Jeffrey A. Allred is a partner in the Atlanta office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, concentrating in corporate strategy, governance, acquisitions, and finance. From January 2007 to April 2008, he served as president and CEO of Griffeon Group LLC, a strategic advisory firm. From July 1997 through December 2006, Mr. Allred served as an executive officer, including seven years as president and COO and a member of the Board of Directors of Premiere Global Services, Inc. (NYSE: PGI), a $500M+ global provider of on-demand communications technologies. At Premiere, he was responsible, among other matters, for the execution of over 20 strategic business acquisitions and over 15 strategic venture capital investments. Prior to Premiere, Mr. Allred practiced corporate law as a partner in several nationally recognized firms, including Nelson Mullins. 

During his 30-year legal, business and strategic advisory career, Mr. Allred has gained extensive experience in strategic corporate development, including the interrelationship among strategic planning, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate organization and governance. As a business leader and as a legal and strategic counselor, Mr. Allred has led or advised businesses in a wide variety of industries on numerous matters, including public and private debt and equity financings, acquisitions, dispositions, venture investments, control contests, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance. 

Mr. Allred is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and is a former member of the Executive Committee of its Business Law section. Mr. Allred is a former member of the Executive Committee of Nelson Mullins and a founding partner of the Firm’s Atlanta office. In addition to Premiere Global Services, he has served on the Boards of Directors of several private technology companies and a private equity firm. Mr. Allred is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, is the past Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and serves or has served on boards of trustees, advisors, and capital committees of several other educational institutions and non-profit organizations in Georgia and North Carolina. Throughout his career, Mr. Allred has been an active speaker at numerous legal, business, and educational symposiums. 

A native of North Carolina, Mr. Allred received a BA, with highest honors (1976), a JD with honors (1980), and an MBA (1980), all from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In law school, he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as a member of the North Carolina Law Review.