Burr & Forman is pleased to announce the election of 12 attorneys to partnership, effective Jan. 1. This year’s class reflects the firm’s continued growth and talent investment in key markets and practice areas.                                                             

The 2026 class includes Sarah Bangs, Mark Carlson, Whytni Cline, Schuyler Espy, Kevin Han, Maddie Hughes, Tyler Lenz, Matt Modelski, Emily Schreiber Pendley, Drew Sarangoulis, Sheena Thakrar, and David Timm.

"This partner class represents the strength of our platform and the caliber of attorneys who choose to build their careers here," said Ed Christian, Burr & Forman’s managing partner and Chief Executive Officer. "They are exceptional lawyers and collaborative colleagues. We look forward to supporting their continued growth."

The new partners span nine offices—Atlanta, Birmingham, Bluffton, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Montgomery, Orlando, and Washington, D.C. They bring depth across key practice areas, including Administrative & Regulatory, Commercial Litigation, Construction & Project Development, Corporate & Tax, Labor & Employment, Lending, Real Estate, and Transportation & Logistics.

Atlanta

• Sarah Bangs is a member of the firm's Real Estate practice group, where she represents owners, developers, and investors in the acquisition, disposition, and financing of commercial real estate transactions with an emphasis on industrial, multifamily, and mixed-use projects.
• Kevin Han is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment practice group and advises multinational companies on labor and employment matters, business immigration, and a broad range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, economic development projects, business organization, and corporate governance.

Birmingham

• Maddie Hughes is a member of the firm's Transportation & Logistics practice, where she serves clients on a range of commercial and business litigation issues related to the transportation, maritime, logistics, and manufacturing industries.
• Emily Schreiber Pendley is a member of the firm's Commercial Litigation practice group, where she focuses on business disputes and appellate proceedings. 

Bluffton

• Matt Modelski is a member of the firm’s Real Estate practice group, where he represents sponsors, investors, and lenders in multifaceted transactions with a particular emphasis on development, acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, and financing (debt and equity) in the multi-family, self-storage, renewable energy, and industrial sectors.

Charlotte

• Mark Carlson is a member of the firm's Lending practice group, where he primarily represents regional and national bank and non-bank lenders in connection with the origination, securitization, and servicing of commercial real estate mortgage loans.
• Whytni Cline is a member of the firm’s Lending practice group and focuses on commercial real estate, representing financial institutions in loan transactions covering a variety of industries, including construction, retail, multifamily, office, and industrial.

Fort Lauderdale

• Drew Sarangoulis is a member of the firm's Commercial Litigation practice group, where he represents clients in trial and appellate proceedings, including business disputes, complex commercial litigation, administrative actions, and white collar criminal matters.

Jacksonville

• Tyler Lenz is a member of the firm's Corporate & Tax practice group, where he advises clients on general corporate matters and contracts, and provides guidance to businesses at various stages, including formation, governance, structuring, and mergers and acquisitions.

Montgomery

• Schuyler Espy is a member of the firm's Administrative, Government, and Regulatory practice group, where she focuses on environmental law and policy matters, representing a variety of clients in manufacturing, utilities, real estate, and other industries.

Orlando

• Sheena Thakrar is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice group where she represents individual and corporate clients, at trial and on appeal, in various complex civil disputes involving real estate matters, business torts, breach of contract claims, employment claims, and construction claims.

Washington, D.C.

• David Timm is a member of the firm's Construction & Project Development practice group, where he represents contractors and companies in complex disputes, claims, and bid protests involving federal, state, and local government contracts.