James J. (“Jim”) Thomas, Esq., Of Counsel, concentrates his practice on litigation, sports, and entertainment law.
Mr. Thomas is admitted to all State Courts in Georgia, USDC of Northern Georgia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Education

• Law School: William & Mary Law School, Williamsburg, Virginia.
  Honors: Editor-in-Chief of William and Mary Law Review: 1975-76; Editorial Board of William and Mary Law Review: 1974-75; Order of the Coif.

Undergraduate Degree

• School: College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.
  Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Government Studies, 1973.

Professional experience

Upon graduation, Mr. Thomas joined eight other lawyers to form a new law firm in Atlanta, Georgia, Long & Aldridge, eventually expanding into McKenna Long & Aldridge. The firm was generally recognized as one of the premier full-service business law firms in the country. In 2014, McKenna Long & Aldridge merged with global law firm Dentons and Mr. Thomas became Senior Counsel.

For the first 15 years of practice, Mr. Thomas concentrated in a broad range of complex commercial litigation.  Mr. Thomas became the head of Long & Aldriges’ Litigation Department. He also served as the Managing Partner of the Firm for two years and as Chairman of the Firm’s Ethics and Practice Standards Committee for more than 20 years.

Mr. Thomas has handled business litigation, arbitration, and mediation matters in a very wide variety of disputes, such as business competition disputes, UCC disputes, SEC disputes, contract disputes, tort claims, and many others.

In sports-related matters, Mr. Thomas has represented Heavyweight Boxing Champion Evander Holyfield and the Georgia Force Arena Football Team in litigation matters, contract negotiations, and general counseling. He also served as the first Commissioner of the Women’s Senior Golf Tour and the Professional Karate Association.

Mr. Thomas is the author of The Holyfield Way: What I Learned About Courage, Perseverance, and the Bizarre World of Boxing, published by Sports Publishing, Inc.

For more information, please visit www.wstelecomlaw.com or contact James Thomas directly at:
[email protected], (770) 399-9100.