Daily Report and Law.com are pleased to recognize the winners and finalists for the 2025 Southeastern Legal Awards, honoring attorneys and firms in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee. This is the third year the awards have been presented to include not only Georgia but expanded to recognize the best in legal talent in neighboring states.
These annual legal awards give us a chance to recognize some of the region’s greatest attorneys and firms, along with the rising stars of the industry. The attorneys we’re honoring are talented litigators, dealmakers, visionaries, pioneers and irreplaceable mentors deserving of recognition.
The honorees will be recognized at a gala on May 1 at The Whitley in Atlanta. Following are the winners who were announced in March and the finalists, including Attorney of the Year and Law Firm of the Year, at the dinner. The winners will be announced in several categories. Each link below leads to Q&As and additional information about each winner and honoree.
Law Firm of the Year Finalists
The Law Firm of the Year award recognizes the firm that has demonstrated a broad spectrum of achievements in the past year and talent depth while receiving the greatest level of support for awards in total categories. Following are Q&As with the finalists:
Attorney of the Year Finalists
Daily Report each year recognizes the attorney who’s had the biggest impact on the law or legal community or done the most “to advance the cause of justice” during the previous year. The winner in this category will be named during the awards dinner. Following are links to Q&As with each finalist:
Daily Report each year recognizes several lifetime achievers—attorneys whose work and talents have contributed significantly to the Southeastern legal community and helped countless others do the absolute best for their clients and for their communities.
Our distinguished leaders represent some of the most successful and respected legal minds from throughout the Southeast. Following are Q&As with all of this year’s honorees:
Best Legal Innovation Finalists
The Daily Report will recognize these finalists and name a winner for the 2025 Best Legal Innovation award, which recognizes firms that have helped advance the industry through technological insight and forward thinking. All the honorees will be recognized, and the winner will be announced during the awards ceremony. Following are Q&As with each finalist:
The Best Mentors Award recognizes the best in caring leadership to countless attorneys who have grown and prospered under these nominees’ guidance. Great mentors leave a lasting legacy for us all to look up to and follow. Below are Q&As with the finalists:
Diversity Initiative Finalists
Daily Report will present the 2025 Best Diversity Initiative Award to the firm that has embraced successful diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The winner will be announced during the awards presentation. Following are Q&As in this category.
In-House Counsel of the Year Finalists
Daily Report’s 2025 Best In-House Counsel Award recognizes several attorneys who take it upon themselves to prepare the next generation of legal talent. All the honorees will be recognized and the winner announced during awards ceremony. Following are links to Q&As with the finalists:
Legal Innovators Finalists
The finalists in the Legal Innovators category have helped move their firms forward through technological insight and forward thinking. All the honorees will be recognized and the winner announced during awards ceremony. Following are links to Q&As with the finalists:
Managing Partner of the Year Finalists
The Managing Partner of the Year award recognizes the leaders in the field of law who have earned deep appreciation from their colleagues and clients and for being a shining model in the field of law. The winner in this category will be announced during the awards dinner. Following are links to Q&As with the finalists:
Most Effective Dealmakers Finalists
The Most Effective Dealmaker award recognizes the attorneys who work not only for quantity or dollar volume but also for getting repeat business and achieving their clients’ goals so that both sides sign with strength on the dotted lines. The winner in this category will be named during the awards dinner. Following are Q&As with finalists:
Daily Report has presented On the Rise awards since 2002, recognizing Georgia’s—and for the past two years the Southeast’s—top lawyers 40 and under. Visit here for a slideshow featuring their photos and information about their firms, practice areas and educational backgrounds.
On the Rise in Alabama Honorees
- Amaobi J. Enyinnia, Lightfoot, Franklin & White
- Warner Hornsby, Beasley Allen Law Firm
- Wyatt Montgomery, Beasley Allen Law Firm
On the Rise in Georgia Honorees
- Alexandra C. Apple, Troutman Pepper Locke
- Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, Caplan Cobb
- Gino Brogdon, Miles Mediation & Arbitration
- Dan Englander, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
- Bryan Jacoutot, Clark Hill
- Karan Jhurani, Fish & Richardson
- Matthew Sellers, Bondurant Mixson & Elmore
- Elaine Tapp, Alston & Bird
- Alyssa Walker, Eversheds Sutherland
On the Rise in Mississippi Honorees
- William Graves, Morgan & Morgan
- Ira Rushing, Tully Rinckey
On the Rise in North Carolina Honorees
- Michael Fulks, Akerman
- Zachary Higbee, Alston & Bird
- Kelsey Kingsbery, Alston & Bird
- Barrett Morris, Moore & Van Allen
On the Rise in South Carolina Honorees
- Megan Early-Soppa, Spencer Fane
- Laura Stemkowski, Motley Rice
On the Rise in Tennessee Honorees
- Leigh Anne St. Charles, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight
- Alé Dalton, Bradley Arant
- Brian Irving, Bass, Berry & Sims
- Nicole Sims, Burr & Forman
Most Promising Newcomer Finalists
Selected from the On the Rise honorees is this group of finalists for this year’s Most Promising Newcomer. Following are links to Q&As with these honorees. The winner will be announced during the awards presentation.
Litigation Departments of the Year
Daily Report will honor the following firms for their excellence in a variety of practice areas. Several winners have already been announced. All of the nominees will be recognized during the awards, and winners in some categories will be announced. Following are the names of the winning firms and the categories for which they will be honored during the awards event.
General Litigation Finalists
- Beal Sutherland Berlin & Brown
- Bondurant Mixson & Elmore
- Dentons
- Eversheds Sutherland
- Greenberg Traurig
- Krevolin & Horst
Specialty Practice Insurance Winner: Akerman
Specialty Practice Intellectual Property Finalists:
- Alston & Bird
- Duane Morris
Specialty Practice Labor & Employment Winner: Seyfarth Shaw
Specialty Practice Personal Injury Finalists:
- Conley Griggs Partin
- Spaulding Injury Law
Specialty Practice Products Liability Finalists:
- Greenberg Traurig
- King & Spalding
- Lightfoot, Franklin & White
- Motley Rice
- Nelson Mullins
Specialty Practice White-Collar Finalists:
- Bass, Berry & Sims
- King & Spalding
- Womble Bond Dickinson