MICHAEL D. CROSS JR., is a member of the Alpharetta business and technology law firm of Briskin, Cross & Sanford, LLC, where his areas of practice include partnership and LLC law, mergers and acquisitions, franchise law, and corporate law. For more than a decade, Mr. Cross served as an adjunct professor at Reinhardt University, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses involving business law, media law, entrepreneurial law, organizational leadership and ethics. He also speaks frequently at continuing legal education seminars and has worked with Emory Law School and the Georgia Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism since 2005. Mr. Cross recently was listed by Georgia Trend magazine as one of the 2017 Legal Elite and has been selected five times for inclusion in the listing known as Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Stars for his work representing entrepreneurs, investors and privately-held companies. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia and Indiana, as well as before the U.S Tax Court. Mr. Cross earned his B.A. degree from Anderson University; his J.D. degree from Emory University School of Law; and his LL.M. degree, with honors, from the University of Alabama School of Law.

JEFFREY D. CUNNINGHAM is a partner in the Atlanta office of Miller & Martin PLLC, and vice chair of Miller & Martin’s Corporate Department, and a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions, Emerging Business, and Corporate Counsel Services practice groups. Mr. Cunningham serves as outside general counsel to many grow-phase mid-sized businesses, and concentrates his practice in mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, and business advisory matters. Mr. Cunningham counsels clients, from entrepreneurs and start-ups to large privately held companies, through each phase business: choice of entity, business plan development, capital raising, equity and ownership agreements, commercial transactions, and exit strategies. He also represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, both buy-side and sell-side, as well as joint ventures and significant financing transactions. He develops strategies on both business and legal aspects of marketing, sales, negotiating transactions and relationships and corporate governance. Mr. Cunningham advises clients on commercial financing matters and negotiates acquisition financing, private debt and equity financing, and venture capital. He also works with clients across many industries including manufacturing, distribution, business and professional services, staffing, residential and commercial construction, and distribution. In addition to business and transaction counseling, Mr. Cunningham utilizes his background in federal, state and local taxation gained while working in two of the Big Four accounting firms to provide advice on effective tax rate minimization, tax compliance, and tax optimized structuring. He received his B.S. degree, in economics, from Vanderbilt University; his M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University Robinson College of Business; and his J.D. degree from Georgia State University College of Law.

MARK A. DAYMAN, CPA/ABV/CFF, ABAR, CVA, is a founding member of CapVal - American Business Appraisers, LLC and its managing member. He is also a founder and managing member of CapVal Advisors, a lower middle market investment bank, and the COO of FRANINTEL, consultants in the franchise business model. Mr. Dayman's background and focus is on value enhancement, exit strategy, M&A advisory services, and litigation support. He has a special background and knowledge in franchising and the hospitality (food and beverage, lodging and resorts, recreation and leisure) industry, with additional client concentrations in construction, real estate, and technology. Although he had his own CPA and consulting firm from 1990-2000, Mr. Dayman was formerly with KPMG, and then a partner with large New England regional CPA and consulting firm. He was involved in the acquisition of a public hotel franchise company for Global Hyatt in 2000, and subsequently spent six years as the division’s CFO. Overall, Mr. Dayman has spent the last 40 years focused on consulting, valuation and value enhancement, litigation support, and M&A. He holds Series 62, 63, and 79 licenses granted by FINRA, he is a CPA, and holds several appraisal and forensics credentials from the AICPA, the Institute of Business Appraisers and its successor the National Association of Certified Valuation Analyst. Mr. Dayman is a graduate of the University of Vermont.

JULIAN A. FORTUNA is a partner with the Atlanta law firm of Taylor English Duma LLP, where he focuses his practice on domestic and international tax planning and tax controversy matters. His experience spans the entertainment manufacturing, hospitality, real estate, retail, health care, higher education and clean energy industries. Mr. Fortuna represents business and non-profit entities, executives, and owners regarding all types of federal and state income, estate, and gift taxes. In tax controversies, Mr. Fortuna represents taxpayers in civil and criminal tax audits, investigations and administrative appeals before the Internal Revenue Service various state, local and foreign taxing authorities and in tax litigation before federal and state courts and tax tribunals. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Fortuna was Vice President and General Tax Counsel for InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, where he was responsible for structuring the international, federal, state and local tax impacts of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other corporate transactions, as well as construction projects, leases, exchanges, and other real and personal property transactions. He is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association (Past Chair, Tax Law Section) and the State Bar of Georgia (Past Chair, Taxation Section). Mr. Fortuna received his B.A. degree from the City University of New York, his J.D. degree from Rutgers University School of Law and his LL.M. degree from Emory University School of Law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

