Pete Werdesheim | pete@wnfirm.com
Pete Werdesheim
After 15 years as a defense lawyer—the last eight as a partner at a 70-lawyer Atlanta-based firm—he now represents plaintiffs and defendants in legal-malpractice cases and other professional-liability and discipline matters, including those involving accountants, escrow and title agents, and insurance and real-estate brokers. He also has experience in a wide variety of other civil-litigation matters, including personal-injury and insurance-coverage actions, business torts, contested probate, and contractual and commercial disputes, particularly those involving real estate.
Pete advises attorneys and law firms—and has spoken at seminars throughout Georgia and in several other states—on ethics, risk-management, and E&O-insurance issues. He also represents lawyers in disciplinary matters before the State Bar and has advised and represented attorneys and clients regarding fee disputes, sanctions motions, and abusive-litigation actions. He also performs pro bono work through the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation and the State Bar’s Military Legal Assistance Program. He has served on State Bar committees investigating issues around attorney solicitation of clients and legal-malpractice insurance.
For several years, Pete has been named as one of Georgia Trend magazine’s “Legal Elite,” a list of lawyers chosen by their peers as the leading attorneys in the state, and appeared on the lists of Rising Stars® or Super Lawyers®, which appear annually in Atlanta magazine and honor the top five percent of attorneys in Georgia, as chosen by a selection process that includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. He has received an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. And, most recently, he was selected by Best Lawyers in America for inclusion in its 2020 list recognizing leading practitioners around the country.
Pete graduated from the University of Florida and the University of Georgia School of Law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2001 and has been admitted to practice in Georgia state and federal trial and appellate courts.
Billy Newcomb | billy@wnfirm.com
Billy Newcomb
Billy is a seasoned litigator specializing in professional liability. For the majority of his career, Billy has handled complex matters arising from allegations of negligent and intentional misconduct by attorneys, accountants, trustees, dentists, real estate agents, insurance agents, and other professionals. He has successfully tried cases involving claims for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, defamation, and fraud.
Billy has regularly represented attorneys, accountants, and real estate agents in connection with investigations by professional review boards and agencies. He is often retained before litigation to assess and control his clients’ exposure to potential legal risks and assist with the development of internal risk management policies and procedures.
Billy also has significant experience drafting and negotiating commercial leases, asset purchase agreements, nondisclosure agreements, restrictive covenants, employment agreements, buy- and sell-side access letters, and other transactional documents.
Billy is a rare native of Metro Atlanta. Before returning to Georgia, he worked for several prominent and well-respected defense firms in Florida and New York. Billy has been recognized as a SuperLawyer® and Best Lawyer in America® numerous times by his peers. He frequently lectures on litigation techniques at Georgia State University School of Law.
For years, Billy served as internal General Counsel for two large law firms at which he has worked. In that capacity, he was responsible for handling claims against the firm, advising the firm's attorneys and other employees as to their ethical obligations and risk management, implementing risk avoidance policies, and generally ensuring the firm's legal interests were protected.
In 2014, Billy was one of 25 attorneys in the United States selected to the American Bar Association’s TIPS Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy’s stated mission is to serve the public by providing participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead the legal profession as well as the general community. Billy served on various ABA/TIPS task forces and committees over the years.
Billy is a member of the Georgia and Florida Bars and is admitted to practice in state and federal trial and appellate courts.
