Top best C Lawyers in Atlanta | 6215 available

My background as a felony  prosecutor for 12 years and then a Judge for 10 years gives me a unique level of experience to handle criminal defense cases.  I have a very good idea of what the prosecutor is planning as well as what the judge is expecting in all types of criminal cases.. As a Judge, I presided over the Family Violence and Stalking TPO 12 Month Hearing Calendars almost weekly for 10 years. Now in private practice, I enjoy using that expertise by representing clients in their TPO hearings in various Georgia counties.. I will always show compassion to each client and work my hardest to get the absolute best outcome that I can.

Musa M. Ghanayem, attended University of Wisconsin Milwaukee where he majored in Criminal Justice and Philosophy.  After college Musa attended Law School at Michigan State University College of Law, where he was a Dean's List member every semester, and a Cum Laude graduate. Musa was also a member of the Michigan State University School of Law, Moot Court Board where was awarded the honor of, "Best Oralist," and was selected to represent The College of Law in a National Competition. Musa is licensed to practice in Georgia and New York and has been involved in a variety of areas of Legal Practice. As a 1st year associate Musa was a senior associate in a complex commercial litigation and Qui Tam boutique law firm. After two years as an associate, he realized his passion as an advocate for civil rights, human rights, and the protection of the Constitution. In 2002 Musa joined the office of the Fulton County Public Defender, excelling quickly and earning the award for "Employee of The Quarter."  Musa was later appointed as an Assistant District Attorney where he prosecuted all felony cases ranging from possession of Drugs to Murder, Musa was then appointed to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Team (H.I.D.T.A.), which is a joint State and Federal program to prosecute major drug crimes.  In 2007 Musa Started his own practice and is in 2012 became a founding member of Ghanayem & Rayasam, LLC. Musa has handled many high profile cases, which were profiled on Dateline NBC, CNN, New York Times, New York Post, The Atlanta Journal Constitution and many other media sources.  Musa has received national recognition for his representation of Sheriff Victor Hill and the ultimate acquittal of the Sheriff on all alleged counts of the indictment. Musa has been selected as one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Attorneys, the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 and Top 10 under 40 by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys. Musa focuses his practice on Criminal Defense, Political Advisory, and Civil Rights. Musa has represented politicians, elected officials, musicians, and many other High Profile Cases. Musa serves as the Legal Adviser for two 501(c) 3, Non-for-Profit organizations, and sits on the board of both.. Musa was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and still proudly roots for The Green Bay Packers.

Ms. Savannah Steele is a native of Central Florida, growing up in the Space Coast.  While in High School, Savannah began volunteering for the State Attorney’s Office in the 18th Judicial Circuit through their Prosecution Alternative for Youth Program where she was able to advocate for other teens in a juvenile diversion program. She has been dedicated to the practice of law ever since.  She is a graduate of the Florida State University where she received a B.A. in Communications and a B.A. in Psychology.  At Florida State, Savannah was well known and distinguished from her peers in her dedication to giving back to the local community through service.. She next graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University earning her J.D. and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, being trained in both the civil and common law. While in law school, Savannah served on the Student Bar Association for two years, as the Governor for the 13th District of the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, and as the President of the Public Interest Law Society. She was awarded the Law Student Pro Bono award by the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Outstanding Clinical Student Award by the Clinical Legal Education Association, the Chancellor’s Scholar Award, the Chancellor’s Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award as well as three CALI awards for Academic Excellence.. Following graduation, Savannah moved to Atlanta and worked for a general practice litigation firm, where she specialized in family law practice, and has now been practicing exclusively in family law since 2015.  Savannah has served as an Emerging Leader for the American Bar Association, on the Law Day Team as well as the Membership Project Team.  In addition, Savannah served at the District Justice for the 17th District of Phi Alpha Delta, Law Fraternity International from 2015 - 2020.

