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Elected Member

J. Henry
Walker IV

Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Affiliation
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Education
University of Virginia, B.A.
Mercer University Law School

Henry Walker is the Chair Emeritus and partner on the Firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation Team. An experienced problem solver, he has spent more than 35 years handling large complex disputes for clients, focusing on the technology and telecommunications industries. He prides himself on being a frontline lawyer who also understands the bigger picture and is intent on getting the best possible result in every matter. Based on his involvement in thousands of cases and previous in-house counsel experience, he has also provided extensive client counseling on the best ways to minimize risks and prevent litigation in business initiatives and large acquisitions. Among other recognitions, Henry was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation and Technology Law in 2024 and the ten years immediately preceding and again in 2024 and 2025 for Commercial Litigation, Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, and Technology Law. He was also named a 2017 and 2023 "Atlanta Lawyer of the Year" in the area of Technology Law by The Best Lawyers in America®. He is listed in the 2025 and three years immediately preceding editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as an "Eminent Practitioner" in the area of General Commercial Litigation.

 

Henry rejoined the firm—where he previously practiced as a partner—in 2007 after serving as Chief Litigation Counsel to BellSouth Corporation. Henry’s mixture of in-house experience and outside counsel experience provides him with a strong understanding of the challenges facing clients and in-house counsel. He was one of the lead in-house counsel in numerous major antitrust matters, including two successful landmark United States Supreme Court cases (Twombly and Trinko). He received the BellSouth President’s Award and the General Counsel’s Award for Excellence.

 

Henry is active in the business community and in the legal industry. He has served on the State Bar Board of Governors since 1995 and is a former President of the Younger Lawyers Division. He is a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors serving as a member and former Chair of the Georgia Chamber’s Law and Judiciary Committee and is on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Henry also serves as a member of the Mercer University Board of Trustees as well as on the Board of Grady Health Foundation. Henry previously served on the State of Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission which interviewed candidates and provided a “short list” to the Governor for judicial appointments. Henry is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.*

Areas of Expertise
Corporate Law (Commercial Law)
Intellectual Property
Class Actions (Complex Litigation)
Trade Secrets (Intellectual Property)
Media (Communications Law)

Member News

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Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.

Despite his sober assessment, Traynor maintains a guarded optimism rooted in America’s resilience, civic traditions, and individual potential to effect change. He highlights positive actions within the legal community, nonprofit organizations, and among engaged citizens, while outlining five practical steps Americans can take to strengthen democracy: improving civic education, demanding accountability, fostering open debate, participating in elections and local governance, and resisting simplistic solutions.

Traynor concludes that democracy is “stubborn work,” incremental, imperfect, and ongoing, but expresses confidence that Americans have the resolve to preserve it.

Read the full article The New Nationalist. 

Michael Traynor is senior counsel at Cobalt LLP in Berkeley California. He served as ALI President from 2000 to 2008, and as Chair of the Council from 2008 to 2011. He is also a recipient of ALI's Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Traynor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   He received the John P. Frank Outstanding Lawyer Award from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is an honorary life trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and of Earthjustice and a past President (1973) of the Bar Association of San Francisco. 

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