Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP announces the addition of six attorneys to its Atlanta office during the opening months of 2019. The newest arrivals to the growing firm include senior attorney Thea A. Nanton-Persaud, as well as associates Christine H. Lee, Lauren E. Meadows, Molly D. O’Connor, Hannah Beth Reynolds and Raqketa D. Williams. These latest additions to the firm follow a year of growth for Swift Currie that included 45 new hires and brought the firm’s attorney headcount to 150 attorneys, making it the largest firm in the Southeast focused solely on litigation.

“We are excited to welcome these six talented attorneys to the firm, and to continue expanding our impressive roster of experienced litigators dedicated to quality service and defense for their clients,” said Terry O. Brantley, the firm’s managing partner. “We have earned a national reputation for effective dispute resolution and litigation services thanks to our diversely experienced team of litigators, and our strategic growth over the past few years has built on that reputation by adding to our deep and highly skilled bench of attorneys.”
 
Thea A. Nanton-Persaud joins the firm as a senior attorney on the workers’ compensation team and brings more than 12 years of experience representing employers and insureds throughout Georgia. She tries cases before the State Board of Workers’ Compensation and handles appeals before forums such as the Appellate Division of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, the Superior Courts and the Court of Appeals. She is a member of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia and the Gate City Bar Association. Nanton-Persuad is also involved with the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and Employers’ Liability Law Practice Section, and earned the section’s Rising Star Award in 2018. Further, she is a registered neutral with the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution, allowing her to conduct court-connected mediations. She earned her undergraduate degree from York University and her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law.
 
Christine H. Lee joins Swift Currie’s coverage and commercial litigation team as an associate. She handles matters related to automobile litigation, commercial litigation, insurance coverage and premises liability. Lee’s experience also includes general business litigation, personal injury and employment law. She is licensed in both Georgia and Florida. Lee received her undergraduate degree from University of Georgia and her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law.
 
Lauren E. Meadows joins Swift Currie’s coverage and commercial litigation team as an associate. She represents clients in the areas of insurance coverage and commercial litigation.. She has been recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star each year since 2017. She is a member of the  Atlanta Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia. Meadows earned her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law. During her time at Georgia Tech, she worked at the Georgia State Capitol for Governor Sonny Perdue.
 
Molly D. O’Connor joins Swift Currie’s litigation team as an associate. She represents clients in premises liability matters, as well as auto, construction, medical malpractice, wrongful death, coverage and contract litigation. Her extensive experience also includes working as a claims adjuster in the insurance industry, and then as legal counsel advising clients on auto, general liability claims, professional liability, products liability, construction and related civil suits. O’Connor is on the Stonewall Bar Association board of directors and a member of the Multi-Bar Leadership Council, Atlanta Bar Association and Lawyers Club of Atlanta. She is also a member of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA), where she served on the education committee, and spends time volunteering as a mentor for law students and judging moot court competitions. O’Connor obtained her undergraduate degree from Indiana University and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
 
Hannah Beth Reynolds joins Swift Currie’s coverage and commercial litigation team as an associate. She defends organizations and individuals in complex commercial litigation matters, including general liability and contractual issues. She also handles insurance coverage disputes. In law school, she worked as an intern for Georgia Court of Appeals Chief Judge Stephen Louis A. Dillard. Reynolds graduated with her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and her law degree from Mercer University School of Law.
 
Raqketa D. Williams joins Swift Currie’s litigation team and represents clients in matters related to automobile litigation, premises liability and products liability. Williams has spent much of her practice litigating insurance defense, insurance coverage and insurance bad faith cases. She has experience winning motions for summary judgment and resolving cases through alternative dispute resolution, as well as representing clients successfully in jury and bench trials. Additionally, Williams is a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, State Bar of Georgia and State Bar of Texas. She is licensed in Georgia and Texas. Williams earned her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University, her Master of Education from Georgia State University and her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law.