Ms. Salmeh Fodor, Esq., is a founding member of KF Law, LLC, with over 25 years of legal experience. She is a skilled divorce attorney specializing in divorce, custody, and child support cases. Ms. Fodor provides personalized representation, balancing compassion with assertiveness to meet her clients’ needs. She tailors her approach to each case, pursuing amicable resolutions when possible or aggressive litigation when necessary.. Ms. Fodor’s financial expertise distinguishes her from other attorneys. Before practicing law, she worked as a stockbroker and financial advisor with Prudential Securities, Inc. and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. This experience enables her to uncover hidden assets, assess net worth, and navigate complex financial matters in divorce cases. Beyond family law, she also advises clients on business and securities law.. Ms. Fodor graduated with honors, Cum Laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, excelling in academics and trial competitions. She has clerked for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Judge Marvin Shoob. A Member in Good Standing of the State Bars of Georgia and Arizona, Ms. Fodor is active in legal and community organizations, holding leadership roles and mentoring new attorneys.

Ms. Saedi is a partner at Saedi Law Group, where she concentrates her practice in all areas of bankruptcy law. Ms. Saedi offers clients quality legal services in all aspects of federal bankruptcy law, and is committed to providing personal attention and affordable solutions to each and every client’s financial obstacles.. Prior to starting Saedi Law Group, LLC, Ms. Saedi was a founding partner of the consumer bankruptcy firm of Saedi & Wells, LLC for eight years. Prior to that Ms. Saedi worked as a corporate attorney representing technology companies on a variety of issues. Ms. Saedi was responsible for drafting corporate technology policies, preparing domestic and international license agreements and assisting companies with day to day counseling on all business related matters.. Ms. Saedi has tried numerous matters before the bankruptcy courts in the Northern District of Georgia involving creditor actions to enforce foreclosure sales, debtor’s objections to creditor claims, motions for sanctions regarding creditor abuse and various other matters. Ms. Saedi has also been a lecturer on bankruptcy issues and speaks to community and corporate groups regarding debt management, bankruptcy and asset protection.. Ms. Saedi is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, American Bankruptcy Lawyer Institute, and American Bar Association. She is a volunteer with the International Refugee Committee and the Special Olympics of Georgia.

Ms. Sadow was appointed to serve on the Public Education Committee of the Chairman’s Advisory Council of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation in 1998. She served in that capacity for 15 years. She has been actively involved with Kids' Chance, Inc. and served on its Board of Directors for eight years. Ms. Sadow is proud to be a member of WILG - Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group. WILG is a national non-profit organization dedicated to representing the interests of millions of workers and their families who suffer the consequence of workplace injuries and illnesses each year and need legal assistance to obtain medical care and other relief under state workers’ compensation programs.. Susan very much enjoys the mountains, outdoor activities, and chasing after her adorable dog, Sasha, who is now the unofficial firm mascot.

Ms. Moran is an associate in the Employee Benefits Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. Her practice is comprised of all aspects of executive compensation and qualified pension and welfare benefit plan legal work.

Ms. Kresky is a partner at Law Office of Caroline Kresky where she represents high net worth individuals in complex domestic relations matters (divorce, equitable division, custody, modifications, paternity, legitimation, grandparent rights, domestic violence, contempt, post-divorce litigation, and trust/estate litigation).  She also drafts and litigates pre and post nuptial agreements. She has substantial experience in the management of complex and high dollar business and intellectual property litigation.. She has been lead counsel in a wide variety of cases. She has first chair jury and non-jury experience and has handled numerous mediations and arbitrations.. Ms. Kresky has written, edited, taught, and spoken on family law matters, discovery and civil procedure issues, and torts.. Ms. Kresky graduated cum laude from Emory University School of Law where she was elected to Order of the Coif. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Colby College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a masters degree in political science at Columbia University before entering law school.. Ms. Kresky has enjoyed an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell for more than 25years.  She currently has a 5 out of 5 rating.  Reviews from a judge say, "Outstanding professional; ethical and brillant." Another review notes "Excellent legal skills, good mentor, have referred work to her on several occasions."  Ms. Kresky is also a Superlawyer and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite Lawyer.

