Austin B. Alexander will be the 2022-2023 president of the board of directors of Stonewall Bar Association (SBA). Austin joined SBA when he moved to Georgia from Mississippi and previously served on the Outreach Committee and chaired the Public Interest Committee. Austin is a Senior Managing Associate at Thompson Hine LLP, and his practice includes creditor’s rights and bankruptcy and business litigation.

Meghan Aubry (she/her) practices with Womble Bond Dickinson’s complex litigation team in Atlanta, handling a wide range of civil business litigation matters but specializing in federal court cases, in particular securities litigation. She previously clerked in the federal district court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Meghan is a graduate of Emory University School of Law, where she served as OUTLaw president and director in chief of Emory Moot Court Society. Before attending law school, she served as a Teach for America corps member in metro Atlanta. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Atlanta’s restaurants and spending time with her partner and their miniature poodle.

Bryan Babcock joined the Stonewall Bar Association in 2021, a self-identifying “Bama” born in Selma, Alabama. Roll Tide!

He works for the Internal Revenue Service as a Senior Manager. In his 16 years with the government, Mr. Babcock has been an Estate Tax Attorney, Lead Estate Tax Attorney, Group Manager, an Attorney-Advisor to the Chief of Estate & Gift Tax, a Territory Manager, and Acting Program Manager in Exam Case Selection.

Mr. Babcock has an extensive educational background. He received double Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and Political Science from the University of Central Florida. He received his Juris Doctor from Mercer Law School, his Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, his Master of Laws in Business Transactions from the University of Alabama School of Law, a Master in Business Administration from Washington State University, and a Master of Laws in Energy and Natural Resources Law from University of Oklahoma College of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Georgia as well as the U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Supreme Court.

In his time outside of government employment, Mr. Babcock has been published in the Georgia Bar Journal twice under Writing Matters, providing expert guidance on legal drafting. He serves as the President-Elect on the Mercer Law School Alumni Association Board of Directors. He also donates his time and money to two awards given to Mercer Law students—a 3L scholarship and a 1L book award.

Mr. Babcock is an excellent cook and loves to travel. He is also the proud father of a 25-year-old son, and has never turned 30.

Marla Butler is a partner at Thompson Hine LLP and Office Partner in Charge of its Atlanta office. Marla is an IP and technology litigator, focusing on patent, trade secret and contract disputes for an array of clients in the medical, semiconductor, power, networking and other high-tech industries. Marla has developed a deep understanding of technology and is skilled at building and leading diverse teams of lawyers, scientists and economists, which enhances her ability to devise and implement successful litigation and trial strategies and to simplify complex technology concepts for judges, juries and arbitrators.

She has received distinctions from Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers, Savoy  and Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation as a leader in Litigation, Intellectual Property and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

In addition to being a member of the Board of Directors for Stonewall Bar Association, Marla is also on the Board of Directors of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.  She is a former board member of Lambda Legal.

Nancy is an attorney specializing in estate administration, probate litigation, adult guardianships and conservatorships, and estate planning. She also represents clients on a wide variety of business matters including the formation of new corporations and limited liability companies, the revision of corporate governance documents, and the preparation and review of contracts and business succession planning. Nancy is the founder of Alliance Planning & Probate, PC, a boutique probate practice located in the heart of Midtown.

Nancy has been recognized as one of the most powerful leaders in Atlanta in the Atlanta 500 by Atlanta Magazine, and as a Top 50 estate planning practitioner by Charlotte Magazine.

Nancy received her B.A. from Emory University and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina. She has been a member of the Stonewall Bar since 2017, and is a current member of the Emory University Gift Planning Advisory Council, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, the Family Law Institute, and the Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina Bars.

Ashley Gravlin (she/her) is a third-year J.D. candidate at Georgia State University College of Law, where she serves as President of OUTLaw and has served on the e-board for the school’s Immigration Law Society. Ashley specializes in Extraordinary Ability and National Interest Waiver writing, bringing almost 7 years of experience to her current role at a boutique immigration law firm. Originally from Louisville and now based in Atlanta, Ashley spends her free time going to hot yoga, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and mentoring 1Ls through her work as a civil procedure teaching assistant and gender & sexuality moot court competitor.

Kyle Hildebrand is an employment law attorney in Atlanta, GA. He attended the Georgia State University College of Law, and graduated with honors. He was a member of the executive board of the Georgia State University Law Review and president of OUTLaw for two years. The National LGBTQ+ Bar awarded him the 2023 Student Leadership award and the 2024 Michael Greenberg Writing Competition Award. Kyle is a current member of the Lambda Legal Atlanta Leadership Council.

