Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joins Waller Lansden`s Trial and Appellate Group

William Athanas brings over 14 years of high-profile litigation experience to
firm
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(Business Wire)--
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, a full-service law firm with more than 200
attorneys, has added seasoned federal prosecutor William Athanas as Of Counsel
to the firm`s Birmingham, Ala. office. Athanas joins Waller Lansden`s trial and
appellate practice after nearly eight years prosecuting federal criminal
matters. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Alabama,
Athanas headed up numerous complex grand jury investigations and prosecutions in
the areas of economic crime and public corruption, and successfully tried
several high-profile cases including one of the lengthiest and most complex bank
fraud trials ever conducted in the Northern District of Alabama. At Waller
Lansden, Athanas will provide counseling and representation to clients around
the United States and abroad on all aspects of corporate criminal defense,
governance, and regulatory matters, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
matters, internal investigations, white collar defense, and complex litigation
issues related to healthcare, securities, and financial institutions.

"Bill is a talented attorney with an impressive, successful trial record in
difficult high-profile cases," said John Tishler, chairman of Waller Lansden
Dortch & Davis, LLP. "His experience at the federal level will be an invaluable
asset to our clients-he strengthens our already stellar trial and appellate
practice, which is one of the cornerstones of our firm."

Athanas will reside in the firm`s Birmingham office, which is headed by Larry
Childs, a partner with more than 30 years` experience in complex litigation
matters. "We are excited to welcome Bill to Waller Lansden and specifically to
our Birmingham office. Bill will provide much-needed reinforcement for our busy
practice, which includes complex litigation and the defense of class action
lawsuits and shareholder derivative suits against financial institutions,"
Childs noted.

Within Waller Lansden`s Trial and Appellate Practice, Athanas will become a
member of its Government Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense
subgroup. That subgroup is headed by Sheila Sawyer, a partner based in the
firm`s Nashville office who also has substantial prosecutorial experience,
having spent nine years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston. The group also
includes Paul Summers, who previously served as the Attorney General of the
State of Tennessee and as a Judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

Prior to joining Waller Lansden earlier this month, Athanas served as a federal
prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice for nearly eight years,
first as a Trial Attorney with the Criminal Division`s Fraud Section in
Washington, D.C, and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District
of Alabama. During that service, he acquired a wealth of federal litigation
experience, heading up numerous complex grand jury investigations and
prosecutions in the areas of economic crime and public corruption, and
successfully trying several high-profile cases. Athanas` successful trial
experience included the public corruption convictions of a former state senator
and representative; the tax fraud conviction of the pastor of a 3,000 member
church; and the bank fraud convictions of five individuals charged with
perpetrating an elaborate scheme to defraud the now-defunct Community Bank out
of over $1.7 million. Athanas also successfully prosecuted an armed carjacker
who abducted and assaulted a Birmingham attorney in 2006, securing a sentence of
life imprisonment after trial. Prior to his service as a federal prosecutor,
Athanas was engaged in the private practice of law in Boston, where he
represented clients in civil and criminal health care matters, white collar
criminal defense, and complex commercial litigation. Athanas received his Juris
Doctor, cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, and his
undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

About Waller Lansden

With more than 200 attorneys, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP assists Fortune
500 clients and other businesses and individuals throughout the United States,
Europe, and Asia in a wide range of transactional, regulatory and litigation
matters. Recognized as one of the nation's largest and most experienced
healthcare law firms, Waller Lansden is also proud to be considered a trusted
advisor to leading companies involved in financial services, manufacturing,
transportation, retail, real estate development, and other industries.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Waller Lansden provides counsel in mergers
and acquisitions, securities and commercial finance transactions, regulatory
compliance; commercial litigation; real estate transactions; environmental
issues; intellectual property; labor and employment; and tax. For more
information please visit www.wallerlaw.com.

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For Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis
Ryan Witherell, 615-327-7999
rwitherell@seigenthaler.com

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