Mr. Warncke received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude, at Georgia State University in 1988.  He received his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, Cum Laude, in 1991.  While in law school, Mr. Warncke was selected as one of three students to represent UGA in the American College of Trial Lawyers National Moot Court Competition.  The three member team took second place  nationwide in brief writing.  The team also advanced to the quarter finals in the national oral argument competition in New York City.. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Warncke began working as an associate at Dietrick, Evans, Scholz & Williams, and became partner on January 1, 1998.  In 2011, Mr. Warncke became a name partner in Evans, Scholz, Williams & Warncke, LLC.. Mr. Warncke has developed a niche representing insurance policyholders in claims involving long term disability, life insurance, and health insurance arenas.  He has handled hundreds of claims under both federal ERISA law and under Georgia state bad faith insurance law.   He is frequently invited to lecture and write professionally in his field of expertise, and is routinely associated by other attorneys to assist them in this highly complex legal environment.. Mr. Warncke’s practice also includes handling serious personal injury claims arising from work-related accidents, automobile collisions, and tractor trailer collisions.

Mr. Van Sant focuses his practice on representing individuals who have suffered injuries through the fault of others, including car and truck accidents, motorcycle wrecks, tractor trailer accidents, nursing home neglect and wrongful death cases.  Mr. Van Sant is an experienced trial lawyer who has received many accolades and has been nationally recognized as one of the best personal injury trial lawyers in the country.

Mr. Thomas received his law degree from Emory University School of Law. He also received his bachelors degree, cum laude, in political science from the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY).. Mr. Thomas is a former Assistant Federal Defender for the Middle District of Alabama (Montgomery). As a federal defender, Mr. Thomas handled serious felony cases ranging from white collar crime to drug and firearm cases where defendants were facing life sentences. Prior to this, he was an Assistant Public Defender for the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia (Savannah), where he exclusively handled felony cases and served as lead attorney on jury trials.. Mr. Thomas was also formerly a plaintiff's attorney on Wall Street at Pelton & Graham in New York, where he litigated class action law suits to recover overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Prior to working on Wall Street, Mr. Thomas was a Judicial Clerk at the EEOC for the Honorable Donna N. Dawson, Supervisory Administrative Judge, and drafted opinions on behalf of Judge Dawson ruling on Title VII discrimination claims.. Mr. Thomas has been studying Spanish for seven years, and is intermediate in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish. He enjoys conversing with his latino clients in Spanish, and is working towards eventually becoming fluent in Spanish.

Mr. Solomiany has worked as a trial attorney exclusively in the area of family law and is trained as a trial attorney and a collaborative lawyer. Mr. Solomiany provides representation in all areas of family law, with an emphasis on high-income divorce cases, cases involving corporate entities, prenuptial agreements, and interstate child support and custody matters.Over the years, Mr. Solomiany has represented in family law matters numerous athletes, entertainers, professionals and executives from Fortune 500 Companies. Mr. Solomiany has appeared in numerous radio and television programs to discuss family law issues and is a frequent lecturer in both state and national family law seminars.

Mr. Slipakoff’s principal areas of concentration include venture capital, corporate transactions and mergers and acquisitions.  From 2004-2014, Mr. Slipakoff co-founded two thriving mid-sized law firms in Atlanta where he headed the corporate law departments:. From 2008–2014, Mr. Slipakoff was a founding member of Busch, Slipakoff & Schuh, LLP and head of the firm’s Corporate Transactions practice group. The firm has approximately 50 attorneys and four. From 2004–2008, Mr. Slipakoff co-founded Taylor, Busch, Slipakoff & Duma, LLP, now Taylor English, LLP, a thriving mid-sized firm in Atlanta with over 120. From 1999–2004 Mr. Slipakoff served as senior corporate associate at BryanCave, LLP.  BryanCave LLP is a leading business and litigation firm with more than 1,000 attorneys in 24 worldwide offices including the United States, Europe and Asia.. Mr. Slipakoff has served as General Counsel for Razor Insights, LLC from its inception in 2010 through its sale to athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN) on January 13, 2015.  athenahealth has a market capitalization of $5.3 billion and is a leader in billing and clinical-related software services to medical practices in the United States.. Mr. Slipakoff has served as General Counsel for UniPro Foodservice, Inc. since 2004.  UniPro is the world’s largest foodservice distribution organization with over $64 billion in combined sales by 750 member companies in 900 locations. UniPro is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mr. Reeves is from Newnan, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in both Criminal Justice and Political Science. He then graduated from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School in 2010 after taking a year off to work at Hawkins, Parnell & Young, LLC in the Asbestos and Products Liability Litigation Divisions.. Tracy began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Coweta Judicial Circuit. There he helped in establishing the Gang Intelligence Network as well as training prosecutors and law enforcement officers in investigating and prosecuting gang cases. Tracy was also the head of the Coweta Child Protocol that aided in the investigation and prosecution of allegations of child physical and sexual abuse. Tracy then moved to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office where he served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney in both the Trial Line Division and the Sexual Exploitation and Crimes Against Children Unit.. Mr. Reeves utilizes this experience to ensure that your rights will be protected in every aspect of your case; from arrest to trial. Capital cases, gang cases and child cases demand specialized skills, training and experience to defend due to the complicated nature of these cases. Mr. Reeves has successfully resolved cases from traffic citations to murder. Every client and case are important to Mr. Reeves and he remains accessible throughout the process.

