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Adams and Reese has elected seven new partners, effective Jan. 1, 2018. They include Marshall A. Hevron, Rocklan “Rocky” William King, III, Evan A. Moeller, Jamie W. Olinto, Russell J. Rutherford, Brian K. Smithweck and William M. Umbach.

Hevron is a litigator in the New Orleans office whose practice focuses on real estate litigation. He has litigated numerous expropriation (eminent domain) cases for major utility and pipeline companies. He has also handled a number of cases concerning servitude rights and other property issues under Louisiana law. Hevron is a member of the firm’s charter school team and assists charter school clients with numerous issues to include corporate governance and compliance with the Louisiana Code of Ethics. He has been recognized among Top 40 Under 40 by Gambit Weekly in 2012, Leadership in Law by New Orleans CityBusiness in 2015 and both New Orleans Top Lawyers by New Orleans Magazine and Louisiana Rising Stars by Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) in 2017. He received the President’s Award from the Federal Bar Association New Orleans Chapter in 2013 and was a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI) Class of 2017.

King is a litigator in the Nashville office with a practice that focuses on complex litigation including business and tort disputes. He has successfully represented clients and corporate entities in a wide array of litigation matters and disputes ranging from product liability litigations, commercial contract disputes, labor and employment disputes, and health care matters, including fraud investigations and health care liability litigations. In addition to his litigation practice, King also serves as regulatory counsel to his clients providing guidance regarding the STARK Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Moeller works in the Houston office and is an accomplished trial lawyer and commercial litigator. He has tried cases in both federal and state courts, as well as before multiple arbitral tribunals, representing business and high net-worth individuals in business litigation, energy litigation, construction litigation, financial services litigation and real estate litigation. Moeller also regularly counsels major financial institutions in developing and improving their legal order processing and deceased customer policies and procedures. He was named a Top Houston Lawyer in financial services litigation by H Texas Magazine from 2012-16, a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) from 2014-17, and a Top Houston Lawyer in litigation by Houstonia Magazine in 2015.

Olinto is an attorney in the firm’s Jacksonville office where her practice focuses in the areas of business and commercial litigation, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. She represents banks and financial institutions, creditors in bankruptcy cases, companies and individuals in shareholder disputes and commercial disputes, and employers in civil theft, breaches of non-compete agreements, and related causes of action. Olinto was a 40 Under 40 honoree by the Jacksonville Business Journal in 2016 and claimed both Florida Rising Star by Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) and Best Lawyers® (by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners) in commercial litigation in 2017.

Rutherford works in the Birmingham office and has experience in litigation, bankruptcy, commercial lending, health care and other regulatory matters. He counsels his clients in various complex disputes and regularly represents them in state and federal litigation, bankruptcy proceedings and in front of government agencies. He was named an Alabama Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2015-17 and was named among Birmingham’s Rising Legal Star of Health Care by the Birmingham Business Journal in 2017.

Smithweck works in the Mobile office and practices in the areas of tax, corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions, business planning and estate planning. He represents clients with the formation, operation and termination of business entities, as well as corporate restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. Smithweck also advises individuals and businesses as to federal, state and local tax issues, representing them in tax disputes with the IRS and negotiating tax settlements. With the Alabama and Florida Bar Associations, he is a member of the Tax, Real Property and Probate Sections, and serves on the Board of the Directors of the Estate Planning Council of Mobile.

Umbach works in the Columbia office where he incorporates his advanced training in taxation into his practice to help his clients organize, manage and reorganize their businesses to adapt to the changing business client. Umbach counsels clients ranging in size from individuals navigating local markets to Fortune 100 companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. In addition to providing an informed perspective on the issues that face his business clients, Umbach’s advanced tax training enables him to represent his clients in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service and structure transactions and settlements in a tax-advantageous manner. He was named among Legal Elite of the Midlands by Columbia Business Monthly in 2016 and 2017, and was named a Top Attorney by the publication in 2017.