(Main Office)

Friend, Hudak & Harris, LLP is a boutique business law firm whose practice is devoted to corporate and commercial law, tax, technology and electronic commerce, telecommunications law and regulation, cable television law and commercial real estate and litigation of those matters. The Firm's clients include technology and telecommunications companies, including large corporate users, Internet and application service providers, companies engaged in electronic commerce, equipment and software suppliers, and others in a wide variety of transactions pertaining to communications and information technology, including carrier-to-user, carrier-to-carrier and interconnection agreements, systems integration and outsourcing agreements, credit agreements and secured transactions, venture capital financing, joint ventures, software license and development agreements, hosting agreements, franchise and right-of-way agreements, real estate development and finance and mergers and acquisitions. The Firm has an extensive telecommunications regulatory compliance practice, with experience before the FCC and all fifty state public service commissions. The Firm has extensive litigation experience in intellectual property (including trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets), restrictive covenants, computer law, legal professional liability (especially in connection with securities offerings) and telecommunications law before Federal and State Courts, regulatory agencies and arbitration tribunals.

Statement of Practice

Corporate Law and Transactions, Mergers and Acquisitions, Finance and Tax, Business Litigation, Telecommunications Law and Regulation, Cable Television Law, Technology and Electronic Commerce, Intellectual Property.

Representative Clients:

Aelera Group
AGL Networks, LLC
Business Software, Inc.
Charter Communications, Inc.
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company
Goodmark Industries, Inc.
ICS Contract Services, LLC
Knology, Inc.
Mirant Corporation
Premiere Global Services, Inc.

Address

Three Ravinia Drive, Suite 1450
Atlanta, GA 30346-2117, (DeKalb & Fulton Cos.)

Phone

Phone: 770-399-9500
Fax: 770-395-0000

Website

http://www.fh2.com

PARTNERS

William D. Friend (Partner) born Middletown, Connecticut, May 30, 1951; admitted to bar, 1976, Georgia; 1977, U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia; 2004, Wyoming. Education: University of Georgia (B.B.A., cum laude, 1971); Emory University (J.D., 1976). Adjunct Professor, Computer Law, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1992-2003. Member: State Bar of Georgia (Member and Chairman, Technology Law Section, 1989-1990); American Arbitration Association (Member, Large, Complex Case Panel). Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Computer and Software Law; Corporate Law; Intellectual Property; Mergers and Acquisitions; Alternative Dispute Resolution.Email: William D. Friend

Norman B. "Chip" Gerry (Partner) born New York, New York, November 19, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, Tennessee; 1973, Georgia; 1992, Arizona. Education: University of Oklahoma (B.A., 1968); Vanderbilt University (J.D., 1971). Pi Sigma Alpha; Order of the Coif. Case and Note Editor, Vanderbilt Law Review, 1969-1971. Panel Chairman/Moderator and Speaker at various Practicing Law Institute and Law Seminars International seminars. Member: State Bar of Georgia; State Bar of Arizona; Tennessee Bar Association; Federal Communications Bar Association. Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Commercial Real Estate; Corporate Law; Telecommunications Law.Email: Norman B. "Chip" Gerry

Scott K. Harris (Partner) born Schenectady, New York, May 25, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, Georgia. Education: Wake Forest University (B.A. with honors, cum laude, 1982); Emory University (J.D. with distinction, 1986). Program Chair, 13th Annual Computer Law Institute. Speaker and Chair, "Key Recent Developments for Practitioners-Georgia," 14th Annual Computer Law Institute. Segment Chair, Broadband Issues, 15th Annual Computer Law Institute. Member, Board of Directors, Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Georgia, 2000-2001. Panel Moderator, conference on Ethics and Professionalism, Emory University School of Law, 2003. Member: State Bar of Georgia (Member, Sections on: Technology Law; Intellectual Property Law; Executive Committee, 1995-1996; Vice Chair, 1996-1997 and Chair, 1997-1998, Technology Law Section). Languages: German. Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Corporate Law; Computers and Software; Intellectual Property; Licensing; Mergers and Acquisitions.Email: Scott K. Harris

