Michelle LeGault was born and raised in Minnesota and moved to Atlanta in 1999. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and Anthropology from Luther College after spending her junior year in Montpellier, France. Michelle continued her pursuit of French language and literature by earning a Master of Arts in French at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. In 1999, Michelle earned her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, graduating summa cum laude. Michelle has litigated matters in juvenile, magistrate, superior, state and federal district courts throughout Georgia, as well as in the Georgia Court of Appeals. Her broad civil litigation experience includes child welfare and child custody, commercial real estate, construction defects, credit reporting and debt collection defense, labor and employment, municipal liability, personal injury defense, premises liability, professional negligence, restrictive covenant and trade secrets, and uninsured/underinsured motorist liability.

Michelle is authorized to practice law before all state courts in Georgia, as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Georgia.

Michelle resides in Decatur with her husband, Michael, and their two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, working out, practicing yoga, hiking, cooking, reading and traveling.

Originally from Macon, Georgia, Michael Becker moved to Atlanta in 2007 where he attended Georgia State University for college and law school, earning his Juris Doctorate in 2017. Michael immediately joined the defense bar after obtaining his law license and has defended individuals and businesses in civil litigation ever since. Michael has handled jury and bench trials, argued countless motions, won numerous dispositive motions, and written and won several appeals. He seeks and achieves favorable results for his clients through aggressive tactics, procedural acumen, hard work, and attention to detail.

Michael’s practice includes appellate advocacy, automobile liability, trucking, premises liability, coverage and declaratory judgment actions, products liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist defense, and wrongful death, among other areas. He is admitted to practice before every court in the State of Georgia including all federal and state trial and appellate courts.

Outside the courtroom, Michael spends his time in the great outdoors with his wife and children.

Kimberly B. Sheridan was born in Frankfurt, Germany where her father was serving in the Army. She grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, but left South Carolina to attend college in Georgia. She fell in love with the State of Georgia and stayed to pursue her life long goal of being an attorney. While attending law school at the University of Georgia, Kimberly worked in the Prosecution Clinic, a program that allowed her to try cases before graduating. Kimberly also participated in the Public Interest Practicum representing women and children who were abused and neglected. Both experiences created a passion for litigation and for being in the courtroom advocating vigorously for her clients.

Kimberly believes in the legal system and works hard to defend her clients’ rights with integrity, diligence and hard work. Kimberly has been a trial lawyer in Atlanta since receiving her Juris Doctorate degree in 1996. She began her legal career as criminal defense attorney and Plaintiff’s lawyer before becoming a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Offices in Fulton and Gwinnett counties providing her with tremendous experience litigating and trying cases. In 2001, Ms. Sheridan shifted from criminal law and applied her substantial experience in the courtroom to civil defense litigation. Kimberly has handled many jury and bench trials. She has defended and deposed numerous parties, witnesses, and experts and drafted and argued countless motions. Kimberly has also written and won many appellate arguments.

Kimberly Sheridan is the Managing Attorney for Vernis and Bowling of Atlanta, LLC. With two (2) decades of trial experience, she has developed a diverse litigation practice that includes automobile liability, premises liability (including slip & fall and negligent security), trucking litigation, products liability, employment defense and wrongful death. With an extensive knowledge of both the law and its practical application, Kimberly works with clients to resolve complex disputes per mediation, negotiated settlement, or trial resolution.  She is admitted to practice in Georgia and the U.S. District Courts in Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia.

Outside of work, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her husband and five children. Kimberly is an avid painter and has sold her paintings throughout Georgia.

Ian Neil Matthes was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree Political Science in 1994 and earned his J.D. from The University of Georgia School of Law in 1997. Ian serves as the Regional Managing Attorney and General Counsel for Vernis & Bowling. Ian provides operation management, support and services to all of the firm’s offices throughout the Southeast.

Ian was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1997, and is licensed to practice law before all state courts in Georgia. He is also licensed to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Georgia. For over 20 years, Ian has represented defendants in general liability, premises liability, automobile liability, bad faith/extra-contractual liability, commercial vehicle liability, insurance coverage, SIU/fraud (including first party arson/property claims and medical provider fraud), and UM/UIM liability matters. He also provides claims/litigation file audit services, and litigation management operations and process improvement consulting.

Ian previously served in-house with P&C insurance companies as a National Litigation Manager and Director of Litigation Management (AIG), managing litigation staff and procedures, as well as class actions and “Bad Faith” claims nationwide. With over 10,000 litigation matters under management, he was also responsible for final trial approval decisions in hundreds of cases per year. He regularly and proudly wears his “litigation management” and “home office insurance guy” hats while encouraging efficiency, communication, and delivery of timely results at the firm. This experience has also led to Ian serving as a speaker at numerous seminars throughout the nation, including at national insurance, litigation management and SIU conventions on topics including Premises Liability, Good Faith Claims Handling, Ethical Adjusting Practices, Personal Lines Litigation, SIU/Fraud Best Practices, Negotiation and Settlement Strategies, and Legislative and Case Law Updates.

Ian is a Founding Board Member and Past-President of the National Retail & Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA), was the Charter Board President of the Georgia Chapter of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII), and is a member of GDLA, DRI, CLM, ACA and numerous other litigation, claims, insurance and bar related organizations.

Ian and his wife, Stephanie, have two wonderful children, Charlotte (Charlie) and Harrison. Ian is an advocate for special needs children, raises money for Autism-related causes, and is a proud #AutismDad. His other interests include gardening, baking the best sourdough bread in the Southeast, cooking, and watching the UGA Bulldogs. He is always ready to share photos of his kids, plants, his 110+ varieties of fig trees, or why his hydroponic lettuce is better than anything you can buy.

Jeffrey Paul Raasch was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was raised in the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia with Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Government in 1979, where he played Varsity Football. After college, Jeff taught high school social studies near Richmond, Virginia, where he coached football, soccer and tennis.

Jeff earned his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1983. He was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1983. He served the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps as a Captain, and tried over 20 Court-Martials. While stationed at Hahn Air Force Base, in West Germany, he was a college instructor for the University of Maryland European Division.

He was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1985, and is licensed to practice law before all state courts in Georgia. Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling in 2005, Jeff was a Partner in the Atlanta firm of Seacrest, Karesh, Tate & Bicknese, litigating and trying cases in automobile liability, general liability, civil litigation, commercial vehicle liability, condominium and homeowners association litigation, garage liability, liquor liability, negligent security, product liability, property litigation, wrongful death, premises liability, common carrier liability, construction litigation, construction defect litigation, professional liability/E&O, environmental and toxic tort litigation, uninsured/underinsured motorist liability, declaratory judgment actions and insurance coverage issues. Jeff was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 2004, and currently represents clients in liability and workers’ compensation matters across Eastern Tennessee.

His wife, Christel, has been the Assistant Clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives for over 30 years. They have two sons, Chris and Will, who Jeff has coached in baseball, soccer and basketball.

Jeff has been awarded an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, indicating the highest level of skill and professionalism. He has tried over 25 civil jury trials, has won over 100 summary judgment motions, and has successfully defended and pursued numerous appeals on behalf of his clients.