Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added first-chair litigator Jake Evans to the Atlanta office as a shareholder in the Litigation Practice. A former chair of the Georgia State Ethics Commission, Evans joins the firm from the Alpharetta, Georgia office of Hall Booth Smith, P.C., where he was managing partner.

Evans, who is admitted to practice in Georgia and Florida, is a high-stakes litigator, having tried and argued numerous high-profile cases, including those before the Supreme Court of the United States. His practice consists of complex litigation, including varying business disputes and real estate and public policy litigation. Evans also advises and defends companies responding to government investigations by state attorney general offices, U.S. attorney offices, and other state and federal agencies.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Jake, a highly experienced trial attorney, as part of our local and national litigation team’s strategic expansion,” said Richard J. Valladares, chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Atlanta Business Litigation Group and administrative shareholder of the firm’s Atlanta office. “He is a significant legal talent, which is evident in his representation of clients in numerous industries, and is a valuable asset in our effort to provide exemplary client service.”

“Joining Greenberg Traurig allows me to continue serving clients at the highest level and exponentially grow my practice due, in part, to the firm’s global platform of highly-skilled attorneys ready to collaborate on an impressive range of matters in virtually any forum,” Evans said. “I am honored to build on the firm’s stellar legacy and reputation in Atlanta and beyond and to help continue the growth of one of the most dominant litigation groups in the country.”

An active member of the Georgia community, Evans has been recognized as one of the most influential people in Georgia by James magazine and serves as the Chairman of the Georgia Chapter of the Republican National Lawyers Association, and on the Georgia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the Advisory Council of the Atlanta Ballet.

He frequently speaks on a variety of legal topics and is a contributing columnist for the Daily Report and other publications. Evans received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law and B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Georgia.