Charles A. Hudak (Partner) born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 2, 1968; admitted to bar, 1994, Georgia. Education: Duke University (A.B., 1991); Emory University (J.D., 1994). Member, Moot Court Society. Co-Author: "Summary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Federal Communications Commission's Interconnection Rules," Telecommunications Law, Regulation and Policy, Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1998; "Federal Preemption of State and Local Laws Barring Provision of Telecommunications Services by Utilities Seeking to Diversify," CCH Power and Telecom Law, November and December 1997. Conference Presentations: "Broadband Wireless: Regulatory and Legal Issues," 21st Annual Institute on Computer Law, Practicing Law Institute, February 2001; "Broadband Regulatory and Legal Issues," 15th Annual Computer Law Institute, State Bar of Georgia, September 2000. Member: State Bar of Georgia (Member, Administrative Law Section; Executive Committee, Technology Law Section, 1996-2000); Federal Communications Bar Association (Member, Sections on: State and Local Practice; Common Carrier Practice; Transactional Practice). Practice Areas: Cable TV; Telecommunications Law; Telecommunications Regulation.Email: Charles A. Hudak

Michael S. Reeves (Partner) born Atlanta, Georgia, June 6, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.A., 1971; J.D., 1974). Listed among the best civil litigation defense lawyers in Georgia in Atlanta Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine five consecutive years (2004-2008). Author: "Elder Law and Nursing Home Litigation in Georgia," Thomson-West, 2000. Lecturer and Papers Published: "Ethics and Professionalism Issues Raised By The Mortgage Crisis," Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Atlanta, GA, August 29, 2008; "Overview of Administrative and Business Risks - Outsourcing," Association of Corporate Counsel, Georgia Chapter, December, 2006; Deposition of Experts, "Taking And Defending Effective Depositions in Georgia," Lorman Educational Systems (Lorman), Atlanta, 2002-2006; "Nursing Home Litigation," (ICLE), St. Simons Island, Insurance Law Institute, September 28, 2002; "Nursing Home Risk Management in the Information Age," Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, March 2, 2001; Deposition Strategy: "Using Documents, Using Depositions at Trial," Professional Education Systems, Inc. (PESI), November 19, 1999; "Writing the Employment Policy Manual and The Employee Handbook," Co-author, (Lorman), Atlanta, June 8, 1999 and June 30, 1998; "Civil Litigation for Younger Lawyers," Cross Examination, (ICLE), May 1, 1998. Member: American Bar Association (Member, Sections on: Business Law; Litigation; Tort and Insurance Practice); State Bar of Georgia; Atlanta Bar Association; Defense Research Institute (DRI); Georgia Defense Lawyers Association; Lawyers' Club of Atlanta. Practice Areas: Employment; Litigation: Business and Commercial; Mediation; Premises Liability; Professional Negligence; Securities.Email: Michael S. Reeves

Michael K. Stewart (Partner) born Jacksonville, Florida, September 30, 1968; admitted to bar, 1998, Georgia. Education: Emory University (B.A., 1990); University of Georgia (J.D., magna cum laude, 1998). Order of The Coif. Recipient, First Place Award, ASCAP/Nathan Burkan Memorial Writing Competition at the University of Georgia, 1998. Editor, Technology Law Newsletter, State Bar of Georgia, 2003-2004. Author: "Internet Service Provider Liability for Copyright Infringement Arising Out of the 'Warez Newsgroup'," "COPPA: Regulating Use of Information Gathered from Children Via the Internet," Computer Law Section Newsletter, Spring 2000. Co-Author: "Negotiating Interconnection Agreements Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996," CCH Power and Telecom Law, January/February 1999. Speaker, "Issues in Electronic Contracting," National Business Institute's "Technology Law in Georgia-An Advanced Approach," December 2003. Member: State Bar of Georgia (Executive Committee, Technology Law Section; Secretary, Technology Law Section, 2004-2005; Vice-Chair, Technology Law Section, 2005-2006; Chair, Technology Law Section, 2006-2007; Member, Intellectual Property Section; Chair, 21st Annual Technology Law Institute, 2006); Federal Communications Bar Association. Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Computer and Software Law; Copyrights; Internet Law; Licensing; Telecommunications Law; Trademarks.Email: Michael K. Stewart

