As we reflect on 2025, we are grateful for the trust of our clients, who make our work possible. 2025 was a year defined by momentum, from meaningful wins to a new firm identity and website.
Below are a few highlights from our year.
A NEW LOOK
Bondurant introduced a refreshed brand identity and new website. Building on nearly 50 years of success in high-stakes litigation, the updated brand reflects who the firm is today: a modern, highly skilled boutique that clients trust for their most challenging cases. Read more here.
CHAMPIONING THE RULE OF LAW
The firm joined the amicus brief supporting Perkins Coie’s challenge to Executive Order 14230 alongside hundreds of law firms and legal advocacy groups to safeguard the legal profession’s independence and protect the right to represent clients without fear of retaliation.
CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT
For the 22nd consecutive year, Bondurant’s commercial litigation and antitrust practices earned Band 1 rankings from Chambers USA, making Bondurant the only Georgia firm with fewer than 800 attorneys to achieve this distinction. Read more here.
Bondurant was recognized among the “most feared” litigation firms nationwide in The BTI Consulting Group‘s 2026 Litigation Outlook, one of just 98 firms to earn this distinction.
Fourteen attorneys were named 2025 Super Lawyers, with two earning Rising Stars recognition. Additionally, Michael Terry secured a place in Georgia’s Top 10 for the third consecutive year.
Jason Carter, Ronan Doherty, Tiana Mykkeltvedt, Michael Terry, and Emmet Bondurant were named to the Legal 500‘s Atlanta City Elite rankings for their outstanding work and achievements in Commercial Disputes.
Frank Lowrey and Michael Terry were named Law360 Legal Lions of the Week following their role in securing a landmark $2.5 billion punitive damages verdict against Ford Motor Co. after jurors found the automaker liable for the wrongful death of a couple who died in a rollover crash involving their Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup.
Juliana Mesa was named a finalist for Most Promising Newcomer, and Matthew Sellers was recognized as an On the Rise honoree in the Southeastern Legal Awards. The firm was also recognized as a finalist for Litigation Department of the Year, General Litigation.
Ten Bondurant attorneys were recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers, including five rising stars named to Ones to Watch in America. Additionally, Frank Lowrey was honored as Atlanta’s “Lawyer of the Year” in both Appellate Practice and Bet-the-Company Litigation.
Four attorneys—Emmet Bondurant, Ben Fox, Frank Lowrey, and Mickey Mixson—were named “Litigation Stars” in the 2026 edition of Benchmark Litigation.
Bondurant was named to the 2026 Best Law Firms list, including Atlanta Tier 1 in Antitrust, Appellate, Bet-the-Company, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation (Antitrust, Banking & Finance, Securities, Trusts & Estates), plus national recognition in five practice areas.
SIGNIFICANT CASES
According to Law360, Bondurant was involved in three of the five “biggest legal developments to come out of Peach State courts in 2025.”
Chris Giovinazzo successfully represented Sovereign Healthcare Holdings’ holding company and its executives in a Georgia Court of Appeals victory that prevented Mariner Healthcare from collecting a $12.1 million judgment.
Robbie Ashe, Jennifer Peterson, and Amanda Bradley secured a win in the Georgia Court of Appeals on behalf of the City of Brookhaven. The Court held that City officials are entitled to official immunity when advocating for the City’s best interests during negotiations with real estate developers.
Michael Terry, acting as appellate counsel, helped secure a $13.7 million attorneys’ fee award in a case linked to a record-setting $45.8 million medical malpractice verdict obtained by Stone Law Group in 2017.
Frank Lowrey served as litigation counsel in the Delta Air Lines lawsuit against CrowdStrike to recover just compensation for the damages inflicted by CrowdStrike’s 2024 faulty software update.
Naveen Ramachandrappa and Matthew Sellers served as appellate counsel, successfully defending the verdict against Sig Sauer’s motions for directed verdict, a new trial, and reduced damages in a product liability case against the firearm manufacturer. The case, which centered on alleged design flaws, was the first jury verdict to find the gunmaker negligent for an unintentional discharge.
