Baker Donelson has grown its Atlanta office with the addition of three attorneys: Mark I. Duedall, who joins as shareholder in the Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group; Mina A. Elmankabady, who joins as shareholder in the Real Estate and Finance Group; and Gregory C. Maddaleni, who joins as an associate in the Business Litigation Group.
Atlanta Managing Shareholder Gary Barnes said, "Mark, Mina, and Greg exemplify Baker Donelson's commitment to bringing on exceptionally talented attorneys to meet the needs of our clients. Each of these attorneys brings outstanding experience, whether it is Mark's extensive work in bankruptcy and insolvency matters, Mina's strategic insight into commercial real estate transactions, or Greg's background serving in-house in the logistics and transportation industry. They are great additions to our depth of capabilities in Atlanta and across the Firm."
With nearly 30 years of representing acquirers, debtors, secured and mezzanine lenders, creditors' committees, receivers, independent directors, and other financial advisors, Mr. Duedall concentrates his practice in bankruptcy and insolvency issues, with an emphasis on advising clients in matters related to consumer and household products, retail, food and beverage, mass tort, manufacturing, health care, and energy. He serves as outside counsel to several food-related and consumer product businesses, including branded producers, contract manufacturers, and food distributors. His nationwide food and beverage practice includes more than 50 workouts, complex financings, acquisitions, and restructurings. Mr. Duedall has been involved in numerous Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) cases representing debtors, lenders, and suppliers. He also has experience handling corporate matters, such as acquisitions, dispositions, recapitalizations, and finance transactions.
A graduate of Emory University School of Law, Mr. Duedall has served as chair of the Bankruptcy and Workouts Subcommittee of the American Bar Association Tax Committee, Business Law Section since 2006. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, where he served on the Executive Board of the Investment Banking Subcommittee, and he has served on the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal Advisory Board since 2003. Mr. Duedall, who was previously a partner with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and in Chambers USA as a leading Bankruptcy/Restructuring lawyer in Georgia.
Mr. Elmankabady focuses his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, commercial leasing, corporate law, and mergers and acquisitions. He assists his clients – including real estate developers, family-owned businesses, and lenders – in navigating a wide spectrum of legal issues, ranging from commercial real estate transactions to everyday business affairs. Mr. Elmankabady has counseled clients on all sides of a commercial real estate deal, having represented sellers and purchasers in commercial real estate acquisitions, tenants and landlords in commercial lease negotiations, and lenders and borrowers in commercial finance deals.
Mr. Elmankabady, who graduated from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, is a member of the American Bar Association and the Real Property Section of the State Bar of Georgia. Prior to joining Baker Donelson, he was managing shareholder with the boutique firm of Davis, Matthews & Quigley, P.C.
Mr. Maddaleni, a graduate of the College of Law at Georgia State University, also holds an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School, New York. He focuses his practice on transportation litigation, including the defense of motor carriers, commercial drivers, and insurance companies in catastrophic accidents. Most recently, he worked at an Atlanta-based law firm representing clients in the areas of automotive litigation, trucking liability, insurance coverage, premises liability, catastrophic injury, real estate litigation, and bad faith litigation. He has more than 30 years' experience in transportation and trade, including the roles of in-house counsel, head of compliance, and senior business manager at two different global transportation and logistics companies. Mr. Maddaleni is a licensed customs broker.