A duo of powerhouse banking attorneys has joined the Atlanta office of Troutman Sanders LLP, the law firm announced today.
Partner James W. Stevens and senior counsel Richard R. Cheatham bring more than five decades of experience to Troutman Sanders’ Financial Institutions practice. Both were formerly with Kilpatrick Townsend in Atlanta.
“James and Richard have established reputations in Atlanta and the state of Georgia for their knowledge and experience representing clients in the community banking industry,” said Thomas O. Powell, a partner and deputy practice leader of the firm’s Financial Institutions practice group. “Their addition to our recognized Financial Institutions practice will deepen our bench strength and further enhance our ability to deliver creative solutions to clients operating in an increasingly complex business and regulatory environment.”
Both Stevens and Cheatham have been honored frequently by the legal profession, including being named to Best Lawyers in America®. Cheatham also has been ranked as one of the nation’s top banking and finance lawyers by Chambers USA, which has noted his “regulatory expertise” and his standing as “one of the leaders in the field.”
“We are very pleased to have James and Richard joining our Financial Institutions practice in Atlanta,” said Pete Robinson, managing partner of the firm’s Atlanta office. “They have deep industry experience and have built a strong practice helping clients to pursue business expansion opportunities and navigate challenges, advising them on diverse regulatory, corporate, securities compliance and capital markets matters.”
Stevens, in addition to his work providing general corporate and bank regulatory advice to bank clients, has substantial experience in the representation of public and private companies and financial institutions in mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and regulatory reporting and compliance.
Stevens was named a 2009 “40 Under 40 Up and Comer” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and was selected as a Georgia Rising Star by SuperLawyers magazine from 2006-2011. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech and his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law.
Cheatham, who has practiced law since 1969, focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions on bank regulatory matters and corporate and securities law applicable to financial institutions and their holding companies and other affiliates.
A graduate of the Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia, Cheatham has previously been named a Georgia Super Lawyer in the areas of banking, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate law, and was recognized in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers.
