A Hot Topics Discussion

A look at hot topics facing in-house counsel today.

About this Event

Join ACC TN and Three-Star Partner Nelson Mullins and take a look at Hot Topics facing in-house counsel today. Nelson Mullins' Marc Williams and Kristin Ahr, as well as, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Assistant General Counsel of Eastman Chemical Company Edwin Williamson will discuss topices including:

• How changes in technology impact the cost and delivery of litigation
• Legal implications of a Covid-19 vaccination
• Business interruption claims arising from Covid-19

One Hour General Credit CLE will be offered for TN and VA.

Presenters:

Edwin Williamson is Vice President of Legal Affairs and Assistant General Counsel for Eastman Chemical Company. Within the law department, he has responsibility for oversight of HSE Legal Services, Litigation, Labor and Employment, Immigration, and the Global HSES Audit Program. Prior to this appointment, he was Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific.

Mr. Williamson joined Eastman in 2002 as Senior Counsel. He served in several positions in the Eastman law department, including Director of Litigation and Director of Legal Affairs, Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Eastman, he was a partner in the Atlanta, Georgia office of Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth), an international law firm with more than 1000 lawyers worldwide today. Williamson practiced in the area of environmental law.

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology from the University of Tennessee, a JD from the Wake Forest University School of Law and an MBA.from the Wake Forest University Graduate School of Business.

Kristin Ahr is a Partner in the Nelson MullinsWest Palm Beach office. She has been practicing law in Florida for over 20 years and focuses her practice on employment litigation and compliance and commercial litigation. She serves as counsel to a broad range of clients, public and private, in both federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies, and alternative dispute resolution forums.

Ms. Ahr represents local, national and international businesses, management and individuals in employment-related matters including discrimination and harassment and claims involving age, disability, race, sex, pregnancy, religion, marital status and national origin under federal, state and local laws, as well as claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state and federal whistle-blower statutes. She has experience in cases involving breaches of restrictive covenants (non-compete and non-solicitation), misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference and claims under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

A frequent writer and speaker on topics related to labor and employment, Ms. Ahr has given many presentations to clients and community organizations, including, for example, several on non-compete agreements, physician employment agreements and sexual harassment in the workplace. She is also well-versed to speak and advise on public American with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, including website/online accommodations.

She received a BA in Communications and a minor in American Studies from Boston College in1992. She received her JD, cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1995.

Marc Williams is the managing partner of the West Virginia office and is a team leader. He handles complex cases nationally in an array of litigation areas and has tried more than 100 jury trials and appeals in state and federal courts throughout his career.

He served as national trial counsel for a mining safety equipment manufacturer involving complex product liability claims. He was Counsel to Chief Justice Margaret Workman of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in a successful constitutional challenge to an impeachment proceeding, as well as Counsel to West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner in a constitutional challenge to the exclusion of a minor party in an election for U.S. Senate.

Trials for which he sat as first chair involved toxic exposure, product defects, sexual harassment and retaliatory discharge, construction defects, fraud and conspiracy, insurance bad faith, breach of contract, traumatic brain injury, medical monitoring and psychological injury. Other cases for which he served as lead litigation and trial counsel were representing a large chemical manufacturer in consolidated class actions involving 250,000 class members arising from chemical spill, and class actions alleging data privacy breach, consumer fraud, toxic exposure, debt collection practices, and medical record charge violations. He was lead litigation and trial counsel for a major hospital system in a class action alleging data security breach, and lead litigation counsel for Class I railroad in investigation and trials alleging a fraudulent scheme by a law firm and expert pulmonologist in collecting and prosecuting asbestos claims.

He served as an adjunct professor of Sports Law at Marshall University for 16 years

He received his BA from Marshall University in 1982 and his JD West Virginia University College of Law in1985.