Attorneys & Staff

Laurance D. Pless
Suite 1750
The Proscenium
1170 Peachtree Street, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30309-7675

Communication Center

Phone:

(404) 885-5229 (Direct)

E-mail:

Email Me

Fax:

(404) 875-0798

Web site:

http://www.spellpless.com

Service, Competence and Value

Service

Competence

Three decades' legal experience representing both buyers and sellers in wide range of complex transactions and business types, including acquisitions, restructurings, split-ups, etc.
Have successfully closed numerous business acquisitions in eight-figure range, and several in nine-figure range
"AV" Martindale-Hubbell rating
Georgia Superlawyer (Mergers and Acquistions) 2004-Present
Broad business practice working against counsel across the country and overseas
Have worked with businesses at all levels of maturity from startup and growth to spinoff and dissolution
Experienced in licensing, distribution, supply, non-compete, executive employment agreements, etc.

Value

Efficient execution to produce timely and cost-effective legal product
Focus on key relevant issues without losing time on low probability contingencies
Hands-on approach reduces redundancy from unnecessary layers
Look for every cost-effective strategy to save the client money, both in legal fees and within the deal itself

Areas of Practice:: General Business and Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Executive Employment Agreements; Noncompete Agreements

Education:: University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1980
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
Honors: Holderness Moot Court Bench
Law Review: North Carolina Law Review, Staff Member, 1979 - 1980; Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 1975
A.B., Bachelor of Arts
Honors: Cum Laude
Honors: with distinction in History
Major: History; Asheville School, Asheville, North Carolina, 1971

Published Works:: Wellman v. Dickinson - Tender Offer Definition Expanded to Include Private Transactions, 59 N.C.L.Rev. 403, 1981; Note, Snepp v. United States - Short Shift for the Prior Restraint, 59 N.C.L.Rev. 417, 1981

Representative Clients:: Atlanta Environmental Management Inc.; Avgroup, Inc.; Expanded Technologies, Inc.; Gemini Air Support, LLC; Pyroflex, LLC; Strawbridge Studios, Inc.; William L. Willis Company

Honors and Awards:: Named by Atlanta Magazine as a Georgia Superlawyer 2004-Present in field of Mergers and Acquistions; Who's Who in America, 1997 - Present; Who's Who in American Law, 1998 - Present; Who's Who in the South, 1998 - Present; American Jurisprudence Award, Constitutional Law, 1979

Professional Associations and Memberships:: Atlanta Bar Association, 1999-2001, 2003-2006; Board of Directors, Business and Finance Law Section; American Bar Association, 2004 - Present; Committee on Negotiated Acquistions; M&A Dictionary Subcommittee;; Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. (founded 1873, now The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc.), 1999 - 2003; Director; Capital City Club, 1996 - Present; Member; Lake Rabun Association, 1995 - Present; Member; Asheville School Board of Trustees, 2002-present; Vice Chairman, 2005 - Present; Chair, Trustees Committee, 2004-present; St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1980 - Present; Member; Grants Committee 2007 - Present; Brookwood Hills Community Association, Inc., 1998 - 2001; Government Relations Director; State Bar of Georgia (Business Law Section, Corporate Code Committee, 2007-present), 1980 - Present; Member; United States Supreme Court Bar, 2001 - Present; Member; Lawyers Club of Atlanta, 1984 - Present; Member; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001 - 2005; Board of Visitors; Executive Committee, ADC Harvest Ball (Fall 2005); Committee on International Trade in Legal Services, State Bar of Georgia, 2008 - Present

Past Employment Positions:: Neely & Player, PC, Partner, 1986 - 1992; Neely & Player, PC, Associate, 1980 - 1986

Pro Bono Activities:: Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation, Saturday Lawyer Program, 1980 - 1992