Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell, LLP

Today marks Ryan Dixon's fifth anniversary with Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell! We’re grateful for the years of commitment and leadership he's provided our firm, and we look forward to many more celebrations in the years to come. Congratulations, Ryan! 

Congratulations to Jalisa Stevens, Esq. for celebrating 5 years with CSVL today! As a Senior Associate in our Atlanta office, she is an integral part of our firm’s success. We’re proud to have her on the team and excited to celebrate many more years to come!  

Congratulations to Kierra Brown on her 5th anniversary with Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell! As a senior associate in our Charleston office, Kierra has consistently proven her commitment to achieving the best outcomes for her clients. We’re proud to have her at CSVL! 

Partner Mark Lefkow was recently interviewed about his experience prosecuting civil recoveries of proceeds of fraudulent wire transfers. In the article, “When Cybersecurity Fails: The Costly Consequences of Hacking for Law Firms,” Mark explains common errors and guidance when faced with fraudulent activity and shares safeguards law firms can put in place for prevention. You can read more on Mark’s expertise and advice here: https://lnkd.in/e8_rMPHY

Today is Partner Angela Kopet's 10th year with Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell! We are so grateful for her invaluable leadership and dedication to our firm, colleagues, and clients over the past decade. We look forward to celebrating many more achievements in the years to come! Congratulations, Angela! 

Claims and Litigation Management’s Claims College is right around the corner! Created in 2007, Claims College was created to meet the professional needs of claims and litigation professionals; specifically, allowing students to work towards earning their Certified Claims Professional (CCP) and Advanced Claims Professional (ACP) designations. This year, Angela Kopet, Lee Weatherly, and Kristen Thompson are headed to Austin, Texas and will be teaching classes in the School of Casualty Claims and School of Leadership. Angela is also Dean of the School of Leadership with Fausto Martin.   Attendees earn CE/CLE credits, learn from industry professionals with real-world experience, and work towards a professional designation. To learn more about CLM Alliance (Claims and Litigation Management Alliance) Claims College: https://lnkd.in/ew9X79Wt

CSVL Partner Lee Weatherly recently completed a week long tenure as one of 13 faculty members at the International Association of Defense Counsel's 50th Annual Trial Academy at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. During that week Lee presented a mock cross examination of an actual toxicologist for over 100 students and faculty. Aside from presenting to the entire Academy, Lee was assigned attorneys from King & Spalding, Frost Brown Todd, MehaffyWeber, Burr & Forman, Butler Snow, Airdo Werwas and UHaul who he extensively coached on effective opening statements, direct and cross examinations and closing statements both in real time and using individual video analysis. Lee was honored to use his experience of trying over 75 cases to verdict to help educate and train the next generation of defense lawyers from all across the United States.  

We’re proud to share 12 CSVL Partners have been included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers® America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®. Doug MacKelcan and Lee Weatherly were included in Best Lawyers® for Charleston, SC, and Angela Kopet was included for Chattanooga, TN. Melissa Bailey, Stephen Cohen, Eric Frisch, Broderick Harrell, Rolfe Martin, and Jay O'Brien were included in Best Lawyers® and Melissa Greene was included in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® for Atlanta, GA. Our Named Partners, Kent Stair and Gary Lovell were included for both Atlanta and Charleston. Congratulations to all! We’re honored to have such incredible leaders in the legal community representing CSVL! 

Partner Mark Lefkow obtained an order dismissing and striking a complaint against our lawyer client under Georgia’s anti-SLAPP Act. The action was brought by a plaintiff’s lawyer against a defense lawyer for libel, slander, trade libel, false light invasion of privacy, and injunctive relief, for statements made by the defense lawyer relating to pending personal injury litigation. In granting our motion to dismiss for the defense lawyer, the court found that the statements made by our client were true and constituted privileged speech, and that our client is entitled to recover attorneys’ fees.

We are officially two weeks out from Themis Advocates Group NexGen Summit in Denver! I'm pumped to be presenting with Stephanie Capobianco and Andrew Blackwood on "The Duality of 'No Cap': Communicating with Younger Jurors Amid Runaway Verdicts." There's still time to register and be part of the fun: https://lnkd.in/eyCm7pmz