Finch McCranie Attorney Oto Ekpo Selected for Leadership Dekalb Class of 2025

Atlanta, August 13, 2024—Finch McCranie is pleased to announce that Oto U. Ekpo has been selected as a member of the Leadership Dekalb Class of 2025. The leadership program convenes and connects leaders, informs them on matters vital to the county, and enhances their leadership skills. Candidates for the program are chosen from a competitive pool of nominees and embody the spirit of collaboration and community impact that define Leadership Dekalb.

Oto is one of 55 members of this year’s class, which represents a diverse array of backgrounds, industries, and roles. From seasoned executives to emerging leaders, their experiences span legal, economic development, education, government, healthcare, nonprofit, public safety, private business, and utilities.

Leadership DeKalb was founded by The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce in 1986 to educate community leaders and to address issues facing the growing population. In 1994, Leadership DeKalb became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since then, more than 1,600 community leaders have completed the program. Graduates of the program include CEOs of top public and private companies, as well as a large number of DeKalb’s elected officials, educators, judges, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and nonprofit leaders. This strengthened pipeline of talent immerses in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, thereby advancing quality of life in DeKalb County.

Oto is of counsel with Finch McCranie, a trial practice firm with a long history of success in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, whistleblower cases, and federal criminal cases in the white-collar area. She focuses her law practice on the representation of people catastrophically injured or killed due to the negligence of others. Oto and her colleagues regularly work on high-stakes cases arising from medical malpractice, violent crimes, negligent security, premises liability, and vehicle accidents, among other issues. Before entering private practice, she served as a prosecutor for 15 years in DeKalb and Fulton counties.

Oto is active in the Atlanta community. She was elected in 2023 to be a member of the Board of Governors, which controls and administers the affairs of the State Bar. Moreover, she proudly serves on the Executive Boards of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Junior League of DeKalb County. Additionally, Oto is a member of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and DeKalb Lawyers Association.

She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas and her law degree from Emory University School of Law.