Ryan Burgett of Husch Blackwell is not the only new partner in Chattanooga. Local firms are home to at least two additional new partners, including commercial attorney Rachael Ruiz of Miller & Martin and Luke Neder of Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell.
Rachael Ruiz
Ruiz is focused on real estate law and has experience with matters involving environmental law and nonprofit governance. She assists real estate developers, companies and nonprofit groups with various commercial matters, including leasing transactions, closing financing and managing contracts involving retail, office and industrial properties.
Ruiz obtained a Bachelor of Arts in environmental policy and international relations from Tulane University. Following two years of service in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua, she received her Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in 2016.
While in law school, Ruiz served as the senior articles editor of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, a member of the Tulane Environmental Law and the International Law societies, and as the logistics chair for the annual Law Summit on Environmental Law and Policy.
Ruiz was also the recipient of Tulane University’s C.J. Morrow Scholars Scholarship Award.
Luke Neder
Copeland, Stair, Valz & Lovell has elevated Neder from “of counsel” to “partner.” Neder is one of three recent partner elevations for the firm, which has offices in Atlanta, Charleston and Chattanooga.
Neder is a Chattanooga native. He focuses his practice on professional liability defense, commercial litigation, construction litigation, business litigation and transportation and motor carrier law.
He has experience defending architects, engineers and other design professionals in federal claims arising under the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. He also provides non-litigation support to his design professional clients.
Neder also represents and advises lawyers, accountants and other professionals in cases involving alleged professional negligence. His practice also includes defending general contractors in cases alleging defective construction in residential and commercial construction projects.
Finally, Neder has experience defending clients in personal injury matters involving catastrophic injury and death. He has defended trucking companies and truck drivers following serious automobile collisions, as well as national retail stores in slip-and-fall actions.