Lisa Wade

Lisa A. Wade is a Swift Currie partner who defends employers in workers’ compensation matters when employees allege injuries on the job. As she regularly handles more than 100 matters in a year, she has garnered extensive experience confronting a wide range of complex challenges that can arise in a claim, including simple matters and seven-figure catastrophic claims alike.

Lisa understands the impact a claim can have on her clients’ bottom line, especially if it is not resolved quickly, and she works to provide cost-effective solutions – whether representing a Fortune 100 company or a small business that a workers’ compensation claim could bankrupt. She has represented a diverse range of clients, including insurers, school systems, hotels and hotel groups, furniture leasing companies, restaurant groups, manufacturers, food processing companies, municipalities and more. She currently is the lead defense counsel for the City of Atlanta’s workers’ compensation matters.

In addition to her workers’ compensation practice, Lisa also has represented clients in general insurance defense litigation. She has handled matters involving premises liability, automobile accidents and uninsured motorist defense litigation, products liability, slip-and-fall, coverage issues and property damage cases.

In her almost 30 years of counseling clients across a broad spectrum of industries, Lisa has become deeply familiar with the specific business needs, job duties and types of injuries that are unique to individual businesses. She provides legal counsel based on her clients’ individual needs and objectives to ensure efficient resolution when negotiating a settlement or litigating a claim.

In addition to her deep experience that provides an extensive understanding of clients’ businesses, Lisa serves as a trusted partner with her clients by ensuring close communications to establish valued personal and professional relationships. Her focus on client service ensures she fully understands clients’ needs and goals, and her extensive background handling every type of challenge in a workers’ compensation claim allows her to meet those goals. Lisa regularly provides training to her clients to keep them abreast of recent changes in the law and to respond to any issues her clients may have or experience in their cases.

Lisa is an established leader in workers’ compensation law. She formerly was the state liaison for the Defense Research Institute’s (DRI) Workers’ Compensation Committee and chair of the Outreach Subcommittee of the Diversity Committee. She is also the state co-chair for The Alliance of Women in Workers’ Compensation. She is a past chairperson for the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the City of Atlanta and the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia. She served five terms on the Fee Arbitration Committee of the State Bar of Georgia, and was the legal adviser to the Atlanta Board of Education’s Civil Service Commission, as well as a hearing officer for cases involving the termination of certificated employees.

Lisa co-chairs the firm’s Community Relations Committee and is a past member of the firm’s Diversity Committee. She also is a past co-chair of the Finance Committee.

Awards/Recognitions

• Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2005-2006
• Who's Who in Black Atlanta, 2005-present
• AV Preeminent^® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review

Memberships

• The Alliance of Women in Workers’ Compensation (Co-Chair)
• American Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability General Committee, Chair
• American Bar Association, General Committee Board Standing Committee
• Atlanta Bar Association
• Atlanta Claims Association
• Cascade United Methodist Church
• Defense Research Institute
• Junior League of Atlanta
• Kids' Chance of Georgia, Board Member
• Leadership Atlanta
• The Links, Azalea City (GA) Chapter
• State Bar of Georgia

Press Releases

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Thought Leadership

• American Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Midwinter conference, “Ethics and Professionalism Issues in the Workers’ Compensation: From Boardroom to Courtroom,” March 2018
• 2018 State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Education Conference, “The Insurance/Self-Insurance Claims Session, Panel Discussion,” August 27, 2018
• Ironwood’s Claims Strategy Roundtable, “How to Help Your Lawyer Get a Slam Dunk at Trial: Proper Investigations for Workers’ Compensation Claims,” March 22, 2019