Kilpatrick Townsend Announces New Leadership Team

ATLANTA, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today that Paul Aguggia has been elected as the firm's new Chair and that Henry Walker will serve as a firm Managing Partner with current firm Managing Partner Maureen Sheehy.  Mr. Aguggia is succeeding Chair Bill Dorris and Henry Walker is succeeding firm Managing Partner Diane Prucino.  Mr. Dorris and Ms. Prucino have decided to return to their respective practices fulltime. The new leadership team begins on July 1, 2012.

"Paul is an outstanding choice to lead Kilpatrick Townsend," said Bill Dorris, current Kilpatrick Townsend Chair. "Having served with Paul on the Executive Committee and having watched him lead our flourishing Financial Institutions Team, I have been impressed with Paul's relentless attention to client service.  Since joining the firm four years ago, he and his team have done a tremendous job of matching client needs with attorneys across the firm."

Bill Dorris added, "I look forward to working with Paul, Maureen and Henry not only during our seamless transition period, but for years to come. I have already seen how well the three of them interact and work together."

Paul Aguggia, based in Washington, DC, is a member of the Kilpatrick Townsend's Executive Committee and currently leads the firm's Financial Institutions Team.  Mr. Aguggia focuses his practice on capital raising transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and governance and board/committee representation. He provides strategic advice and counsel to public and private companies. Mr. Aguggia was named a 2012 Washington DC SuperLawyer.

In 2012, Mr. Aguggia was honored with the District Alliance for Safe Housing's (DASH) Pillar Award. On a pro bono basis, he has served as the general counsel for DASH and supported the organization on a variety of legal needs.  Mr. Aguggia graduated from Duke University School of Law and earned a B.A. from Colgate University.  For more information, please click here.

"I am humbled to be following in the footsteps of the great leaders who have guided our 152-year-old firm," said Paul Aguggia, incoming Kilpatrick Townsend Chair. "Kilpatrick Townsend will be forever grateful for Bill and Diane's invaluable leadership during this historical phase of our firm's life.  I will be seeking their wise counsel as Maureen, Henry and I create strategic growth opportunities that build on the firm's strong client-focused foundation."

Maureen Sheehy, based in San Francisco, has been a Kilpatrick Townsend Managing Partner and a member of the firm's Executive Committee since January 2011. In 2010, she was named Chair of predecessor firm Townsend and Townsend and Crew.  Ms. Sheehy's ongoing role as Managing Partner adds to the wealth of leadership experience on the new management team.

Ms. Sheehy's practice focuses on complex business litigation, intellectual property litigation, and unfair competition matters. She has an extensive background leading litigation teams in both federal and state courts, as well as before the United States International Trade Commission in ITC 337 proceedings. In addition to intellectual property disputes, Ms. Sheehy's litigation practice has spanned trade secret disputes, and antitrust and unfair competition claims.

Ms. Sheehy is a Member of the East Bay Community Law Center Board of Directors. She graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law and earned her B.A. from Stanford University. For more information, please click here.

"Paul, Henry and I look to continue the momentum created over the last year," said Maureen Sheehy, Kilpatrick Townsend Managing Partner. "Kilpatrick Townsend is well positioned for great things ahead.  We have accomplished much in such a short period of time and we look forward to deepening the partnership with our clients to meet their changing needs."

Henry Walker, based in Atlanta, has spent more than 25 years handling large complex litigation matters for clients, including class actions, technology, telecommunications, privacy, and intellectual property cases. He rejoined Kilpatrick Townsend -- where he practiced as a partner until 1996 -- in 2007 after serving as Chief Litigation Counsel to BellSouth Corporation. Mr. Walker's mixture of in-house and outside counsel experience provides him with a strong understanding of the challenges facing clients and in-house counsel.

A native Georgian, Mr. Walker is active in the State Bar of Georgia, currently serving on the Board of Governors and numerous committees. He is a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and serves as the Vice Chair of the Georgia Chamber's Law and Judiciary Committee. Mr. Walker graduated from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law and earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia.  For more information, please click here.

"I am honored to be chosen to help lead Kilpatrick Townsend, a firm at which I feel like I grew up in as a lawyer," said Henry Walker, incoming Kilpatrick Townsend Managing Partner. "Today's legal environment requires that a law firm have preeminent lawyers who consistently deliver excellent legal advice while at the same time delivering good value and exceptional client service. I believe Kilpatrick Townsend is in a good position to continue to succeed and grow in this environment."

Bill Dorris and Diane Prucino became Managing Partners of predecessor firm Kilpatrick Stockton in January 2007. In January 2011, Mr. Dorris, a member of the firm's Construction Team, became Chair of Kilpatrick Townsend while Ms. Prucino, a member of the firm's Labor & Employment Team, joined Ms. Sheehy as a firm Managing Partner.

"After nearly six years and with our current terms set to end on June 30, we both feel that the timing is perfect to transition into the practice of law fulltime," said Bill Dorris and Diane Prucino. "It has been the biggest honor of our careers to have the opportunity to lead this great law firm and we are proud of what we have accomplished.  We -- personally and as a firm -- have great opportunities ahead of us."

For more information about the AmLaw 100 firm Kilpatrick Townsend and its nearly 630 attorneys, please visit: www.kilpatricktownsend.com.

Follow the firm on Twitter: @KTS_Law.

SOURCE Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton