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Bondurant Mixson & Elmore receives dual honors from the 2024 Southeastern Legal Awards
Firm wins Litigation Department of the Year, Appellate; Tiana Mykkeltvedt named Distinguished Leader
Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP (BME) proudly announces the firm has been named the Litigation Department of the Year, Appellate Winner by the Southeastern Legal Awards. Additionally, firm partner Tiana Mykkeltvedt has been recognized as a Distinguished Leader.
Presented by The Daily Report, Metro Atlanta’s legal publication, and Law.com, the leading news network for the legal industry, the awards celebrate achievement and excellence in the legal community across the Southeast. The honorees will be recognized at a gala on June 20.
Since its founding in 1977, the firm has been recognized for its appellate practice. BME's team regularly argues cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.
In 2023, BME’s appellate practice achieved remarkable outcomes, highlighted by an unprecedented week in December when the firm argued five cases before the Eleventh Circuit over four days—a rare feat for any firm, especially one of BME's size. These cases covered a diverse range of issues, including civil rights, anti-terrorism, breach of contract and First and Fourth Amendment rights.
Furthermore, last year BME provided pro bono legal assistance to SisterSong in challenging Georgia's restrictive abortion law before the Georgia Supreme Court. The BME team, led by Mykkeltvedt, continued to work to safeguard reproductive rights and ensure equitable healthcare access.
Additionally, Mykkeltvedt was recognized as a Distinguished Leader for leading a plaintiff counsel team that secured a settlement for four sex trafficking survivors who sued Red Roof Inn for damages arising out of their trafficking against the hotels that profited.
Filed in 2019, it was one of the first such trafficking cases filed in the country. In one of the first Circuit Court of Appeals decisions, presented by Mykkeltvedt in oral argument to the Eleventh Circuit, the Court largely adopted the interpretation of the plaintiff team’s novel application of the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act.
Mykkeltvedt was also acknowledged for her leadership roles within the firm, including positions on the management and marketing committees, as well as in the broader legal community, notably serving as president of the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys.