Oliver Maner, an award-winning law firm providing complex and diverse legal services since 1897, is pleased to welcome three new associates to the firm: Kathryn T. Gathy, J. Ryan Beasley and Tayah Woodard. Gathy will serve as an associate in the firm’s litigation department and specifically focus her expertise in the areas of serious personal injury and medical malpractice defense. Beasley will serve as an associate in the firm’s business, estate planning and tax department and specifically focus his expertise in the areas of estate planning, probate and corporate law. Woodard will also serve as an associate in the firm’s litigation department and specifically focus her expertise in the areas of business litigation and personal injury defense.

KATHRYN T. GATHY

Originally from N.C., Gathy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of North Carolina in 2010 and a Juris Doctor from Western New England University, School of Law, graduating cum laude with a business concentration in May 2016. During law school, Gathy was a member of the Western New England Law Review, where she was the assistant managing editor of Volume 38. Upon completion of law school, Gathy completed a clerkship with the honorable judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut. Her experience includes personal injury, business, property, foreclosure, environment, and intellectual property law. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and is seeking admission to both Connecticut and South Carolina under the Uniform Bar. In addition, Gathy is currently completing her master's in business administration from Western New England University.

J. RYAN BEASLEY

Prior to joining Oliver Maner, Beasley spent two-years in private practice following a two-year judicial clerkship with the Honorable Lamar W. Davis, Jr., in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia.  During law school, Beasley interned in the general counsel’s office of EnergySolutions, an international nuclear services company, in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Prior to attending law school, he worked seven years for Southern Nuclear, Southern Company’s nuclear energy operating company. Originally from Sylvania, Ga., Beasley graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Georgia.  He went on to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology where he received a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in thermal sciences, fluid flow, and energy systems. After his stint with Southern Nuclear, he returned to the University of Georgia where he graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor.

TAYAH WOODARD

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Woodard is rejoining Oliver Maner after clerking with the firm in the summer of 2016. She earned her Juris Doctor from The University of Georgia School of Law this past May 2017, graduating cum laude. Prior to attending law school, Woodard graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Tennessee. While in law school, she served on the Moot Court Board as competitions chair, winning first place and best brief at the 39th Annual J. Braxton Craven National Moot Court Competition in Chapel Hill, N.C. She was later awarded the Kerry Harike Joedecke Award for Excellence – Outstanding Moot Court Board Member. Woodard was also a notes editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and served as treasurer of the Student Bar Association while completing externships at The Home Depot and The Coca-Cola Company.