Mr. Lowery has a broad range of litigation experience on the defense side in a number of areas, including personal injury, products liability, professional liability, insurance, and trademark and unfair business practices disputes. He is a regular faculty member for the Atlanta College of Trial Advocacy and the NITA trial programs.

Mr. Jeffery Saxby is a Partner in the Atlanta office. Mr. Saxby has more than 15 years’ court staff and law firm experience, primarily in the areas of complex business litigation, banking and financial services litigation and labor and employment litigation. Mr. Saxby has advised and represented a wide variety of large and small corporations throughout the United States, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-up businesses. Mr. Saxby has litigated a broad range of disputes in local, state and federal courts and before arbitration panels, including:. Mr. Saxby received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Morehouse College in 1995 with a concentration in corporate finance and a minor in economics. Mr. Saxby attended the College of Law of Georgia State University, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1998. Mr. Saxby completed a Judicial Clerkship with the State Court of Fulton County from 1998 to 2000.

Mr. Gunnels is the founding member of The Gunnels Law Firm, LLC in Atlanta.  Mr. Gunnels graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Business Management in 1999, and from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2002, with honors. While at Alabama, he served as a Senior Editor and Treasurer for the Alabama Law Review and won several awards for skill in oral advocacy in competition with the Environmental Moot Court Team. He was also inducted into the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society and elected by his peers to serve as an Associate Justice on the University of Alabama’s Honor Court. Mr. Gunnels has extensive experience handling a wide variety of general liability matters. He has successfully resolved cases involving wrongful death, personal injury, construction defect, premises liability, mass torts and products liability. Over the years he has represented individuals, small businesses, and top Fortune 500 companies.  He now concentrates solely on plaintiff's personal injury cases, including motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, slip/trip and falls, and wrongful death.  Mr. Gunnels prides himself on being a trial lawyer and regularly tries personal injury cases to verdict.. Mr. Gunnels is licensed to practice law in Georgia and Florida. He has an "AV Preeminent" rating by Martindale-Hubbell and was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine from 2014-2017.

Mr. Evans has practiced personal injury law for over forty (40) years in Atlanta, Georgia.  Mr. Evans holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell the highest rating awarded from this pretigious legal directory.. Since 1980 Mr. Evans has represented injured people in Metro Atlanta and throughout Georgia in automobile collisions, tractor-trailer collisions, and other roadway collision injuries.  Mr. Evans practice emphasizes representing individuals injured as a result of another's negligence.  Mr. Evans has successfully litigated, tried to jury, and settled catastrophic injury cases for his clients involving tractor-trailer collisions, vehicular collisions, premises, liability injuries, elevator-escalators, trip and falls, and various other negligence claims.

Mr. Clapp is a frequent lecturer on the bankruptcy law circuit, actively attends bankruptcy seminars, and has trained many lawyers in consumer bankruptcy. He is also an experienced civil litigator who had been lead counsel in hundreds of lawsuits in Georgia state and federal courts, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Mr. Clapp was lead attorney in several cases of first impression in the Northern District of Georgia and stands on the cutting edge of bankruptcy representation and innovation.. CMC Law’s knowledge, experience, and success in consumer bankruptcy and litigation represents a lifelong dedication to helping people and families suffering in financial turmoil. Contact us today so we can put our experience and understanding to work for you.

