Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Business & Commercial Disputes

Partner - Litigation and Investigations

Luke Lantta helps companies and individuals resolve private wealth, business, and reputational disputes inside and outside the courtroom. Luke advocates for clients in a wide-range of industries and professions both in the trial courts and in the appellate courts.

TRUST, ESTATE & FIDUCIARY LITIGATION

Luke is a trusted fiduciary litigator and advisor. He helps financial institutions and individuals navigate a wide range of fiduciary disputes, including trust, estate, and probate disputes. Luke has helped corporate and individual fiduciaries resolve breach of fiduciary duty claims, matters of will and trust construction, will caveats, actions for removal of trustees and executors, competency claims, and actions for trust modification and termination. When assets held in trust become involved in divorces, he has helped parties and non-parties pulled into these family disputes. In addition, Luke regularly counsels corporate fiduciaries with respect to the exercise of their duties, including administration of client relationships, the exercise of discretionary powers, and management of litigation risks.

Luke is a frequent author and speaker on matters of trust, estate, and fiduciary disputes.

COMPLEX BUSINESS LITIGATION

While Luke’s practice has an emphasis on fiduciary disputes, he also represents individuals and businesses in traditional complex commercial disputes. Here, he helps clients navigate high value, complex disputes, including those that arise out of mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions, particularly breaches of representations and warranties and indemnification obligations. In cases where continuing a business relationship may no longer work, Luke has helped businesses, their members, and their contractual partners end the relationship either amicably or through litigation.

REPUTATION PROTECTION

Luke also helps clients protect their brands and manage their reputations online and in traditional media. When clients’ brands are under attack, he has unmasked anonymous Internet posters and held them to account for their postings, obtained retractions, and obtained significant monetary judgments and settlements. When clients are accused of damaging another individual or company’s brand, Luke has helped aggressively defend against a wide range of claims, including libel, slander, assault, invasion of privacy and media law claims. He also provides brand protection counseling, such as advising clients on risk management in establishing, expanding, or modifying their online presences.

PRO BONO FAMILY VIOLENCE WORK

Luke has a considerable pro bono practice. In addition to representing high net worth individuals and companies, he also represents indigent individuals. He administers and participates in a project between BCLP and the Cobb Justice Foundation where nearly every month lawyers in the Firm’s Atlanta office represent survivors of family violence in temporary protective order hearings. This project – which Luke established – has protected hundreds of women and children and helped obtain thousands of dollars in financial resources for the survivors.

APPEALS

Luke regularly appears in Georgia’s appellate courts and also has handled appeals outside of Georgia. His appellate practice has shaped Georgia fiduciary law on in terrorem clauses and trustees’ duties.

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT & HONORS Atlanta Legal Aid Society – President of the Board of Directors Catherine Vandenberg Advocate for Victims of Domestic Violence Award, 2021 Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Cobb “Legacy of Leadership” Award, 2016 Atlanta Legal Aid Society “Extraordinary Pro Bono Service” Award, 2016 Leadership Cobb, Class of 2016 Fulton County Daily Report, “On the Rise” Award, 2014 Georgia Rising Star (2011-2018) Cobb Justice Foundation PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS Atlanta Bar Association – Estate Planning & Probate Section Cobb County Bar Association Lawyers Club of Atlanta Bleckley Inn of Court, Barrister (2009-2011) State Bar of Georgia – Fiduciary Law Section