ATLANTA (January 15) – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today the addition of Tom Clyde and Lesli Gaither to the Atlanta office. Mr. Clyde is joining from Dow Lohnes as Partner and Ms. Gaither is joining from Dow Lohnes as Counsel. Both will be members of the Complex Business Litigation Team.
"We welcome Tom and Lesli to the firm," said Jim Gilliland, Kilpatrick Townsend Litigation Department Chair. "Tom brings more than two decades of high-level litigation experience to Kilpatrick Townsend. Together they will strengthen an already deep bench of outstanding trial lawyers. Their impressive, wide-ranging media practice will fit perfectly here."
"Lesli and I have known and been impressed by the work of numerous Kilpatrick Townsend attorneys, especially its litigators, for many years," said Mr. Clyde. "The firm's expertise with legal issues relating to news and entertainment content as well as its intense focus on client service was very important to us and a major factor in making this move. Also, it was important for Lesli and I to be a part of a firm where pro bono is part of the firm's DNA. We found that in Kilpatrick."
Mr. Clyde's practice focuses on representing clients in the print, television, internet and communications industries in an array of state and federal litigation with an emphasis on defending lawsuits challenging First Amendment protected speech. He has vast experience defending publishers and broadcasters against claims alleging defamation, invasion of privacy, news-gathering misconduct and infringement of intellectual property rights. Mr. Clyde also represents numerous internet-based publishers in connection with issues arising from blogging, anonymous speech, user-generated content, and electronic eavesdropping issues. Representing clients seeking access to government records and proceedings, Mr. Clyde has also successfully litigated numerous actions under the Georgia Open Records Act, the Georgia Open Meetings Act, and the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.
Ms. Gaither's practice similarly focuses on representing media clients in a variety of matters dealing predominantly with complex commercial litigation and counseling issues. Her practice includes all aspects of media law, including defending against defamation, privacy, copyright and other content-related claims, protecting journalists from subpoenas and requests for records, and matters involving access to government records and proceedings.
In addition to in-court representation, Mr. Clyde and Ms. Gaither regularly vet content prior to publication, including print and television news content, fiction and non-fiction books, and controversial internet speech. They provide around-the-clock pre-publication and pre-broadcast counseling on content issues, including responding to threats of litigation. Both have extensive expertise counseling clients on laws relating to the use of hidden cameras and other related news-gathering techniques, and routinely counsel clients seeking to unseal court records and to obtain permission to televise court proceedings.
Mr. Clyde is a community leader. He a Board Member and Past Board President of the Georgia Innocence Project; a Board Member and C0-Chair of the Legal Committee of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation; Past Co-Chair of the Media Law Letter Committee, Media Law Resource Center; and a member of the American Bar Association First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee.
Mr. Clyde is recognized as a Best Lawyer in America and a Georgia SuperLawyer. He earned a J.D. from Duke University and an A.B. from Princeton University.
Ms. Gaither is recognized as a Rising Star, Georgia Super Lawyer. She earned a J.D. from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from Purdue University.