MARCUS G. KEEGAN is the managing partner of Keegan Law Firm, LLC. Mr. Keegan is a certified mediator, and he practices in the areas of employment law litigation and small business employment representation. He began his legal career as a trial attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s ("EEOC") Atlanta District Office. While employed with the EEOC, Mr. Keegan litigated employment discrimination lawsuits throughout Georgia’s federal courts. Following his employment with the EEOC, he entered private practice and expanded his practice to include general employment law, civil litigation, and consumer finance litigation throughout Georgia’s state and federal courts. Mr. Keegan was recognized as a Rising Star in employment litigation by Super Lawyers in 2011 and 2012; and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer from 2015-2018. In 2018, Mr. Keegan was selected as a Top 100 Attorney in the state of Georgia by Super Lawyers. Mr. Keegan was also named a Legal Elite by Georgia Trend Magazine in 2016. He earned a Criminology degree, cum laude, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. degree from Emory University School of Law.

MICHAEL A. PENN is an equity partner at Briskin, Cross & Sanford, LLC, and has been practicing law in the State of Georgia since 1993. Mr. Penn's practice concentrates in the areas of (i) corporate and business law, including mergers & acquisitions, partnership and LLC law, business contract drafting and review; (ii) intellectual property law including trademarks, service marks, copyrights and trade secrets; (iii) employment law, including executive employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, and employment manuals; (iv) franchise law, including representing franchisors and franchisees; and (v) commercial litigation related to the above areas. He is admitted to practice before all state and local courts throughout Georgia, including the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Mr. Penn currently serves as the treasurer and president-elect of North Fulton Bar Association. As part of his commitment to the community, he sat as one of the first appointed Municipal Court Judges in the City of Johns Creek upon the initial incorporation of that city in 2006. Mr. Penn earned his B.A. degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and his J.D. degree from the Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware.

JEFF SAYER leads the corporate and restructuring practice at Scorpion Legal | Sayer LLC where he works with companies that are working on growing or being acquired. Mr. Sayer works in the areas of bankruptcy, M&A and corporate transactions. Mr. Sayer works with venture capital, private equity and investment banks advising them on potential purchases and current portfolio companies as well as start-ups. Mr. Sayer is active in the community serving as board member of Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association and member of the Atlanta Bar Association Homer Drake Inn of Court and National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Mr. Sayer received his B.A. degree from Stetson University and J.D degree from John Marshall Law School.

JONATHAN B. WILSON is a partner with Taylor English Duma LLP, where he is a member of the firm's Corporate and Business practice group. He focuses his practice on corporate securities, corporate finance and governance; mergers and acquisitions; and intellectual property. Mr. Wilson represents Fortune 100, middle-market and start-up companies, as well as both large and small companies in outsourcing, patent licensing, distribution, and strategic alliance agreements. He applies his more than 20 years of experience as an in-house lawyer, business adviser and strategist to help business executives and owners achieve negotiated solutions to technology and financial transactions. In 2009, Mr. Wilson founded the Renewable Energy Committee of the American Bar Association's Public Utility Section, and continues to chair that committee, writing and speaking frequently on renewable energy and clean technology development. He is a member of the American Bar Association (chair, Renewable Energy Committee, Public Utility Section; member, Internet Industry Committee, Public Utility Section), as well as the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Wilson earned his B.A. degree, with honors, from the College of William and Mary, and his J.D. degree from the George Washington University School of Law.

MONICA WINGHART is a founding partner of Centric Legal. She focuses much of her work on the intersection of IP and the growing fields of data, privacy and cybersecurity. Currently, she serves as the General Counsel for two startups focused on cloud, proprietary platform and networked services, and also serves as an advisor to several companies and governmental organizations on IP, social media, privacy and data protection matters. Ms. Winghart has held a number of leadership positions with emerging growth and Fortune 500 companies as both an engineer and a lawyer. She specializes in working with tech, software, consumer products and online application industries in high growth, global markets. Ms. Winghart provides practical advice to guide businesses as they navigate the challenges of corporate formation, investments, partnership structuring, and exit strategies. She earned her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and her B.S. degree in Pulp & Paper Technology from N.C. State University and her J.D. degree from Tulane Law School.