DPSS - Key Persons
J. Bradford Simpson is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP's real estate group. His practice is concentrated in the area of commercial real estate transactions and secured lending, with an emphasis on government-guaranteed Read Full Bio
J. Bradford Simpson is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP's real estate group. His practice is concentrated in the area of commercial real estate transactions and secured lending, with an emphasis on government-guaranteed lending programs such as U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA") 7(a) and 504 loans. Simpson represents a number of local, regional and national banks, and financial institutions along with various real estate developers in negotiating and closing complex commercial real estate transactions.
Simpson graduated from Brown University with a degree in History (B.A., 2004) where he also played on the Varsity Basketball team. Subsequently, he received his legal education from Georgia State University College of Law (J.D., 2007). While in law school, he served as an intern for Judge John J. Goger in the Fulton County Superior Court. Brad was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 2007 and is a member of the Real Property section of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, and the Atlanta Bar Association.
Brian P. Brouillard II joined Davis, Pickren, Seydel and Sneed, LLP in September 2006 and is a Partner in the firm's corporate practice group. He has a general corporate and business practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, Read Full Bio
Brian P. Brouillard II joined Davis, Pickren, Seydel and Sneed, LLP in September 2006 and is a Partner in the firm's corporate practice group. He has a general corporate and business practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, business formations and strategic planning, venture capital and corporate financial transactions, corporate governance and other various commercial transactions and business matters. Brouillard also advises clients regarding various sports and entertainment matters and assists clients with trademark clearance, prosecution and licensing. He also has significant experience representing large nonprofit organizations regarding governance, strategic acquisitions and alliances, fundraising, grant-making, and general contractual matters.
He received his undergraduate degree (B.S., summa cum laude, 2003) from Auburn University. While at Auburn University, he was the 2002 Lowder Academic Support Scholarship Recipient, and member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society.
He received his law degree (J.D., magna cum laude, 2006) from Georgia State University College of Law. Brouillard served on the editorial board of the Georgia State University Law Review as executive editor, was a pupil of the Bleckley Inn of Court, and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class.
Chelsea Swanson receives YLD Award of Achievement for Outstanding Service to the Profession
DPSS Associate Chelsea Swanson received the Young Lawyers Division State Bar of Georgia's Award of Achievement for Outstanding Read Full Article
Christopher A. Knapik is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed LLP's corporate, entertainment, and sustainability practices. Knapik is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., 2013), where Read Full Bio
DPSS is proud to announce that Chris Knapik has been named a Partner of the Firm effective July 1, 2019. Chris joined the Read Full Article
Christopher A. Knapik is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed LLP's corporate, entertainment, and sustainability practices.
Knapik is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., 2013), where he served as Executive Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and President of the University of Georgia School of Law Business Negotiations Team. Chris was awarded the Atlanta Bar Association Section of Alternative Dispute Resolution Award in 2013, and was the Champion of the 2012 Robert R. Merhige, Jr. National Environmental Negotiation Competition. He earned his B.A. from the University of Georgia (A.B., 2007).
Originally from Atlanta, Chris was a co-founder and operations officer of an Alpharetta-based internet clothing retailer prior to attending law school. In that capacity, he became acquainted with both the daily and extraordinary legal concerns of small and medium sized businesses, including issues relating to employment, intellectual property, entity formation and management, and contractual relations.
Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP had its beginnings in the opening of a law office by Tom Davis in 1976 in Atlanta's Peachtree Center Complex. Tom Davis was later joined by Terry Pickren. Tom Davis had been a Senior Assistant Attorney General and Division Head at the State Attorney General's office handling litigation. Terry Pickren had been in private practice specializing in real estate, lending and business law. Rutherford Seydel joined the firm in 1989 and concentrates on business and transactional matters. Patrick Sneed began his practice with the firm in 2000 with a primary focus on litigation, dispute resolution and trial advocacy. Brad Simpson is also an equity partner with the firm and has been practicing in the field of commercial real estate transactions and secured lending since 2007.
Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP is committed to providing the depth of expertise and the resources expected of large firms, while also offering our clients the responsiveness and personal attention found in much smaller firms. At Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP, we have worked hard to assemble the finest team of legal professionals with areas of expertise tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. Our commitment to our clients is matched only by our integrity and our strong commitment to aggressively and ethically represent our clients' interests. The legal professionals of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP operate as a unit to provide prompt, responsive and high quality legal services to our clients. This approach provides our clients with the resources of the entire firm, in which attorneys apply their talents to specific tasks in solving a client's problems. The result is far more resources are committed to our clients' needs, and their legal issues are addressed in a comprehensive manner.
Debra has been practicing law for over 30 years representing and servicing the needs of banks and other lenders and businesses, both at the closing table and in the courtroom. Her practice is currently focused on closing government-guaranteed Read Full Bio
Debra has been practicing law for over 30 years representing and servicing the needs of banks and other lenders and businesses, both at the closing table and in the courtroom. Her practice is currently focused on closing government-guaranteed loans.
