Atlanta Lawyer Tapped for Georgia-Pacific Position; Hunton & Williams Partner Jay B. Bryan to Become Vice President, Associate General Counsel

Business Wire, July 26, 2002

Business Editors/Legal Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2002

Hunton & Williams announced today that Jay B. Bryan, partner on the Litigation, Intellectual Property and Antitrust Team, has been named Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Georgia-Pacific Corporation.

Mr. Bryan rejoins Georgia-Pacific having served in the legal department there from 1994-2000 in various roles including Chief Counsel for Litigation.

In his complex litigation practice with Hunton & Williams' Atlanta office, Mr. Bryan represented a number of Fortune 500 corporations in product liability, class action and toxic tort litigation, as well as construction litigation.

Bryan commented, "This is an exciting opportunity but still a difficult decision, Hunton & Williams is building one of the best litigation teams in the country. It has been exciting to be part of that effort. I feel very fortunate to have a career that includes working with a law firm and a corporation that are both recognized as among the best in the world."

Hunton & Williams' expanding litigation team is more than 300 attorneys strong across the firm's 12 domestic offices. The Atlanta office was established in 1988 and has grown to more than 100 attorneys. Recent expansion in that office includes the addition of Jerry B. Blackstock, who earlier this year left Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy LLP after 33 years to become Chair of Hunton & Williams' litigation practice in Atlanta.

In commenting on Bryan's opportunity with Georgia-Pacific, Blackstock noted that the quality of legal talent at a top law firm like Hunton & Williams occasionally means experiencing the loss of an attorney to top corporate positions. "While we are losing a valued colleague, we certainly applaud and understand Georgia-Pacific's selection of Jay for this position," he remarked. Last month Blackstock was named "Defense Lawyer of the Year" for the State of Georgia.

Thomas G. Slater, Jr., Co-Chair of the firm's Litigation Team, acknowledged the firm's long-standing relationship with Georgia-Pacific. "Hunton & Williams has been privileged to have been of service to Georgia-Pacific for nearly 25 years," he said. "The same legal acumen, integrity and dedication to clients that made Jay a highly-respected partner with us will make him a valuable member of their top-flight legal team."

Jay B. Bryan received his undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University where he also was a member of the Varsity Basketball Team from 1981 to 1985.

Hunton & Williams, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is named one of the top 30 U.S. law firms in client service by BTI Consulting. The firm provides legal services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals as well as a broad array of other entities. While Hunton & Williams' practice has a particular emphasis on commercial litigation, energy and environmental law, capital markets transactions, corporate and structured finance, and governmental relations, the firm's expertise extends to more than 50 practice areas. Visit our Web site at www.hunton.com for more information.