Moses Kim is the Founding Partner of The Moses Firm, LLC, and represents individuals and families in serious personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, and medical malpractice cases.  Moses has always been committed to excellence in his representation of his clients and, as a result, has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of Georgia’s Legal Elite and by Super Lawyers Magazine and has earned a “Preeminent” rating by Martindale-Hubbell and a “10/10” Avvo rating.. Moses graduated from Emory University where he majored in Political Science and served as the President of the Student Government Association.  He then attended and graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, NC, where he served as the Chief Justice of the Moot Court team.  He received various honors in law school, including being inducted into the Order of the Barristers.  As an attorney, he has been recognized for his service to the community in Atlanta as an Outstanding Atlanta honoree and a LEAD Atlanta graduate.

Molly Hiland Parmer is an accomplished criminal defense attorney with experience in both state and federal court. She was born and raised in Chicago and has lived in the Atlanta area for the past 25 years. She graduated with high honors from Georgia Tech, earning a Bachelor of Science in 2004. After college, she taught special education in Atlanta Public Schools. Molly was named a Robert Woodruff Fellow – the highest honor bestowed on an incoming student – at Emory University School of Law, where she received a full-ride scholarship. After graduating with honors from law school, she worked as a public defender in DeKalb County. She tried a number of cases in DeKalb, including a murder trial that resulted in a not guilty verdict. She joined the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Georgia as a trial attorney in 2015. There, she defended those accused of drug trafficking, international money laundering, war crimes, violations of human rights, firearms violations, immigration offenses, child pornography, and allegations of white collar crime, to name a few. She is a graduate of the Bill Daniels Trial Academy, the National College of Criminal Defense, and the White Collar Crime College presented by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She teaches Trial Techniques and Legal Professionalism at Emory Law, has presented seminars on criminal defense for Lawyers for Equal Justice and the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and presently serves on the board for the Georgia Innocence Project.

Mitchell Benjamin is a partner at DeLong, Caldwell, Bridgers, Fitzpatrick, & Benjamin, LLC with 26 years of experience. Mitchell was born and raised in New York City and began his practice in NYC.. Mitchell focuses primarily on the practice areas of wage and hour law and commercial litigation He has represented more than a thousand employees in a variety of employment-related disputes involving retaliation, unpaid overtime, minimum wages, sexual harassment, and discrimination claims based on race, age, gender, national origin and disability in both the state and federal courts.. He is dedicated to the unique interests of each individual, business, and union that comes to him for help. Mitchell applies his mediation skills to resolve claims by settlement and agreement when possible. However, he is ready to aggressively litigate cases in court when necessary to achieve justice.. Mitchell frequently represents public safety officers — such as police, firefighters, corrections officers, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics — in overtime cases brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in addition to handling their grievances, appeals, and civil service hearings. He also represents firefighter unions in the Georgia counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Rockdale, and Coweta. In 2008, Mitchell represented more than 600 City of Atlanta police officers in an overtime lawsuit, resulting in a $7,500,000 settlement. In 2013, Mitchell won a $2.6 million jury verdict in a single employee race discrimination case.. Because of his extensive knowledge of labor laws, several proactive businesses and public entities have retained Mitchell’s services to review their overtime and wage policies for compliance issues and to recommend important changes.. Mitchell has appeared as a guest on The Layman’s Lawyer on PBS.

