James (Jake) Evans

Jake Evans is a first-chair litigator that handles complex, high-stakes disputes across practice areas in courts and arbitrations throughout the United States. Clients trust Jake with their most sensitive and high exposure matters and depend on Jake’s creative approaches and precise execution to pursue positive outcomes in matters involving significant financial, reputational and operational risk.

Jake’s litigation practice focuses on class actions, disputes involving breach of contract and fiduciary duties, residential and commercial real estate, restrictive covenants involving non-compete, non-solicit and confidentiality provisions, business divorces, derivative corporate claims, note defaults and workouts and intellectual property, including copyrights, patents and trademarks. Thriving under pressure, Jake has served as lead counsel in numerous high-profile cases, including those going before the Supreme Court of the United States, entailing national media coverage and making Georgia history.

Drawing on his experience leading Georgia’s State Ethics Commission and his deep involvement with government at every level, Jake also has a robust government and regulatory practice. He represents companies and individuals in investigations by state Attorneys General, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal and state agencies. He regularly advises and appears before Georgia state and local governmental bodies- including licensing boards, state commissions, procurement agencies- and has significant experience litigating bid protests. Jake also handles campaign-finance matters, advising candidates, PACs, and independent expenditure committees on compliance, filings, and responses to state and federal complaints.

A strategist at his core, Jake serves as outside general counsel to a range of companies-from emerging businesses to large companies-guiding them through their most consequential legal challenges. He has overseen major mergers and acquisitions, complex contract negotiations, economic-development deals, international-trade issues and a wide variety of regulatory-compliance matters.

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Team Member, 'Georgia Firm of the Year,' Benchmark Litigation, 2025, 2026
•Team Member, a Law360 'Construction Practice Group of the Year,' 2025
•Listed, Lawdragon, '500 Leading Litigators in America,' 2025-2026
•Listed, Georgia Trend magazine, 'Georgia 500,' 2024
•Listed, Benchmark Litigation, “40 & Under - U.S. Edition,” 2024 and 2025
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 'Ones to Watch,' Commercial Litigation, 2021-2023
•Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Georgia Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2018-2026
•Listed, Thomson-Reuters, 'Stand-Out Lawyers,' 2025-2026
•Listed, Georgia Trend magazine, “Georgia Legal Elite,” Business Law and general Practice/Trial Law, 2018-2020
•Listed, ALM Daily Report, “On the Rise,” 2018
•Listed, James magazine
•Most Influential Georgians, 2020-2021 and 2025-2026
•Georgia’s Most Influential Politically-Connected Attorneys, 2018-2022
•Listed, Atlanta magazine, “Atlanta 500 Most Powerful Leaders: Professionals”
•Listed, The Legal 500 USA, Government Relations, 2019
•Listed, Atlanta Business Chronicle, “40 Under 40,” 2018
•Selected, Georgia Young Republicans, “Man of the Year,” 2018
•Honoree, Outstanding Atlanta 50 Anniversary, 2018
•Honoree, Outstanding Atlanta Class, 2018
•State Bar of Georgia
•Selected, YLD, Winter Star of the Quarter, 2017
•Selected, YLD Litigation Committee, Outstanding Young Leadership Award, 2015