Shayla Wright focuses her practice on resolving complex commercial disputes through litigation and arbitration. She represents clients across a variety of industries and across the Southeast.
She has experience advising on all stages of disputes ranging from responding to government investigations and crafting pre-litigation strategies to representing clients at trial, including managing large e-discovery issues and extensive motions. Specifically, Shayla has litigated and settled cases involving contract, fraud, real property, and intellectual property issues as well as shareholder and employment disputes for corporate and individual clients in the manufacturing, insurance, financial services, sports and entertainment, and technology industries, as well as for higher education institutions and real estate investment trusts (REITs). She has significant experience in federal and state courts, mediation, and arbitration.
For example, Shayla worked as a part of a team that successfully defended a leading global technology company in arbitration related to a claim of fraudulent inducement of a contract. The arbitrator ultimately awarded less than 1% of the $6 million the claimant sought in damages.
Shayla also advises on NCAA name, image, and likeness (NIL) issues. Her experience litigating commercial contract disputes helps her draft and negotiate contracts with stronger front-end protections. She has provided guidance to several stakeholders in college athletics, ranging from popular brands to Division I and II colleges and universities to student-athletes. She is a former senior captain of Georgia Tech's women's basketball team, and she was one of 60 student-athletes recognized as part of Georgia Tech's celebration of 60 years of Black excellence.
Shayla is a former summer associate in the City of Atlanta's Law Department, where she played a role in projects involving qualified immunity, employment discrimination, premises liability, and city contracts with movie production companies. She is also a former intern for Judge Richard W. Story of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Shayla received her law degree from the University of Georgia, and bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech. In addition to serving as captain of the basketball team, she was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board, a voting member of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association's board of trustees, and one of two Division I student-athletes selected to serve as a representative for the NCAA Women's Basketball Issues Committee.
Shayla is a Jacksonville, Florida, native. Outside of work, she enjoys coaching girls' basketball and spending time with her husband and two children.