Alonzo Llorens is an accomplished attorney, speaker, and author. He values the role that Gwinnett Chamber members play in creating balance among work and living communities in our fast-growing area. Llorens is currently a partner at Parker Poe, a dynamic legal firm with eight offices across the Southern United States, including Atlanta. With an extensive background in corporate law, Llorens represents clients of all sizes across diverse sectors, including technology, real estate, finance, sports and entertainment, and he focuses on building a trusted relationship with each client.
Llorens began his career as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Honors Program and later the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., where he worked closely with companies that were navigating initial public offerings (IPOs), mergers or acquisitions. This experience made a lasting impact on him. “I noticed two key things,” he says. “The IPO process is a transformational moment for the founders as generational wealth is created. Second, very few minority-owned companies go public.”
This realization ignited his passion to empower minority-owned businesses with the knowledge and tools to pursue the IPO path if they so choose. “I help them understand what it means to go public, the process and how to get there,” says Llorens. “The diversity piece is important to me, and it’s one aspect that drew me to Parker Poe where I’m allowed to use my skills in a way that can also fulfill my personal passion.”
Llorens moved to historic Norcross in the late 1990s at the height of the tech boom. “I moved here while working with tech companies and fell in love with Gwinnett County. I’ve been able to integrate into the community the way I’d hoped for, and it’s been professionally rewarding,” he notes.
Networking for Growth and Impact
Throughout his distinguished career, Llorens has been active with multiple professional organizations and says the Gwinnett Chamber and the Chairman’s Club stand out because of the people. “This is a welcoming group where the members are eager to meet one another, who want you to be part of the business ecosystem and want to see how we can help each other,” he says. “Gwinnett County is a launching point for businesses of all sizes in all stages of development across industries. The Gwinnett Chamber has a big hand in how that operates.”
In addition, Llorens is deeply committed to community service. He has served as board chairman for the First Choice Credit Union, which represents 10,000 members, many of whom are employees, doctors and nurses who work at Grady Hospital. He also chaired the board of Ron Clark Academy, an innovative middle school in Southeast Atlanta that also functions as a training ground for educational professionals from across the globe. Llorens’ community involvement also extends to organizations like the Atlanta Business League, the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council and the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
A sought-after speaker, Llorens enjoys sharing insights that demystify corporate financing. “I try to educate businesses about corporate financing — what it entails, how to go about it — to help them achieve long-term growth,” he says.
Llorens also has authored financial articles, legal guides and even a political thriller novel, which he wrote in the early 1990s. At that time, he noticed prominent attorneys like John Grisham writing novels. Inspired, he penned a political thriller involving influential people in Washington, D.C., using power and money to manipulate the system to elect the first African American president. When Llorens pitched his political thriller to publishing agents, he was told the plot was “not plausible.” But upon President Obama’s election in 2008, viewpoints on his book changed, and “The Mirror” was published. To this day, it continues to sell and has earned Llorens speaking opportunities from many groups including the Congressional Black Caucus.
Optimism for the Future
As Gwinnett County continues growing, Llorens is enthusiastic about being part of the vibrant business community. “I’m excited to continue building relationships in Gwinnett County,” he says. “That’s a core part of my approach and Parker Poe’s approach. To serve our community and clients, it all starts with building trusted relationships, and the Gwinnett Chamber is an important part of that.”