Hall Booth Smith Names Six New Partners

ATLANTA – November 6, 2020 – Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) has named six new partners as the firm elevates leaders and recognizes their outstanding service to clients.

Joining the firm’s partnership ranks are Abe Varner, J. Felicia LeRay, and Paul Trainor in Atlanta; Hank Pittman and J.D. Dean in Tifton; and Spencer Craig Gill in Charleston.

Abe Varner’s practice focuses on the defense of large hospital systems and healthcare providers and on insurance coverage matters. He also maintains a broad litigation practice, which includes the defense of premises liability accidents, negligent security cases, motor vehicle accidents, major property loss and subrogation cases, product liability cases and construction disputes. He earned his J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law, magna cum laude, and his B.A. from the University of Georgia, magna cum laude.

J. Felicia LeRay focuses her practice on healthcare law. She has extensive experience representing healthcare providers in litigation, administrative, and regulatory matters. Before joining HBS, she served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for the State of Georgia where she successfully prosecuted Medicaid fraud cases and negotiated settlements as high as $784.6 million dollars. Additionally, Felicia has experience as a creditor’s rights attorney. In that capacity, she provided general counsel to Fortune 500 companies in the residential real property and mortgage default setting. She was also a general practitioner in a solo practice and an associate in the corporate and securities, REIT, and healthcare practice group of an Atlanta-based international law firm. In addition to her diverse legal expertise, she has considerable experience as a certified trauma nurse specialist. She holds a B.S. in Nursing from Hampton University and a J.D. from Mercer University.

Paul Trainor primarily concentrates his trial litigation practice in the areas of medical malpractice, wrongful death, transportation and premises liability. He has represented hospitals, physicians and other medical professionals, as well as Fortune 500 companies, major insurance carriers, trucking companies and other business entities. He has successfully defended over 150 cases and tried numerous cases to verdict across South Carolina and Georgia. In addition, Paul has handled every stage of several appellate matters before the South Carolina and Georgia Court of Appeals. Paul graduated magna cum laude with his J.D. from the Charleston School of Law and holds a B.S. in Psychology from the College of Charleston.

Hank Pittman concentrates his practice on transportation, education, government, general liability, agribusiness and food and medical malpractice matters. Before joining HBS, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Atlantic Judicial Circuit and was Partner at another local firm where he practiced in a wide range of areas. Hank earned a J.D. from Mercer University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia.

J.D. Dean focuses his practice on general liability, medical malpractice, products liability,  premises liability and transportation matters. Prior to joining HBS, he spent eight years at an insurance defense firm in Valdosta, Georgia. J.D. holds a B.A. from Valdosta State and earned  his J.D. from John Marshall Law School.

Spencer Craig Gill focuses her practice on aging services, labor and employment, medical malpractice, premises liability, products liability and transportation matters. Prior to joining HBS, she worked as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mikell R. Scarborough, Master-in-Equity for Charleston County, South Carolina. She holds a B.S. in Marketing, cum laude, from Clemson University and received her J.D. from the Charleston School of Law.

“This is an incredibly talented and dedicated group of attorneys, and each of them has valuable experience and insights that benefit all of our clients as well as our attorneys across all practice groups,” said Alex H. Booth, Managing Partner at Hall Booth Smith. “We congratulate each one on making Partner and look forward to supporting them as they advance their practices in the years to come.”

About Hall Booth Smith:

Established in 1989, Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) is a full-service law firm with six regional offices strategically located throughout Georgia, as well as offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Miami, North Palm Beach, St. Petersburg and Tallahassee, Florida; and Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Saddle Brook, New Jersey; and New York City. Experienced across a wide range of legal disciplines, HBS attorneys pride themselves on providing knowledgeable, proactive, client-specific counsel to individuals, domestic and international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s promise: “Serving to Achieve Excellence.”