Nicole (She/Her/Hers) is a 2017 Graduate of Georgia State University. Nicole earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. While at Georgia State University she was a member of the Criminal Justice Student Association, Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice Honor Society), and was on the Dean’s List for multiple semesters.

While an Undergrad at Georgia State, Nicole was an intern for the City of Atlanta’s Public Defender Office. There she assisted in scheduling new client meetings with investigators, conducting individual new client investigation meetings, and observed court hearings.

After receiving her degree from Georgia State she began her career with the Lynch Law Group, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia. There she began her legal career as a Paralegal. In 2019 she was promoted to Law Clerk. Lynch Law Group, Inc. was managed by Diana Lynch, Esq. The firm focused on Civil & Business Law Litigation, Entertainment & Sports, Family Law, and Estate Planning matters.

During her Law School career, Nicole served as a Summer Law Clerk to the Honorable Mike Jacobs of the Dekalb County State Court, in Decatur, Georgia. Nicole prepared bench briefs and memorandum for cases on the Judge’s calendar by reviewing pleadings, and conducting legal research. Nicole prepared Order for the Judge’s review and consideration. She further worked closely with the Judge and Staff Attorney to discuss legal questions, construction of documents, and disposition of Motions. She was a Paralegal for Swift, Currie, McGheee & Hiers, LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia. There she worked in the Civil Litigation group, assisting in representing clients in tort defense cases.

Nicole is a 2022 Juris Doctor Graduate of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Nicole was a member of the part-time evening division. Nicole worked during the day, and went to school at night. While at John Marshall she received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Contracts I. Nicole achieve the highest score ever attained on the Contracts I exam for the entirety of Professor Jeffrey Van Detta’s over 20 year teaching career. This record has been unbroken. Nicole was highly involved in on-campus activities. Nicole was the president of OUT Law & Allies, a Student Ambassador, a member of Phi Alpha Delta (Law Fraternity), a member of John Marshall’s Georgia Association of Women Lawyers chapter, a Title IX Victim Advocate, and Peer Mentor.

While a student at John Marshall, Nicole received the Kay Young Scholarship from the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, and attended Lavender Law, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s Annual Conference. She was also a Student Attorney volunteering with Cobb Legal Aid, to take a Pro Bono divorce case, in Cobb County Superior Court. This case required Nicole to negotiate a Consent Temporary Order, file multiple Motions for Contempt, seek an Order of Incarceration, prepare her client and an Expert Witness, Mediate the Case, and complete a Final Hearing / Trial on the case. She also took a Pro Bono name change case for her transgender client, in Douglas County Superior Court.

Nicole is admitted to the Georgia Bar and is able to practice in all Georgia Trial Courts (Magistrate, State, Superior, Juvenile, and Statewide Business Courts), the Court of Appeal of Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Nicole is an active member of the recovery and LGBTQ+ communities and serves on the Board of Directors of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia. She is a mother to Captain CAThyrn Janeway, her Tuxedo Cat, and John Thurgood Marshall, her Beagle.

The Honorable Pierce Hand Seitz is a judge in the Municipal Court of Atlanta. After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Emory University, he began his journey in public service as a high school teacher in Atlanta Public Schools. He later enrolled in law school and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law.  During law school, Judge Seitz was a recipient of the Stonewall Bar Association’s Kay Young Scholarship. Judge Seitz began his legal career as a commercial litigation associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, representing clients in civil commercial disputes in local, state, and federal courts. Following his passion for public service, he joined the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office as a Senior Assistant District Attorney where he reviewed, investigated, indicted, and prosecuted complex felony criminal cases through jury trials. Judge Seitzalso spent a significant portion of his legal career in the nonprofit sector, serving initially as a housing staff attorney and later as Co-Director of the Safe & Stable Homes Project at Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.

Judge Seitz has published legal articles in multiple legal journals and publications, including the Atlanta Lawyer. Also, he has been and continues to be an active member of various legal, professional, civic, and social organizations. At the state level, he serves as a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Standing Committee on Access to Justice, and he has been appointed to the State Bar of Georgia YLD Board of Directors. Locally, he serves as President-Elect for the Gate City Bar Association, a member of the Logan E. Bleckley Inn of Court, an alum of LEAD Atlanta Class of 2022, and an immediate past member of the Emory University Alumni Board. Most recently, Judge Seitz was recognized as one of Atlanta’s top young leaders by the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 Award list.

Lance Simon joined the Stonewall Board of Directors in 2020. He is an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), Middle District of Georgia, in Macon. The Middle District also covers Athens, Columbus, Albany, and Valdosta. In this role, Lance represents the United States in federal civil litigation, including in the areas of medical malpractice, torts, and employment law. Lance is also the USAO’s Civil Rights Coordinator.

