Spencer Fane is pleased to announce that a team of 16 new attorneys – including five associates, three of counsel, and eight partners – have joined several key practice groups in uniquely strategic locations throughout the South and Southeast, deepening the firm’s capabilities in consumer financial services, as well as areas ranging from business law to litigation to real estate.
“As we explored this opportunity together, it became clear that this team and its attorneys align perfectly with our focus on client value and firm culture,” said Spencer Fane Chair Patrick J. Whalen. “They strengthen our client value proposition; they expand the value we deliver to clients by broadening our capabilities, reach, and relevance; and the team is additive in terms of supporting the long‑term financial sustainability of our practice – they will help us grow stronger, not just larger.”
Just as important, the new team of attorneys, which serves household-name consumer financial services clients across the nation, also aligns with the culture at Spencer Fane.
“From the outset, it was clear that our new colleagues share our understanding of the importance of maintaining a culture that prioritizes client service, collegiality, and a genuine collaboration that is reflected in the way we show up every day,” Whalen added.
The attorneys also exhibit multidisciplinary strengths in key legal sectors that will help the firm continue to build out established and highly specialized industries in areas that are key to its geographic growth. Following recent growth in New York and Washington, D.C., the group further expands the firm’s footprint in the South and Southeast, strengthening its ability to serve clients from a broad national platform of more than 700 attorneys in 31 offices across the nation.
Dylan Reeves, a partner joining Spencer Fane in its Nashville office, looks forward to the potential to increase client service offerings as well as contribute to the firm’s strong cultural values.
“Our clients will see the impact right away through a broader geographic reach and seamless national support,” Reeves said. “Our team was also very intentional in choosing to join Spencer Fane for strategic reasons – the decision was especially compelling given we’re both adding to each other’s footprint and practice depth. For example, Spencer Fane is already well established in the mortgage space, and we look forward to leveraging the firm’s exceptional depth in bankruptcy and creditors’ rights.”
At the same time, the team will immediately bring additional capabilities in numerous financial services related categories with the addition of the following attorneys:
- Chris Bottcher, Partner (Birmingham)
- Jon Cornfield, Associate (Washington, D.C.)
- Dwayne Danner, Partner (Dallas)
- Colin Dean, Of Counsel (Birmingham)
- Will Grimsley, Partner (Jacksonville)
- Annarose Harding, Of Counsel (Houston)
- W. Franklin Milam, Associate (Nashville)
- Sara Morton, Of Counsel (Houston)
- Shaun Ramey, Partner (Nashville)
- Dylan Reeves, Partner (Nashville)
- Branch Sheppard, Partner (Houston)
- Jonathan C. Smith, Associate (Dallas)
- Bailee Upchurch, Associate (Birmingham)
- Jonathan Wilbourn, Partner (Baton Rouge)
- Will Wojcik, Partner (Nashville)
- Kayleigh Wright, Associate (Jacksonville)
As the fastest-growing law firm in the nation per the AmLaw 200, Spencer Fane has continued a formidable upward trajectory, using culture as a strategy to guide intentional expansion throughout the U.S. After widening its footprint into Wichita, Kansas, and continuing to strategically add talent across all 30 national offices in 2025, the firm deepened its bench in Washington, D.C., by combining with Global IP Counselors LLP in January 2026 and will officially combine with New York City-based Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe in February 2026, entering the largest legal market in the world.