Frank Lowrey and Michael Terry played key roles in securing a major jury verdict in Brogdon (Mills) v. Ford Motor Company. A Columbus, Georgia, jury returned a $30.5 million compensatory damages verdict, followed by a $2.5 billion punitive damages verdict. The case stemmed from tragic injuries sustained in a 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty rollover incident. Lowrey and Terry worked alongside lead counsel Jim Butler and attorneys from Butler Prather LLP and Page, Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker & Ford, P.C. to represent the Mills family.
Chris Giovinazzo and Michael Terry were part of the team to successfully defend a $75 million verdict on appeal for a stroke patient left with locked-in syndrome after an Atlanta-area emergency room failed to diagnose his condition in time. Terry also presented oral argument before the Georgia Court of Appeals.
David Brackett and Kayla Polonsky, together with counsel from Korein Tillery, secured a win on behalf of a class of former NCR executives in an ERISA matter. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s order requiring NCR to pay additional retirement benefits.
Michael Terry was part of the plaintiff’s trial team in a Fulton County wrongful death case that resulted in nearly $100 million in awards across two trial phases, and he will handle the anticipated appeal. The case arose from a fatal head-on collision and alleged post-crash misconduct by the defendant trucking company.
Austin Hollimon achieved an appellate victory after handling the oral argument in McLeod v. BITCO Insurance Companies. The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed the enforcement of a workers’ comp lien where a lump sum settlement did not separate economic and non-economic damages, reinforcing that carriers must prove full compensation.
Michael Terry served as co-counsel at trial, and Terry and Danny Vincent served as appellate counsel for the plaintiff, alongside trial counsel at Brodhead Law, in a case where the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed an $80 million wrongful death verdict.
Amanda Kay Seals negotiated a global settlement for a trust beneficiary who alleged the trustee breached fiduciary duties and violated trust terms by transferring trust assets to an illiquid partnership. With support from Jason Carter and Eliza Taylor, the settlement also resulted in the trustee’s resignation of authority over multiple trusts, including trusts not at issue in the suit.
Naveen Ramachandrappa argued before the Supreme Court of Georgia on behalf of the family of Joshua Chang, a 21-year-old college student who died as a result of the City of Milton’s negligence.
Frank Lowrey argued in the Georgia Court of Appeals over the viability of a $335 million judgment against insurers of a private school liable for repeated instances of sexual abuse of multiple students.
Naveen Ramachandrappa argued the appeal on behalf of a longshoreman injured in a crash at the Port of Savannah, and the Eleventh Circuit has now revived the case. The court held that disputes over the driver’s employment status must be decided by a jury. In a detailed opinion, the panel emphasized that employment status can turn on the realities of daily labor assignments, including whether a worker may be considered “on the job” even before clocking in.
Pat Fagan and Chris Giovinazzo argued against summary judgment in a fiduciary duty and RICO case with over $50 million at stake.
John Floyd briefed and argued the appeal in Steven Wommack and Amy Weaver v. G.S. Construction and Alessandro Salvo, securing the reversal of the dismissal of whistleblower retaliation claims. The Court of Appeals distinguished federal RICO precedent and held the plaintiffs had stated a viable claim for relief.
MAKING AN IMPACT
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals appointed Pat Fagan and Jeff Chen to represent an indigent veteran bringing constitutional challenges regarding veterans’ disability benefits. After the Eleventh Circuit highlighted a circuit split, the firm teamed with the Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic to seek United States Supreme Court review.
Matthew Sellers and Jeff Chen co-authored a merits-stage amicus brief in Bowe v. United States on behalf of a group of federal courts scholars, including Steve Vladeck, in support of the petitioner. The brief addressed limits on Congress’s power to create “exceptions” to the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction, and it was referenced multiple times at oral argument.
