O’Hagan Meyer is pleased to announce the opening of our Atlanta office. Joining the Firm to lead our expansion in Georgia are two new partners, Joelle Sharman, and Dawn Rivera. They are joined by our longtime partner and national trial lawyer, Kelvin Newsome.

Joelle Sharman will be the Managing Partner of the Firm’s new Atlanta Office. A 30-year veteran of civil and appellate litigation, who specializes in ERISA and employment matters, Joelle will also be leading O’Hagan Meyer’s ERISA litigation practice group.

Joining Joelle is Dawn Rivera, who specializes in employment, ERISA and general civil litigation. Dawn has extensive litigation experience representing a wide variety of companies in the defense of employment, ERISA and other actions in federal and state courts in Georgia.

These accomplished attorneys bring with them an outstanding record of success in employment and ERISA litigation. Their experience and exceptional client service will be invaluable in expanding the Firm’s national ERISA and employee benefits practice for our clients in Georgia and across the country.

Please join us in welcoming:

Joelle C. Sharman, Managing Partner of Atlanta
Joelle’s national practice includes the full range of traditional employment and employee benefit litigation matters. She has been admitted pro hac vice to federal courts across the country to represent clients in both individual and class action cases alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and prohibited transactions, excessive fees, misrepresentation claims, benefit claims, and ERISA interference and retaliation matters. Joelle has defended ERISA plan fiduciaries and audits by the Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service and served as a consulting expert in litigation alleging breach of fiduciary duty in the administration of an employee retirement plan. She has drafted and revised employee handbooks, summary plan descriptions for ERISA welfare plans, and other employment disclosures. Joelle also routinely defends clients in Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, AND FLSA matters. Learn more about Joelle here.

Dawn M. Rivera, Partner
Dawn specializes in defending businesses and ERISA plans of all sizes against tort claims. She has broad litigation experience handling claims for an array of companies, including a multinational retailer, property managers, commercial carriers, hospitals, and insurance companies. She previously worked for a metro-Atlanta firm in its nationwide ERISA litigation practice group, as well as handling self-insured and insurance defense claims across Georgia. Dawn has represented clients in all corners of the state and in every stage from pre-litigation investigation through the appeals process. Learn more about Dawn here.