Kim Ebert, a veteran lawyer at the local office of Atlanta-based Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC, has been elected managing partner of the entire firm.

Ogletree Deakins has 470 lawyers in 37 locations nationwide, adding offices in Denver and Las Vegas in January.

Ebert

Ebert, 59, is just the fourth managing partner of the 33-year-old firm and the first to be elected who is not a founding member.

“It’s quite humbling,” he said. “It’s significant that someone outside the original group will be managing the firm.”

His tenure leading the firm could last up to six years. Managing partners at Ogletree Deakins can serve in that capacity until they’re 65 years old.

Ebert joined the local office upon its founding in 2000. It since has grown from nine to 32 lawyers.

The firm’s primary practice area is labor and employment law, a niche that seems to be holding up despite the challenging economy. Ogletree Deakins’ total revenue grew 5 percent to more than $200 million in 2009, Ebert said.

His responsibilities include overseeing the firm’s four-person board, as well as its compensation committee. He also will spend a large part of his time traveling to meet with clients and potential hires.

Ebert earned his bachelor’s degree from Wabash College in 1972 and his law degree from Indiana University in 1976.