technology Section

Recognitions

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch, 2021
  • Georgia Super Lawyers, 2023
  • Georgia Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2014-2023
  • Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Good Apple Award for Outstanding Volunteerism that Promotes Justice, 2016

Practice Areas

  • Arbitration & Mediation
  • Business Torts & Commercial Contracts
  • Data Security & Privacy Litigation
  • Employment & Labor Litigation
  • Financial Institutions
  • Government & Internal Investigations
  • Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail

Education

  • The University of Georgia School of Law, JD, 2009
  • The University of Georgia, Terry College of Business, BA, cum laude, 2006

Bar Admissions

  • Georgia

Courts

  • Court of Appeals of Georgia
  • Supreme Court of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

presentations

Alison Ballard Moderating Panel at The Corporate Intellectual Property Institute® — GIPA Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance® Annual Meeting

October 13th, 2022

Taylor English partner Alison Ballard will be moderating a panel at The Corporate Intellectual Property Institute® (CIPI) — GIPA Georgia…

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