Taylor English Duma LLP is pleased to announce that Alison M. Ballard has been appointed as president of the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Young Professionals Council (YPC) and Rachael Lee Zichella has been appointed to the executive committee of the YPC. Each will serve a one-year term, beginning on July 1. Ballard will serve as a member of the Georgia Appleseed board of directors in an ex-officio capacity and will lead the YPC’s efforts to engage young professionals in the systematic social justice work of Georgia Appleseed. Zichella will assist in managing the business and affairs of the YPC, increase justice in Georgia through law and policy reform, and educate pro bono attorneys on the laws and procedures involved in a Georgia school tribunal hearing.
At Taylor English, Ballard is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution, and Employment and Labor Relations practice groups. She represents corporations, executives, and individuals in a wide variety of commercial litigation, including professional liability matters, contractual disputes, business torts, fiduciary duties and employment disputes.
Ballard was recently co-honoree of Georgia Appleseed’s 2016 Good Apple Award for her leadership in the Student Tribunal Project and Foster Child Representation, a program through which YPC members train volunteer lawyers to represent students under the care and supervision of Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) in student disciplinary administrative hearings. This award recognizes Ballard’s efforts in facilitating the program along with the rest of the committee. She previously served as secretary of the YPC and is also a member of the public school discipline hearing representation and events and fundraising committees.
Ballard is a past co-chair of the State Bar of Georgia, Young Lawyers Division, Labor & Employment Committee and a member of the State Bar E-Discovery and the Use of Technology Sections. She is also a member of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers and volunteers with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF).
Ballard earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia.
At Taylor English, Zichella is a partner and a member of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution and Employment and Labor Relations practices. She focuses her practice on a wide range of complex matters and counsels her clients regarding the protection of their proprietary information in the workplace. Zichella regularly litigates cases requiring the collection, processing, review and production of large amounts of electronic data, and she also drafts agreements for corporations and executives, including restrictive covenant agreements.
Zichella serves as an active member of the State Bar of Georgia, Young Lawyers Division, Labor & Employment Committee, and E-Discovery and the Use of Technology Section. She is also a member of the Federal Bar Association and has served as an adjunct professor of labor and employment law in the MBA program at Piedmont College.
Zichella earned her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University magna cum laude and her law degree from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, with honors.
The Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public interest law center with the mission to increase justice in Georgia through law and policy reform. The organization launched its Young Professionals Council to engage professionals aged 40 and under in their systemic social justice work. Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice addresses serious issues of public concern by enlisting the volunteer services of lawyers and other professionals from around the state.
Taylor English Duma LLP is a full-service law firm built from the ground up to provide the highest-quality legal services for optimal value. The firm was founded in 2005, and its attorneys work each day to provide timely, creative and cost-effective counsel to help clients solve problems and achieve goals. Taylor English represents all types of clients – from Fortune 500 companies to startups to individuals. More information can be found on the firm’s website at www.taylorenglish.com.