Prior to joining the USAO in 2018, Lance worked for six years in two other components of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. First in the Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, followed by ATF.

Lance is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Tulane Law School. After law school, he clerked for a Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem.

Currently, Lance teaches as an adjunct law professor at Mercer Law School.

Missy Torgerson is a dedicated employee rights attorney at Legare, Attwood & Ragan who has been advocating for workers since the beginning of her legal career. A graduate of Emory Law School, she provides skilled representation for clients facing discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour concerns. She also offers expert review of severance agreements and non-compete clauses.

Ms. Torgerson maintains active involvement in several professional organizations, including the Federal Bar Association, Stonewall Bar Association, and National Employment Lawyers Association. Her commitment to the legal community earned her the Volunteer Award from the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.

Mentorship holds special significance in Ms. Torgerson’s professional journey. As a participant in the Labor and Employment Mentorship Academy, she helps foster meaningful relationships that guide the next generation of employment attorneys, honoring the mentorship that shaped her own legal development.

During her time at Emory Law School, Ms. Torgerson received the Outstanding Female Law Student award in recognition of her contributions to female students, particularly her leadership in planning the annual women’s law conference. Through her practice and community involvement, Ms. Torgerson remains committed to protecting employee rights and building a more equitable workplace for all.

Ben Torres was born in Atlanta and grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia. He is an associate litigation attorney in King & Spalding’s Trial & Global Disputes division. Ben devotes much of his practice to defending national and international companies in mass tort litigation involving allegations of products liability.

Ben is committed to pro bono work. He serves the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization with the goal the goal of ending suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, with various ongoing projects. He also assisted the Georgia Chamber of Commerce with preparing an amicus brief in a consequential case in the Supreme Court of Georgia. He has represented tenants involved in landlord-tenant disputes through the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.

Ben graduated with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2019, where he served as the Executive Online Editor of the Georgia Law Review, was an award-winning member of the moot court team, and he externed with the Georgia Office of the Attorney General. He was a first-generation law student and is a second-generation American, as his father came to the United States from Mexico. He lives in Johns Creek with his partner, Todd, their dog, Charlie, and their two cats, Nova and Zelda.

Phyllis R. Williams is an Associate Judge in the Magistrate Court of DeKalb County.

Phyllis graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Music with a concentration in Piano Performance (yes, she is a classically trained musician). She worked in the insurance industry in Philadelphia, PA, before attending law school at Florida State University College of Law.

Phyllis began her legal career at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, practicing insurance defense in automobile and property litigation. After leaving insurance defense, Phyllis started her own firm and was a trial attorney for about 25 years. She has tried complex divorces, auto collisions, premises liability, products liability, contract disputes and criminal defense matters. “I believe that everyone is entitled to zealous representation, even if they cannot afford it.” To that end Phyllis was a court appointed attorney in Fulton superior and state courts, and DeKalb superior, state and juvenile courts for about 11 years representing clients in trial and on appeals, and she has argued before the Supreme Court of Georgia. In 2017, she merged her firm with Fox Legal, LLC where she serves as Of-Counsel”. In addition to her practice, Phyllis was an adjunct professor at Georgia State University School of Business, and

She is an Administrative Hearing Officer for the DeKalb Merit System presiding over administrative appeal hearings. She is active in the Magistrate Court Training Council, where she serves on the Curriculum Committee and trains new Judges around the State.

Phyllis is a member Stonewall Bar Association, International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), Georgia Association of Women Attorney’s (GAWL), Gate City Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association, DeKalb Lawyers Association, and DeKalb Bar Association where she served on the Board of Directors for 6 years. Phyllis has also served on the Board of Directors for the South DeKalb YWCA and is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb (2003) and the Leadership DeKalb Beacon Society.

Phyllis loves to cook, play racquetball competitively, and travel the world. “I want to see as much of this planet as I can before I leave it!”

Marie is an attorney specializing in supporting companies and financial institutions through complex financial transactions. She represents clients by drafting and refining transactional documents, coordinating diligence, and supporting negotiations and closings, with a focus on precise, practical work that keeps deals moving efficiently and responsibly.

Committed to service, Marie’s pro bono practice centers on corporate governance and the formation of nonprofit organizations. In addition to serving as a Board Member of the Stonewall Bar Association, Marie volunteers with Furkids Cat Shelter, where she assists with the veterinary care of homeless and injured cats.

Marie received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law, where she served two terms as Treasurer of WashU OUTLaw. She also holds an MBA from Washington University’s Olin Business School.

Outside of work, Marie spends her free time skating with Atlanta Roller Derby and scuba diving.