Adam C. Shepherd

Adam is a civil defense and complex litigation attorney based in Georgia. His practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, class actions, labor and employment matters, and catastrophic tort litigation. He represents public companies, privately held businesses, executives, and individuals in high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts and in arbitration.

His experience spans multiple jurisdictions and includes dispositive motion practice, class-certification and class-definition issues, complex discovery, depositions, and trial preparation. Adam has represented Fortune 50 and Fortune 100 companies, as well as business owners and executives, in matters ranging from consumer class actions and federal regulatory enforcement to multimillion-dollar commercial disputes, employment litigation, and high-exposure tort claims. 

Through his experience with advanced legal-research platforms and AI-enabled tools, Adam combines technology with attorney judgment to deliver accurate, efficient legal work. He uses these tools to broaden legal research, accelerate document-intensive tasks, and identify issues more efficiently, while independently validating legal authorities, record support, and final work product. Adam translates those efficiencies into meaningful cost savings for clients without sacrificing accuracy or quality. He has written on the use of artificial intelligence by lawyers for The National Jurist. 

Adam's approach to litigation is grounded in preparation, adaptability, and execution. A former professional athlete, he brings a competitive mindset and the ability to remain composed when the stakes are high, whether developing dispositive strategy, taking a deposition, preparing for a hearing, or advising a client on litigation risk. 

Adam earned his J.D., with honors, from Emory University School of Law. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Erica, and their three boys, as well as tennis, gold, pickleball, and traveling. 

• Served on the defense team for a business owner in a long-running Federal Trade Commission enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia involving alleged consumer-protection violations and individual liability. Following a multi-week bench trial, the court entered judgment in favor of the individual defendant, concluding that the FTC failed to establish that he directly participated in or had authority to control the challenged business practices. 
• Defended an automotive retailer and national automotive company in a certified Washington consumer class action involving alleged emissions-system modifications. Successfully opposed plaintiffs' attempt to further expand the certified class period through equitable estoppel and equitable tolling, briefing a novel issue for which no controlling Washington authority directly addressed the requested expansion and relying on persuasive authority from other jurisdictions. The currently certified class reaches purchases on or after March 13, 2017, and the case remains set for trial in January 2027.
• Represented a global logistics company in federal breach-of-contract litigation in the Northern District of Georgia arising from peak-season air-cargo charter performance and involving competing eight-figure claims. Handled substantive discovery and deposition work and assisted with mediation and resolution strategy in a dispute involving more than $11 million in asserted contract damages, a counterclaim exceeding $24 million, and additional disputed fuel costs. 
• Represented a Fortune 50 food-and-beverage company and individual managers in federal employment litigation, including dispositive briefing and service-of-process defenses in a matter involving a nine-figure demand. 
• Represents a subsidiary of a global hospitality company in New York commercial litigation arising from the termination of a consulting agreement, including briefing a motion to dismiss based on the contractual termination provisions and the interaction between successive amendments to the agreement. 
• Represents a financial-services company and its executives in contentious employment and business litigation in Georgia state court, helping secure a resolution resulting in dismissal with prejudice of the claims against the company and individual defendants.