With co-counsel from the Center for Constitutional Rights, Amanda Kay Seals and Matthew Sellers represented a certified class of people in Georgia Department of Corrections custody, leading a federal judge to partially strike down a 2025 law that prohibited the provision of gender affirming healthcare to those experiencing gender dysphoria.
Amanda Kay Seals was elected to the State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors, joining a distinguished group of Bondurant attorneys who have served in this capacity.
Ben Thorpe was reappointed to the Board of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Corporate Counsel Section.
The firm hosted the 2025 Board of Directors Retreat for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Georgia Chapter. Partner Naveen Ramachandrappa serves as a board member.
Tiana Mykkeltvedt represented the firm at the 2025 Partners Summit of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
Amanda Kay Seals was selected to serve on the Kate’s Club Advisory Board for 2026.
David Brackett was elected Board Secretary by the Board of Directors of Georgia Appleseed for 2026.
Michael Baumrind was elected Vice President of the Federal Bar Association’s Atlanta Chapter.
Bondurant hosted the Georgia Latino Law Foundation‘s Interview Prep Seminar. Students worked with volunteer attorneys on resumes, cover letters, and more. They also participated in mock interviews with attorneys, receiving real-time feedback. The firm’s Juliana Mesa founded and chairs the GLLF’s Office Hours program, which sponsored and organized this event.
Shirley Laboy, Bondurant’s Director of Administration, was appointed to the Board of the Association of Legal Administrators.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Amanda Kay Seals and Shirley Laboy presented at the State Bar of Georgia’s Update on Georgia Law conference in February. Their panel, titled “Be Your Own COO: Big Lessons for Small Firm Lawyers,” covered essential strategies attorneys can deploy to run their practices more efficiently.
Naveen Ramachandrappa spoke at the Cobb County Trial Lawyers Association on the role and benefits of embedded appellate counsel at trial, highlighting how having an appellate specialist on the trial team can help preserve issues, shape legal strategy, and strengthen the record for appeal.
Ben Thorpe and Frank Lowrey moderated sessions at the State Bar of Georgia Antitrust Law Section’s Deals, Data, and Platforms seminar, which brought together experts from government, private practice, and in-house legal teams to discuss key competition law issues.
Bondurant sponsored the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Georgia Corporate Recoveries group, educating in-house counsel about monetizing the corporate legal department.
Naveen Ramachandrappa spoke to Emory University School of Law’s Advanced Appellate Advocacy class about appellate strategy, including how strong trial-level preparation sets the stage for success on appeal, the relationship between briefs and oral argument in shaping key issues, and how to build a career in appellate practice.
Ben Thorpe moderated the Association of Corporate Counsel, Georgia, webinar on fraud prevention and asset protection.
Michael Baumrind moderated a panel for the Association of Corporate Counsel, Georgia, on maximizing insurance recovery.
Pat Fagan spoke at the Association of Corporate Counsel, Georgia, Business Litigation Summit, presenting on “Who Gets the Check? Recovering Fees & Expenses in Affirmative Litigation.” He also served as a panelist for the Atlanta Bar Association program, “Securing Your Advantage: Pre-Litigation Strategies for Success.”
John Floyd, one of the country’s leading RICO experts, delivered presentations on the subject to a meeting of the Litigation Counsel of America in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and to approximately 100 Metro Atlanta prosecutors and investigators at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
Danny Vincent was a speaker and panelist at a number of leading legal conferences and programs in 2025, including events hosted by the American Association for Justice, Georgia State University College of Law, the Atlanta Trial Lawyers Association, and the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, where she addressed jury charges, ethical leadership, trial strategy, and SB 68 appellate and objection-preservation issues.
Jennifer Peterson spoke at the AICPA Forensic & Valuation Services national conference in Colorado on “The Many Sides of RICO” and was a panelist for an Ethics and Professionalism CLE at the Cobb County Bar Association.
TRUST PROVEN EXPERTISE