Ross A. Albert, Of Counsel at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, in Atlanta, represents parties involved in securities litigation, class actions and other complex cases before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitration panels. He also represents individuals and entities involved in investigative and regulatory inquiries conducted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Georgia Securities Commissioner, other federal and state law enforcement authorities, and self-regulatory organizations. He conducts internal investigations of alleged corporate misconduct. 

From 1993 to 2001, Mr. Albert served in various positions with the SEC at its Washington, D.C. headquarters, including: Senior Special Counsel, Division of Enforcement; Legal Counsel to Commissioner Norman S. Johnson; and Special Counsel, Appellate Group, Office of the General Counsel. From 1994 to 1999, he concurrently served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. As a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, Mr. Albert assisted with trials and was lead appellate counsel for what was reportedly the largest criminal securities fraud prosecution in the history of Georgia, one that resulted in the convictions of 12 defendants. Mr. Albert has argued before six U.S. Courts of Appeals, including the Eleventh Circuit, and the highest state court in Maryland. He has filed briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, most federal circuits, several state appellate courts, and many state and federal trial courts. From 1988 to 1993, Mr. Albert was an associate in the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Group at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C. From 1986 to 1988, Mr. Albert served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Alexander Harvey, II, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. 

Mr. Albert frequently serves as a commentator concerning current SEC, securities and corporate governance issues for local, national and international news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, MSNBC, CBS MarketWatch, U.S. News & World Report, The Atlanta Journal- Constitution, MSN Money, Newsday, Kiplinger’s, Crain’s Investment News, WSB-TV - Channel 2 (Atlanta), WAGA-TV - FOX 5 (Atlanta), Georgia Public Television, KGO News-Talk Radio AM 810 (San Francisco), The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Herald, The Seattle Times, The Journal News (Westchester County, N.Y.), The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City), Business Times of Singapore, RWE Australian Business News, and ROBTV, a leading Canadian business cable broadcaster. 

Mr. Albert speaks regularly on securities and regulatory issues at seminars. He has lectured on securities law topics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Mr. Albert is listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Law.

Vjollca Prroni received her law degree from Tirana University, School of Law (Albania). She studied Business Law in Copenhagen, Denmark, Diplomatic Relations in Geneva, Switzerland and received her LL.M from the University of Connecticut, School of Law.  From 1999 Ms. Prroni has been working as a paralegal in the Securities, Corporate and Fiduciary Litigation group of Powell Goldstein. In that capacity she has gained extensive experience assisting attorneys in representing clients involved in securities and financial litigation and complex cases before state and the federal courts.

Join us for GAP's annual member appreciation dinner.  This has become one of the most popular events in the GAP calendar as members enjoy a meeting dedicated to networking and a free dinner thanks to our sponsors.  There will also be drawings throughout the evening for prizes provided by our sponsors.

John Zwald graduated from the University of Georgia in 1980 with a B.S. in Social Science Education, and in 1987, he finished his Masters of Science at Western Kentucky. In 1990, he received his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, graduating on the Dean’s List with multiple honors, and was admitted to the Georgia Bar the same year, joining the firm of Carter & Ansley. There, he worked in all phases of insurance defense litigation, product liability litigation, and personal injury law. John moved to Alembik, Fine & Callner in 1995 continuing his work in product liability, insurance defense and drug and medical device liability litigation.

In 1998, he joined Carothers & Mitchell as a Partner, and continued to represent the State of Georgia, cities and counties in a wide range of areas, including insurance defense and coverage question litigation. He became a Partner with Chandler, Britt, Jay & Beck LLC in Buford, GA in December of 2004 where he specializes in Torts and Insurance Law, Eminent Domain, and General Litigation.

Lynn Smith graduated from Georgia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing and obtained her nursing license in 1975. She stayed on at Georgia Baptist until 1983, during which time she rose from a Staff Nurse to Clinical Orientation Instructor, and then Head Nurse of the Medical Oncology/Hyperalimentation Unit where she converted a thirty-one bed general medical unit to a specialized oncology/hyperalimentation unit. She later designed, organized and established the first formal Nutrition Support Service in the Southeast while Metabolic Support Nurse, and was solely responsible for setting up a formal Neonatal Metabolic Support Service in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Her team also assisted Metabolic Support teams across the country in establishing their own services.

Lynn left Georgia Baptist in 1983 to start ComfortCare, an in-home nutritional, antibiotic and chemotherapy support service, then sold it in May of 1984 to a group of physicians. From 1984 to 2000, she held multiple corporate positions, joining Hawkins & Parnell in 2000 as a medical paralegal, and part of a "stand alone" medical unit staffed by 10 registered nurses who engage experts, obtain and analyze medical records, and provide expert medical guidance to the Firm's asbestos cases.

Lynn has appeared in the 14th edition of Who’s Who of American Women and the third edition of Who’s Who of American Nursing. She has published several articles and delivered over 200 public speaking presentations over the span of her career.

Jesse J. Spikes has practiced law for over 20 years. He has broad experience in a number of areas, including special/corporate investigations of alleged corporate irregularities, insurance, international banking, commercial transactions and investments, general corporate matters and sports and entertainment law.

In the sports and entertainment area, Mr. Spikes has represented athletes in the sports of baseball, basketball, boxing and football with respect to their careers in professional sports as well as their various personal and other ancillary business endeavors. He has also represented professional musicians with respect to musical productions for both Broadway and television and their general managerial arrangements.