Debra earned her Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1991, after graduating from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She began her career as a member of both the State Bars of New York and Connecticut. She joined the State Bar of Georgia when she and her family relocated to Atlanta in 2003.
G. Thomas Davis is a partner in the firm of Davis Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP, and currently engages in general trial practice representing plaintiffs and defendants in contract and various tort actions. He has appeared by brief Read Full Bio
G. Thomas Davis is a partner in the firm of Davis Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP, and currently engages in general trial practice representing plaintiffs and defendants in contract and various tort actions. He has appeared by brief and oral argument before state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. An oral argument before that Court appears in Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States: Constitutional Law, Volume 90. The case is reported at 428 U.S. 153 (1976). In 2004, Davis was selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer.
Davis received his formal education from Young Harris College (A.A., 1961) and Georgia Southern College (B.S., 1963). He received his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., 1971) where he was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta fraternity; Editorial Board, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 1969; and the Intrastate and National Moot Court Teams.
Davis was a senior assistant attorney general of Georgia (1971-1976) and is presently a special assistant attorney general. He served in the U.S. Navy as Lieutenant (1964-1967) and was awarded the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with one Bronze Star.
While in private practice, Davis has served as a special prosecutor and special trial attorney for the state of Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Managing Partner of Davis
J. Patrick Michael Sneed is the managing partner of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP. Mr. Sneed has considerable experience in the litigation, dispute resolution and trial advocacy practice areas, with emphasis and significant Read Full Bio
J. Patrick Michael Sneed is the managing partner of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP. Mr. Sneed has considerable experience in the litigation, dispute resolution and trial advocacy practice areas, with emphasis and significant experience in commercial, construction, health care, catastrophic personal injury and real estate litigation. He is often engaged to assist lenders with loan workouts/restructuring/liquidation (for both conventional and government guaranteed loans) and creditor's rights in bankruptcy. He also frequently assists owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers with construction, contract, payment and lien issues. Mr. Sneed's practice is national in scope as he has been involved in litigation in most states- from California to Michigan to New York to Florida.
Mr. Sneed also provides general corporate and business counsel for his clients with a broad range of experience in business formation and strategic planning, closely-held business issues, other various commercial, transactional and business matters, and in drafting and negotiating contracts in various commercial contexts, and often assists clients in structuring and documenting lending, construction, and real estate projects.
Mr. Sneed graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a degree in economics and international business (B.B.A., summa cum laude, 1996; Phi Kappa Phi). Subsequently, he graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2000). Mr. Sneed is a member of the State Bars of Georgia and Texas, and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia. Mr. Sneed is a member of the Litigation and Real Property Sections of the State Bar of Georgia, a member of the American Bar Association, and a member of the Atlanta Bar Association. He is a member of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, and is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.
Mr. Sneed lives with his wife, Jordan, and their three children, Max, Campbell and Katelyn in the Morris-Brandon area of Atlanta. He and his family attend Buckhead Church and are active in various community/neighborhood associations.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Co - Founder and Chairman of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Inc
- Member of the Georgia State Properties Commission
John Rutherford Seydel II is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP with a corporate practice focusing on environmental and conservation law, commerce and residential real estate, nonprofit organization structuring Read Full Bio
John Rutherford Seydel II is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP with a corporate practice focusing on environmental and conservation law, commerce and residential real estate, nonprofit organization structuring and operation, and general for-profit business matters. Seydel coordinates and manages the firm's corporate practice group.
Seydel was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1989. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia (B.A. in Political Science, 1986) and graduated from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law (J.D., 1989). Seydel is a member of the Atlanta and American Bar Associations (Member: Real Property, Corporate, Entertainment and Environmental Law Practice Sections) and the State Bar of Georgia.
Seydel is co-founder and chairman of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Inc.; chairman of the board of the School of Ecology at the University of Georgia; chairman of The Conservation Fund; and board member of Georgia Conservation Voters, Vasser Woolley Foundation and Allconnect, Inc. He is an officer and board member of Paul B. and Mildred Seydel Foundation; an officer of United Nations Foundation; and board member of Turner Foundation, Turner Endangered Species Foundation, the Better World Fund, Inc., Ted's Montana Grill and Captain Planet Foundation. Seydel is a member of the board of directors for the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law as well as a member of the advisory board of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. In addition, Seydel is a Trustee for the Park of the National Parks Conservation Association.
Seydel is also co-owner of Atlanta Spirit which owns the Atlanta Hawks NBA Franchise and operating rights to Philips Arena and all associated parking. He is a founding investor/co-owner and a board member of Allconnect, Inc. and Promove. Additionally, he is associated with and represents numerous downtown Atlanta business ventures and properties.
Seydel and his wife, Laura, live in northwest Atlanta and have a long history of involvement in Atlanta business, and charitable and foundation work. They have a son, John R., and two daughters, Florence Vasser and Laura Elizabeth.
