The national law firm of Baker Donelson has announced new managing shareholders in four of the Firm's offices.
Ivy N. Cadle has been named managing shareholder of the Atlanta office, and Kathleen G. Furr has been named assistant office managing shareholder. In Baker Donelson's Chattanooga office, Clinton P. Sanko has been named managing shareholder. Valerie G. Henderson has been named managing shareholder of the Houston office, and Lee Hill has been named managing shareholder of the Firm's Jackson, Mississippi office. All attorneys will maintain their respective practices while serving as office managing shareholders.
Mr. Cadle's litigation practice focuses on complex real property litigation across all areas touching real estate, including zoning, land use, eminent domain, and conservation easements, among others. He is also a certified public accountant, as well as a mediator and registered neutral with the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution.
In June 2024, Mr. Cadle will become the 62nd president of the State Bar of Georgia, where he has also served as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors. Mr. Cadle is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, and Commercial Litigation, and he has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers in the area of Eminent Domain since 2014.
Ms. Furr represents banking, equipment leasing, loan servicing, businesses of all sizes, and individuals with legal counseling, bankruptcy, insolvency, and creditors' rights proceedings, workouts, negotiations, and state and federal proceedings. In her commercial litigation practice, she regularly represents clients with respect to matters involving financial fraud, contract disputes, and post-judgment collection activities.
Ms. Furr is listed in Chambers USA as a leading Bankruptcy/Restructuring lawyer in Georgia and was selected to the 2021 Class of American Bankruptcy Institute's 40 Under 40 Program. She has been recognized as one of Georgia's Outstanding Young Lawyers by Atlanta Magazine and was named a Cobb County Legal Aid Pro Bono Star. Ms. Furr is a member of the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation and the W. Homer Drake, Jr. Georgia Bankruptcy American Inn of Court.
Mr. Sanko, Baker Donelson's eDiscovery Officer, has a national practice that focuses on bet-the-company matters, including antitrust (mergers, wage fixing, no poaching agreements), trade secrets, construction, and other large complex commercial cases. He has over 20 years of practice dedicated to ensuring that the eDiscovery processes employed across the Firm meet clients' needs. In that regard, he has direct oversight responsibility for Baker Donelson's eDiscovery, Document Review, and Investigations Team, which is a group of lawyers responsible for supporting the Firm's trial lawyers on discovery processes.
Mr. Sanko is an AV® PreeminentTM Peer Review Rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and a recipient of the JD Supra Readers' Choice Award, being named the Top Author in eDiscovery in 2018, 2021, and 2022. He is a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Mr. Sanko is a Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator, and a member of DRI and the Chattanooga Technology Council.
Ms. Henderson's legal practice focuses on commercial disputes, insurance defense, and consumer-related litigation. She defends mortgage lending and servicing clients in litigation concerning residential mortgage transactions, state and federal regulatory compliance, and real estate title issues. Ms. Henderson's insurance defense litigation experience includes first-party residential and commercial property claims, third-party claims, and flood insurance claims throughout Texas, and she has defended numerous cases involving allegations of breach of contract, bad faith, insurance code violations, and coverage issues.
Ms. Henderson attended The Kinkaid School, is a graduate of Texas A&M University, and received her J.D. from South Texas College of Law. She is a member of The Junior League of Houston and has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Banking and Finance.
Mr. Hill's legal practice is focused on the development and financing of complex real estate transactions, including affordable housing, public finance, solar energy, and economic development matters. He regularly represents clients who are rehabilitating or financing the rehabilitation of aging housing assets or developing or financing new housing through a variety of programs, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, Tax-Exempt Housing Bonds, HUD's Mixed Finance and Rental Assistance Demonstration Program, USDA-RD Section 515 Direct and Section 538 Insured Loan Programs, Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program, and other funding sources. Mr. Hill also advises clients in deals using historic tax credits and new markets tax credits in connection with commercial real estate developments.
Mr. Hill is a member of the ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and the Mississippi Economic Development Council. Mid-South Super Lawyers has recognized Mr. Hill as a Rising Star in Real Estate, and he has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ in the areas of Real Estate Law and was recognized in Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in the area of Real Estate.