Despite not having any lawyers in her family, law firm partner Marla Butler was determined to make her mark in the legal field. Her passion for litigation led her to significant opportunities early in her career, where she found herself comfortable and successful in the courtroom. However, her journey was not without its challenges. Marla, current Thompson Hine Executive Committee member and former Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Atlanta Office, shares her journey through the highs and lows of her legal career, including the impact of losing her first major case and how it ultimately became a turning point for her professional growth. She and Rebecca Glatzer discuss the importance of resilience, the power of maintaining a positive outlook, and the lessons learned from overcoming setbacks.
Marla Butler is a member of the Executive Committee of Thompson Hine and former Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Atlanta office. She represents clients in the medical, semiconductor, power, networking and other high-tech industries in high-stakes commercial litigations, arbitrations, and trials. She helps clients proactively take on commercial threats, monetize their patent assets and defend against lawsuits that threaten their businesses.
Among other recognitions, Marla has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2023-2025 for Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Intellectual Property; named the Best Lawyers® 2025 Litigation – Intellectual Property “Lawyer of the Year” for Atlanta; recognized as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation (2020-2024); selected to the Georgia Super Lawyers list; named by IAM 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners as a “Recommended Individual for Litigation and Licensing;” named one of the “Top 250 Women in IP” by Managing Intellectual Property; recognized by Law360 as a “Minority Powerbroker;” and selected for inclusion in Lawyers of Color’s Nation’s Best in 2020.
A leader in the Atlanta area and in professional litigation circles, Marla frequently provides pro bono representation. In one of her most significant recent matters, she worked with Lambda Legal to represent an incarcerated transgender woman who was denied medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria, obtaining a ruling believed to be the first to find that freeze-frame policies (blanket bans on providing hormone treatment to transgender individuals who were not receiving such treatment prior to incarceration) are unconstitutional.
Active in the community, Marla is currently on the boards of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and of the LGBTQ+ Division of the National Bar Association. She is a former board member of Lambda Legal. Marla earned her B.A. degree from Cleveland State University and her J.D. from Florida State University.
