John L. Latham 79L

Senior Counsel
Alston & Bird
Atlanta, Georgia

Latham is an experienced trial lawyer who has litigated a variety of cases. Recognized as one of the nation’s top securities defense lawyers, his primary expertise is in securities class action litigation, derivative suits, and regulatory investigations. He has successfully litigated more than $250 billion in M&A transactions in Delaware and throughout the country. Latham also counsels boards through corporate crises and internal investigations. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Corporate and Securities Litigation) as well as Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Litigation–General Commercial) and Georgia Super Lawyers magazine.

A member of the firm’s Securities Litigation and Corporate Transactions and Securities Groups, he has been appointed special assistant attorney general for the State of Georgia Teachers and Employees Retirement Fund and the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services (1998–present; securities matters) and is chair of the Georgia Corporate Code Revision Subcommittee on Officer and Director Liability and Indemnification (2003–present).

Latham received a BA from the University of Toledo in 1976 and his JD from Emory in 1979.

He was elected trustee in 2018.