About Emily
Emily is an experienced litigator recognized for her wide-ranging white-collar expertise, with notable strength in healthcare and securities cases as well as all types of government investigations. She also maintains a dynamic practice representing and strategically advising companies and individuals in complex civil litigation involving healthcare, business, and environmental litigation, as well as administrative and regulatory matters.
Her recent successes include representation of potential defendants in federal environmental, cybersecurity, crypto currency, medical billing, public corruption, export compliance, and tax fraud investigations. She also regularly negotiates business resolutions in complex civil cases with millions of dollars at stake, defends doctors, dentists, and nurses before state disciplinary and peer-review boards, and has helped students accused of academic, behavioral, and other infractions resolve situations with the administrative and academic conduct boards.
Notably, Emily recently defended the President of a company charged in an 8-count criminal environmental prosecution in a two-week jury trial. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi granted a judgment of acquittal on the Clean Water Act conspiracy charge and one other substantive Clean Water Act charge at the close of the Government’s case. After deliberating for three days, the jury failed to return any felony convictions. She also successfully negotiated a plea for a client facing up to thirty years in prison for federal wire and bank fraud charges resulting in a sentence of probation and home confinement.
Emily does not shy away from collaboratively working with her clients, opposing counsel, and government agencies to narrow issues and creatively negotiate resolutions, and believes many contentious situations can be improved or even resolved by sitting down face-to-face to work through tough questions. That same collaborative mindset and desire to help drive her activities outside the office where she spends significant time serving as the immediate past President of the Atlanta Bar Association, leader of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association’s Atlanta Chapter, and an enthusiastic mentor with UGA.
In addition to practicing law and working within the legal community, Emily is a driven entrepreneur. Over the past six years, she helped found and run two thriving Atlanta restaurants, Southern Belle and Georgia Boy, taking them from concept to Michelin Guide recommendation. In her spare time, she can usually be found spending time with her two handsome dogs, attending live music everywhere from Symphony Hall to the Buckhead Theater, or working on a jigsaw puzzle with friends.
Accolades
Chambers USA
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (2022-present).
Best Lawyers
Ones to Watch in America, Administrative/Regulatory Law; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Atlanta (2022-present).
Atlanta Business Chronicle
40 Under 40 (2023).
Georgia Super Lawyers
Rising Star (2022-2023).
Daily Report's Georgia Legal Awards
On the Rise (2022).
University of Georgia School of Law
Young Alumnae of Excellence Award (2022).
Catherine M. O’Neil Mentoring Award
Women’s White Collar Defense Association (2019).
What Her Clients Say
Finding Emily Ward to represent me was a game changer. She has been a real advocate for me and excellent in explaining all the processes to me.
She's good on her feet, incredibly so, and she is very good in front of a jury, and presenting herself in a trial setting.
She is collaborative, an amazing leader and has great insight into her cases. She is always willing to help.
We are extremely pleased with her professionalism, legal prowess, and knowledge of the issues and law as well as her work ethic, responsiveness and empathy. We are glad she was on our team. "She is collaborative, an amazing leader and has great insight into her cases. She is always willing to help.
She is a person that gets things done. She is tenacious, you give her a case and she gives it 1000% to ensure she does the best job she can for her clients.