Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that nine attorneys have been promoted to the firm’s partner ranks for 2025. The firm’s newest elected members are Andrew J. Chamberlain, Eugene R. Cheval, Jacqueline Y. Ferrell, Charles W. Kemp, Samuel “Sam” C. Merritt, Elena F. Mitchell, Laura B. Truesdale, Seth T. Walker, and Ashley C. Ziff.
All promotions are effective as of Jan. 1, 2025, a date that also marks the start of MVA’s 75th year in business.
“Congratulations to each of our deserving and talented new members. We are pleased to recognize their achievements, passion, and unequivocal commitment to the practice of law, all of which we are exceptionally proud to highlight as Moore & Van Allen celebrates our 75th anniversary,” said MVA Managing Partner and Chair Thomas L. Mitchell. “These attorneys are outstanding representatives of and ambassadors for our firm, clients, and their peers. They will undoubtedly continue to accomplish great things as they embark on this next chapter.”
Below is a brief description of each new member’s practice and clientele:
- Andrew Chamberlain (Financial Services) leverages his knowledge and experience as a former member of the banking community to represent financial institutions in the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of syndicated, club, and single lender credit facilities. His experience principally involves financial sponsor acquisitions in the franchise, technology, media, telecommunications, and consumer realms. Chamberlain’s practice also extends to financings involving the acquisition and development of numerous real estate projects.
- Eugene Cheval (Corporate) handles complex transactional and governance matters on behalf of clients across a number of industries, including infrastructure, construction, pharmaceutical, and apparel. He regularly represents private equity clients in initial platform investments and tuck-in acquisitions that involve complex regulatory compliance and earnout obligations, as well as exit events. He also regularly represents clients in industry-specific roll-up acquisitions.
- Jacqueline Ferrell (Employment & Labor) focuses her practice on employment litigation and counseling. She defends national and regional companies in court, arbitration, and administrative agencies against employment claims of all types, including Title VII, FMLA, ADA, ADEA, and FLSA claims, as well as ERISA denial of benefits and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Additionally, Ferrell regularly advises clients on a full range of labor and employment issues and helps them navigate the employment law challenges of operating in all 50 states.
- Charles Kemp (Securities & Corporate Governance co-head) focuses his practice on securities and capital markets transactions, corporate governance, and shareholder relations. He has general and broad public company experience, including in industries such as retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, financial institutions, biotech, pharmaceuticals, government contractors, and insurance. Many of his clients have extensive international operations. Before joining MVA, Kemp served as lead securities counsel, associate general counsel, and assistant corporate secretary for CarMax, Inc.
- Sam Merritt (Intellectual Property) is an experienced litigator who handles complex intellectual property disputes, with a primary focus on patent and trademark litigation before federal district courts, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. He frequently counsels clients on trademark portfolio enforcement and management, as well as navigating disputes with third parties. Merritt’s clients operate in a variety of industries, including textiles, manufacturing, financial institutions, and professional sports.
- Elena Mitchell (Litigation) handles complex litigation matters involving a range of business torts, commercial contracts and mortgage loan disputes, estate litigation, and antitrust litigation. She also routinely represents clients in corporate and government investigations and assists clients with financial regulatory and compliance issues. Recently, Mitchell helped MVA launch its DEI Advice, Audits & Assessments practice, through which she advises companies, government entities, and nonprofits on DEI-related initiatives and associated reviews, audits, and investigations.
- Laura (Boorman) Truesdale (Litigation) maintains a particular focus on environmental risk and compliance issues related to business and real estate transactions, redevelopment projects, and regulatory matters. She advises developers, lenders and financial institutions, contractors, and buyers/sellers of contaminated properties on environmental considerations such as brownfields redevelopment, due diligence, permitting, enforcement defense, incident closure, cleanup programs, ESG reporting and sustainability matters, and more. Truesdale also regularly advises investors on environmental issues related to the acquisition of large-scale renewable energy project portfolios.
- Seth Walker (Corporate) primarily assists clients with evaluating, structuring, and negotiating mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, minority and control equity investments, carve-outs, and cross-border transactions. He also has extensive experience representing and counseling privately held and emerging companies with commercial contracts, corporate governance, formation and structure of business entities, incentive compensation, and other operational matters.
- Ashley Ziff (Commercial Real Estate) focuses her practice on complex real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, and development projects. Ziff guides clients through every stage of their ventures, with experience that spans office, industrial, retail, multi-family, medical office, and mixed-use developments. Her knowledge extends to advising on joint venture formations, preferred equity transactions, and supporting borrowers, lenders, investors, and owners in diverse real estate finance transactions.
About Moore & Van Allen
For 75 years, Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) has practiced law and served loyal clients with excellence in numerous core practice areas, including all aspects of Corporate & Transactional, Finance & Investments, and Litigation & Global Disputes. Today, MVA is an Am Law 200 firm comprised of 400+ attorneys and professionals with ranging backgrounds and experience serving clients in 90+ areas of focus, including niche and expanding work in realms such as civil rights, human trafficking prevention, and farm credit lending. As MVA commemorates 75 years of successes in client and community endeavors, we look forward to many more decades of impact across the Southeast, nation, and globe.
