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.

Currey Hitchens is passionate about improving public education for every Georgia student. This means making the schools children are zoned for excellent schools. She worked at Georgia Legal Services and Atlanta Legal Aid fighting poverty in Georgia for over a decade, and she came to the conclusion that improving public education is the key to ending poverty. She had a great public education in Georgia through the Whitfield County School system herself.

Currey taught fourth and first grades in Atlanta area public schools and has a masters in children’s literature from UGA in addition to a law degree from Emory. In 2022 she ran for State School Superintendent to stand up for students and teachers against laws that would prevent students from learning about divisive topics and that would hurt transgender students as well as to fight for all public school students. Her campaign was not successful, but she took a stand and let LGBTQ youth and all marginalized youth know that someone loves them the way they are and will fight for them.

Currey opened a law firm, Hitchens Law, LLC, to fight for students and teachers. She believes all children can learn and that we must work against bigotry to make sure all children get what they need to stay in school and succeed no matter their background.

Currey takes special education, school discipline, and other education cases for students and cases for teachers terminated for discussing divisive but appropriate topics in schools. She would also love to take cases supporting librarians and teachers in the fight to keep books on shelves (the fight against book bans).

Some recommendations of banned books you should find and read to your children when age appropriate: Julian is a Mermaid, My Shadow is Purple, Flamer, GenderQueer, Right Where I Left You, Heartstopper, The Extraordinaries, All American Boys, The Color Purple, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Bluest Eye, Looking for Alaska, Monster, Sophie’s Choice and many more you can find on lists of the most challenged books.

Amanda Johnson is an experienced corporate attorney with an extensive commercial transactions background. She currently serves as Senior Corporate Counsel at Microsoft. She is lead counsel for Microsoft’s South Operating Unit and Energy industry teams, where she is responsible for negotiating cloud computing, AI, licensing, and software agreements. She also provides legal guidance on strategic partnerships that contribute to programmatic and technological growth initiatives.

Ms. Johnson maintains strong community involvement and is most passionate about mentorship. Along with serving as a Board Member for the Stonewall Bar Association, she has proudly served as a mentor for NJ LEEP, an organization that introduces high school students to the practice of law, and as a volunteer with Street Law, Inc. where she provided legal life skills training to high school students in Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Johnson is admitted to the State Bars of Georgia, New Jersey, and New York. She is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel SaaS and Cloud Computing Subcommittee and the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law and Governance Alumni Steering Committee.

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.

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!”

Judge Markeith D. Wilson is a native of North Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University in 2001 and his law degree from Georgia State University College of Law in 2010. He started practicing law during his third year of law school when he worked for the Dekalb County Public Defender’s office, defending adults against felonies in Dekalb County Superior Court. Before, attending law school and during the beginning of his law school career, Judge Wilson served as an officer in the United States Air Force obtaining the rank of Captain.

Judge Wilson was in private practice most of his career. He joined Fox Legal, LLC as a partner in 2016 where he practiced Juvenile Law, Family Law, Criminal Law and Personal Injury and was named one of Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars in 2020. In 2018 Judge Wilson was appointed to sit as a Judge Pro Tempore in Dekalb County Juvenile Court. In 2021, during his time as a Judge Pro Tempore he took time away from the Court and private practice. For a little over a year, he practiced in the U.S. Virgin Islands as an Assistant Attorney General representing the government in various practice areas. He returned to fulfill his role as a Judge Pro Tempore and as a partner in Fox Legal in 2022. Judge Wilson was appointed a Full Judge of Dekalb County Juvenile Court in 2024.

Judge Wilson is a member of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Dekalb lawyers Association, Dekalb Bar Association, Stonewall Bar Association, and the 2021 Class of Leadership Dekalb