Lynnette D. Espy-Williams

Lynnette serves as the firm's chief diversity officer. She has experience in litigating a wide variety of civil and commercial matters, including matters pertaining to mass and complex torts, professional liability, premises liability, product liability, contract disputes, and extracontractual disputes, including defending bad faith claims.

Lynnette has extensive experience in defending many high-exposure product liability and premises liability matters. With respect to product liability cases, Lynnette routinely represents manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of allegedly defective products in negligence actions stemming from allegations, including, but not limited to, failure to warn, breach of implied and express warranties, and any other theory in tort or contract. She also frequently defends various entities in premises liability matters involving acts of negligent third parties, negligent or improper maintenance of premises, and inadequate security. Lynnette is thoroughly versed in tender and indemnification issues and routinely assists companies in determining where the risk of liability can be shared or absolved completely.

Lynnette handles cases in state and federal courts and she has been involved in every phase of litigation including, taking and defending fact and expert depositions, preparing and arguing key motions, negotiating with opposing counsel, drafting motions for summary judgment and motions in limine, and participating in pre-trial conferences. She has substantial experience handling consumer class action litigation, including cases involving alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Lynnette is the former president of the Gate City Bar Association, the oldest African-American bar association in the state of Georgia. She is also actively involved with the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, American Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association, the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers, and a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.

Named as a Georgia Rising Star (2012-2016), Lynnette was included in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 for 2018, Georgia Trend ’s Legal Elite and also Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 for 2016. She is also a member of LEAD Atlanta (2013), Outstanding Atlanta (2012), was selected as one of Atlanta’s Power 30 Under 30 (2010) and, most recently, was recognized as one of Georgia's 40 Under 40 (2013), a list developed by The Daily Report that showcases the top Georgia lawyers under 40 who should be on readers' radar.

Prior to earning her JD from the University of Maryland, Lynnette graduated from Spelman College, cum laude, with honors in economics. While at the University of Maryland, Lynnette was a staff member for The Business Lawyer as well as an associate articles editor for the Journal of Business and Technology Law. Following law school, Lynnette served as a judicial intern to former Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Supreme Court of Georgia.