Pam Watkins serves in the firm's corporate practice group with a focus on real property and business transactions. Pam was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1990. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1987 and from the University Read Full Bio
Pam Watkins serves in the firm's corporate practice group with a focus on real property and business transactions.
Pam was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1990. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1987 and from the University of Georgia School of Law (cum laude, 1990). While in law school, Pam served as an Articles Editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Research and Writing. Pam originally joined the firm in 1990 immediately after graduation from law school and recently returned to the firm in 2019.
Pam and her husband Scott live in Atlanta and have three children. She has been active in the community and her children's school, serving in the past as co-president of the Alumni Association of The Westminster Schools and co-chair of the annual fund, and in various Parent Association roles there, and as a Girl Scout Leader, Cub Scout leader, and FLL Robotics Coach.
Ron R. Pennington is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP's real estate group. His practice is concentrated in the area of secured lending and commercial real estate, with an emphasis on government-guaranteed Read Full Bio
Ron R. Pennington is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP's real estate group. His practice is concentrated in the area of secured lending and commercial real estate, with an emphasis on government-guaranteed lending programs such as U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA") 7(a) and 504 loans. Pennington represents a number of local, regional and national banks, and financial institutions.
Pennington graduated from Mercer University with a degree in Political Science (B.S., 1989) with minors in English and Business. Subsequently, he received his legal education from Mercer University School of Law (J.D., 1992). Pennington was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1992 and the Virgin Islands Bar in 1995 and is a member of Real Property section of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, and the Virgin Islands Bar Association.
Shelby L. Guzzetta joined Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP in September 2021 and is an Associate in the firm's corporate practice group. Shelby attended DePauw University on a full-ride scholarship and graduated with a Read Full Bio
Shelby L. Guzzetta joined Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP in September 2021 and is an Associate in the firm's corporate practice group.
Shelby attended DePauw University on a full-ride scholarship and graduated with a double major in Political Science and English Literature (B.A., cum laude, 2014). Following college, Shelby taught high school English with Teach for America in Chicago for two years. In 2016, she was awarded a Fulbright ETA grant to teach college English and Writing at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland where she also co-authored the university's Academic Writing Handbook.
Following four years of teaching, Shelby attended Georgia State University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2021). She spent two semesters as a student attorney with the GSU Immigration Law Clinic where she and her partner won their client a T-visa, securing the client's pathway to residency and granting them lawful status. She and her partner received the 2021 CLEA Outstanding Clinical Team Award for their immigration work.
Originally from Indiana, Shelby lives in Avondale Estates, Georgia with her husband and their daughter.
Taylor B. Strickland joined Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP in September 2016 and is an associate in the litigation practice group. Taylor is a graduate of Valdosta State University (B.S., summa cum laude, 2013) where she Read Full Bio
Taylor B. Strickland joined Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP in September 2016 and is an associate in the litigation practice group.
Taylor is a graduate of Valdosta State University (B.S., summa cum laude, 2013) where she earned a degree in Psychology, worked as a student researcher, and traveled to Montepulciano, Italy to study world justice systems. Taylor then attended the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2016) where she was an active member of the appellate advocacy program. During her final year of law school, Taylor was inducted into the National Order of Barristers in recognition of superior advocacy skills and was selected as a pupil to the prestigious Joseph Henry Lumpkin American Inn of Court in Atlanta. Also during her final year, Taylor helped to draft and submit a clemency petition on behalf of a client referred to UGA Law's Appellate Litigation Clinic by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that was granted by President Obama, securing the release of the clinic's client after more than 18 years in prison.
Originally from Hahira, Georgia, Taylor now lives in Atlanta with her husband, Brent.
Virginia R. Woodley is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP, who specializes in the area of commercial real estate and government-guaranteed financing. Admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1980, Woodley has been Read Full Bio
Virginia R. Woodley is a partner in the firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP, who specializes in the area of commercial real estate and government-guaranteed financing. Admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1980, Woodley has been closing SBA loans for over twenty years, including 7(a), 504 and Export Working Capital loans. She also has expertise in closing Rural Development loans. Her practice encompasses issuance of title insurance and resolution of title and lien issues in connection with representation of lenders and individuals.
A member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association, Woodley has practiced in Atlanta and St. Marys, Ga. She is a graduate of Georgia Southern College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1974) and the Emory University School of Law (J.D., 1980).
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner in the Atlanta, Georgia
Terry Pickren is a partner in the Atlanta, Georgia law firm of Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP. Terry practices in the area of commercial real estate lending and acquisition. His practice includes the representation of lenders Read Full Bio
After completing his preparatory education at Young Harris College (A.B.A., 1969) and the University of Georgia (B.A., 1971), Terry received his legal education at Cumberland School of Law (J.D., 1974). He was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1974 and entered private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Terry is a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, the Atlanta Bar, State Bar of Georgia and Lawyers Club of Atlanta.