Celesq® Presenters

Petrina Hall McDaniel is the office managing partner of the firm’s Atlanta office, co-leader of the Class Action & Multidistrict Litigation Practice, and vice chair of the firm’s global Advancing Women’s Task Force. Petrina specializes in high-stakes commercial cases and class action defense, including defending consumer and privacy class actions, with potential billions in exposure in state and federal courts across the country, including appellate and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) fora. Her practice encompasses marketing, privacy, consumer protection, deceptive trade practices, business torts, contract disputes, and regulatory matters across diverse industries including, retail, insurance, automotive, telecommunications, aviation, technology, healthcare and financial services, among others. 

Petrina’s record of accomplishment of securing dismissal of individual and class claims and negotiating favorable settlements has earned her recognition as a six-time Super Lawyers honoree in Business Litigation and Class Action Defense, Best Lawyers in America (2020-2023), and America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators. In an issue of first impression in the Eleventh Circuit, Petrina secured a first-in-nation ruling, creating precedent-setting law. 

Regarded as an “experienced and efficient legal tactician” who “provides legally comprehensive and business-oriented advice,” Petrina litigates and arbitrates all manner of company-critical litigation and helps clients navigate the rapidly evolving patchwork of federal privacy and consumer protection laws and their state analogs. Petrina has built a nationally recognized defense litigation practice under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and regularly serves as lead defense counsel in individual and class action litigation across the country, including in Georgia, California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and Indiana. 

Petrina also defends, counsels, and represents clients in matters relating to a myriad of consumer privacy statutes, including the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act, (FTSA), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Wiretap Act), California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), the Communications Decency Act (CDA), Michigan's Video Rental Privacy Act (VRPA), the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CAN-SPAM, among others. Petrina has extensive experience drafting and enforcing consumer arbitration provisions, privacy policies, and terms of use and creates consumer-facing marketing strategies to comply with federal regulations promulgated by the FCC and the FTC. Petrina was credentialed as a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and is a frequent author and speaker on consumer protection and privacy trends. 

In addition to litigation, Petrina has successfully defended numerous clients in investigations by states’ attorneys general and regulating agencies asserting unfair and deceptive practices claims. She has been first chair in an administrative trial, and has coordinated responses to civil investigative demands (CIDs), subpoenas and other investigatory inquiries. 

Petrina also advises on mitigating risks related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting and sustainability, including developing compliance and litigation strategies to reduce legal and reputational risks to businesses and their stakeholders. Working with a dedicated global cross-practice ESG group, Petrina helps devise solutions to address ESG risks and opportunities, and resolve ESG-related litigation, with an eye towards early dismissals or favorable negotiated resolutions.