OF COUNSEL

Patrick G. Jones (Of Counsel) born Washington D.C., March 15, 1951; admitted to bar, 1979, Georgia. Education: Wake Forest University (B.B.A., 1973); Emory University School of Law (J.D., 1979). Order of the Coif. Executive Notes and Comments Editor, Emory Law Journal, 1978-1979. Editor-in-Chief, The Atlanta Lawyer, 1988-1989. Co-Chair, Committee that drafted the Georgia Limited Liability Company Act, 1991-1995. Registered Neutral with Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. Member: State Bar of Georgia; Atlanta Bar Association (Chair, Tax Law Section, 1993-1994); American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Alternative Dispute Resolution; Business Law; Contracts; Corporate Law; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Partnership Law; Taxation.

ASSOCIATES

Jon C. Martin (Associate) born St. Petersburg, Florida, 1976; admitted to bar, 2008, Georgia; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Georgia Institute of Technology (B.S.C.S., 1999); Georgia State University (M.B.A., 2008); Georgia State University (J.D., 2008). Member: State Bar of Georgia; American Bar Association (Member, Business Law Section; Member, Science and Technology Section); Federal Communications Bar Association. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Telecommunications Law.Email: Jon C. Martin

Jason M. Daffner (Associate) born Schenectady, New York, 1976; admitted to bar, 2007, Georgia. Education: Emory University, Goizueta Business School (B.B.A., Accounting); Georgia State University College of Law (J.D., 2006). Certified Public Accountant, Georgia. Member: Atlanta Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia; Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountant; North Atlanta Tax Council (Board Member, 2007—). Practice Areas: Business and Corporate Law; Commercial Law; Contract Law; Employment Law; Federal Tax Controversies; Intellectual Property Law; International Taxation; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; State Tax Controversies; Tax Law; Trust and Estate Planning.Email: Jason M. Daffner

Benjamin M. Byrd (Associate) born Atlanta, Georgia, May 18, 1977; admitted to bar, 2004, Georgia and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia; U.S. District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of Georgia (B.A., summa cum laude, 1999; J.D., cum laude, 2004). Phi Beta Kappa. Member, Georgia Law Review. Senior Articles Editor, Editorial Board. Member: Atlanta Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Business Torts; Commercial Litigation; Legal Malpractice; Premises Liability.

SENIOR COUNSEL

Kennard B. Woods (Senior Counsel) born Wichita, Kansas, April 4, 1954; admitted to bar, 1979, Missouri; 1990, Georgia; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; Georgia Supreme Court; Georgia Court of Appeals. Education: University of Missouri (B.S., cum laude, 1975); St. Louis University (J.D., cum laude, 1979). Senior Attorney, MCI Telecommunications Corp., 1998-2002 and 2003-2005. Attorney, Georgia Consumers' Utility Counsel, 1996-1998. Member: State Bar of Georgia; The Missouri Bar. Reported Cases: BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. v. MCImetro Access Transmission Services, Inc., 317 F.3d 1270, (11th Cir. 2003); Georgia Public Service Com'n v. Alltel Georgia Communications Corp., 230 Ga.App. 563, 497 S.E.2d 50, (1998). Languages: German. Practice Areas: Cable TV; Telecommunications Law; Telecommunications Regulation.Email: Kennard B. Woods

Charles V. Gerkin, Jr. (Senior Counsel) born Topeka, Kansas, September 8, 1949; admitted to bar, 1981, Georgia. Education: Emory University (B.A., 1971); University of Georgia (J.D., summa cum laude, 1980). Order of the Coif. Castellow Scholar. Member: Federal Communications Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia. [Sergeant, U.S. Army, 1974-1977]. Practice Areas: Communications Law; Telecommunications.Email: Charles V. Gerkin, Jr.