Alto Lawyers

At Taylor & Associates, led by Attorney Dorna Jenkins Taylor, I focus on Trademarks, Copyrights, Brand Development, Name Image and Likeness (NIL) licensing, Wills & Trusts. My role is to assist clients in building, securing, protecting, and monetizing their brands. Over the years, I have successfully negotiated brand licensing deals and endorsements for my clients, which have collectively surpassed $40 million. This includes notable agreements for the Emmy Award-winning documentary "The Doctor" and the New York Times bestseller, "The Autobiography of Dr. J." With 26 years of experience in the field, I am continually enthusiastic about helping visionaries secure their...

J. Michael Bishop is a partner in the Atlanta firm of Smiley Bishop & Porter LLP. For over 25 years, Mike has practiced extensively in the areas of securities arbitration and litigation, representing investors with securities claims of all types and sizes. Mike and his firm have obtained numerous seven-figure arbitration awards which have included punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. Many of Mr. Bishop’s clients are elderly investors who have been victims of investment and financial fraud. Mike has successfully represented clients with claims against virtually every major Wall Street firm, including: Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, UBS/PaineWebber, Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter,...

Jon Schwartz has environmental litigation experience in state and federal courts. He has represented clients on matters involving the Clean Water Act, storm water runoff, protection of wildlife and habitat, land use, historic preservation, and injuries caused by exposure to toxic substances. Jon was selected to the Georgia Super Lawyers list and Atlanta Magazine recognized him as a “rising star” in environmental litigation.

28 years experience in full range of civil litigation; 70% Plaintiff and 30% defense. Originally PI, consumer law, divorce and real estae law; Currently representing business and partnership owners and real estate investors. Handling full range of real estate matters including title disputes, partnership dissolutions, negotiations, land trusts, construction issues and litigation and legal malpractice as well as general business law and PI cases.

A native of the Atlanta metro area, Arman Deganian is a “double dawg” with both undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. His first 8 years as a lawyer were spent doing defense work for the big insurance companies, an advantage that sets him apart from most personal injury attorneys. “I know how insurance companies work, so I can stay one step ahead of them,” Arman commented. “Many of the defense attorneys know me, and know I’m not afraid to take my cases to trial in front of a jury.”
Arman started working for a large personal injury law...

Frank W. Hicks III, Esq., after graduating from Mercer Law School in 2002, began working as a prosecutor where he oversaw the traffic division. He then moved over to the Public Defender’s office where he worked for over a decade. He has resolved thousands of criminal cases, ranging from traffic tickets to murder and has over 100 jury trials. Frank draws upon his past experience as a deputy sheriff to assist his clients. Frank is admitted to practice in state and federal trial and appellate courts, including the Georgia Supreme Court.

Deborah H. Harris is an experienced litigator who has practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia for over thirty-eight years. Ms. Harris has represented hundreds of employers and their insurance companies all over the state. Ms. Harris earned her law degree from Emory University in May 1985, and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in June 1985. During her first twenty-two years of practice she was an insurance-defense attorney, first in a downtown Atlanta law firm and later as in-house litigation counsel for a group of insurance companies. Harris opened her private law practice in...

Attorney Steve Litner moved to Atlanta after graduating law school. He started his legal career in securities litigation, and quickly learned that he enjoyed working with people much more than corporations. “Personal injury law gives me a chance to help clients receive fair treatment in some very traumatic situations where the deck is often stacked against them,” Steve commented. “That’s not possible when you’re only focused on corporate law and business profits.”
Steve has large personal injury firm experience, but wanted more flexibility and control than the big firms offered. He started his own successful firm, and then joined forces with...

Kimberly Childs represents business owners who are being taken advantage of by their business partners. Her practice focuses on negotiating and litigating the break-up of multi-owner privately held businesses. Kimberly’s education and experience set her apart from many other general business lawyers. She graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. At Georgia State, Kimberly served on the editorial board of The Law Review, was a pupil with the Bleckley Inn of Court, received numerous academic honors, including the Outer Barrister Guild Award, and graduated magna cum laude. Kimberly began her practice...

David Guldenschuh is an attorney and native of Rome, Georgia. He is a 1981 cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School. After serving a federal appeals court clerkship, he began practicing law in Atlanta at the firm of King & Spalding. Due to the serious illness of his daughter, David returned to Rome in 1990 where he joined the firm then known as Smith Shaw & Maddox. He started his current solo practice in 2004. His practice includes business law and litigation, personal injury and automobile accidents, trusts, will and estates, employment discrimination law, election...

Attorney J. Stephen Mixon, Esq. concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law. Mr. Mixon is best known as one of Georgia 's most successful advocates of women in sexual harassment cases. Additionally, Mr. Mixon represents both employers and employees in race discrimination cases, non-compete agreements, and other contract disputes.

Attorney J. Stephen Mixon, Esq. is a graduate from Oxford College and Emory University (1989), in Atlanta, GA, and the University of Georgia School of Law (1992) in Athens, GA. Upon graduation, Mr. Mixon served as a staff attorney for the Honorable Senator Strom Thurmond in the United States...

Jeffrey Daxe joined Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele in 1997 and is a partner in the firm’s Litigation and Employment Departments. His prime areas of concentration are in employment law and business litigation, as well as HR Consulting.

Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jeff was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1997 after receiving his J.D. degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. Jeff graduated in 1994 from the University of Virginia with a major in History. He took a Judicial Clerkship in 1996 for Chief United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, Judge David...

State prosecutor for over 11 years; have tried over 100 felony cases, including 2 death penalty cases. As a defense attorney since then, I have specialized in appeals of criminal convictions, achieving a very high reversal rate. Currently actively engaged in a death penalty appeal, awaiting the docketing notice from the Georgia Supreme Court. Criminal law is all that I have done in my career, and I have a passion for the work I do. I also have a deep commitment to my clients. As I tell all of my clients and potential...

Kate fiercely believes that everyone has the right to a fair trial and an excellent lawyer. She brings an unmatched passion for justice and a discerning academic eye to every case she works on. Beginning her career as a public defender, Kate gained significant experience representing the poor in the State and Superior Courts of Clarke and DeKalb County, Georgia. During her time in public defense, she handled hundreds of cases and spent thousands of hours in the courtroom fighting for her clients. She has argued dozens of pre-trial motions and successfully kept the prosecution from being able to introduce illegally-collected...