Mission:. At its core, an injury is personal. At Gilormo Injury Law, we’re injury attorneys with decades of experience. We’re here to fight for you and act as your voice that deserves to be heard, cared for, and compensated fairly. Our purpose is to listen, offer honest advice, and ultimately win for you.. About Amber:. While I’ve never fit the ‘typical’ lawyer mold, my dedication to people and justice have always been driving forces throughout my life.. I was raised by a hard-working single mother in a small coastal town in South Texas. Early on, I understood how much more difficult daily life becomes when it’s coupled with hardship. Throughout law school I struggled to relate to peers whose backgrounds were far different than mine. What became clear to me in time was that my purpose as a lawyer was to be an advocate. While some lawyers will stand up for anybody and anything, I believe my mission is to stand up for those who truly need help. Every day I stand up for my clients when insurance companies try to intimidate them or wear them down after they are injured because of somebody else’s negligence.. Before founding Gilormo Injury Law, I cut my teeth at a nationally recognized personal injury firm and was trained by some of the most tenured injury attorneys in Georgia. In my career I’ve worked to win hundreds of clients six- and seven-figure results--recovering tens of millions of dollars.. People who know me personally know me to be a compassionate person. That’s one of the reasons I chose to specialize in personal injury – I empathized with the pain, frustration, confusion, and anger that preventable accidents can cause. The sense of compassion I feel for my clients has only expanded since I welcomed my first child eight years after I began my career in law. Watching my kids reminds me that every single person on this planet was a defenseless child at some point. Trying to go up against big insurance companies with deep pockets can make people feel just as defenseless, as well as confused and overwhelmed. I’ve made it my job to protect my clients from insurance companies that would take advantage of their vulnerability.. Having my heart and world expand to hold my son and daughter, I’ve also experienced the fear and trauma of watching my children get injured. As a parent, seeing your child in pain and knowing you can’t take it away is one of the most helpless feelings there is. So many children are injured because companies and businesses fail to implement the necessary safeguards to protect them. When preventable injuries happen to children, it is a parent’s innate right to demand justice for them. That’s why I’ve dedicated a large portion of my practice to focus on fighting for justice for children who have been injured.. About Our Firm + Services:. Our Atlanta boutique firm specializes in automobile accidents, slip and fall and other premises cases, wrongful death cases, child injuries, and cases of daycare and nursing home negligence.. We understand that personal injuries don’t just impact your quality of life — they affect your family, community, and career. They make the future feel unknown. Our goal is for you to be able to focus on getting back to your former self while we focus on holding defendants and insurance companies accountable.. To us, you are never just a case number. As our client, you’re our number one priority. We know you have questions, and we’re here to give you real answers — what you can expect, the possible outcomes, and how much it will cost. We relentlessly fight for anyone who might be offered less for their injuries than they deserve, and always offer straightforward legal advice and strategy. Regardless of the size or scale of your case, we will be your advocate.. As a principle, we don’t settle cases where our firm receives more money than our client. Our mission isn’t driven by our own financial gain, but by our passion for helping our clients. We want to see every single one of our clients recover fully after an accident - physically, emotionally, and financially. Unlike many large personal injury firms that will charge excessive fees even when a case is presuit, we accept all personal injury cases on a fair contingency fee basis. In other words, you will not pay any fees or costs until we win your case. The only way we make money is by making money for you.

Mike began his practice in Atlanta in 1982 and had a defense practice for his first six years. In January 1989, he joined Pope, Kellogg, McGlamry, Kilpatrick & Morrison, the predecessor to Pope McGlamry. Since 1989, Mike has represented individuals and entities that have been injured, damaged or otherwise harmed by others.. Mike is and has been active representing plaintiffs in personal injury, wrongful death, products and pharmaceutical liability, class actions and mass torts actions that have resulted in verdicts or settlements approaching a billion dollars. Many of these cases were the first such cases in the nation and many involved innovative, ground-breaking legal strategies. He and his partners have long been recognized both in Georgia and nationally as a go-to firm that will take on the most challenging cases and opposition.. In the last few years, Mike has focused on mass tort litigation and has served in leadership roles in several national, high profile, injury cases.  Mike has served in leadership roles in the following:. Mike lecturers frequently at AAJ, GTLA and the State Bar of Georgia. In addition, Mike serves on several rules related committees of the Georgia Bar.. Mike and his wife Anne, have 3 beautiful and talented daughters, Caroline, Kate and Elizabeth. In his spare time, Mike remains active athletically; serves as an active member of Haygood United Methodist Church; and supports all things Wake Forest.

Michael Thurmond is an attorney at Butler Wooten & Peak LLP, a nationally known civil trial practice firm that has four times set the record civil jury verdict in the State of Georgia and also obtained for its client the largest collected judgment in U.S. history.. He has distinguished himself as an attorney, author, lecturer and public servant.. Thurmond graduated with honors from Paine College with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion and later earned a juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina's School of Law. He also completed the Political Executives program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.. In 1986, he became the first African-American elected to the Georgia General Assembly from Clarke County since Reconstruction. During his legislative tenure, Thurmond authored major legislation that has provided more than $250 million in tax relief to Georgia's senior citizens and working families.. Following his tenure in the legislature, Thurmond was called upon to direct Georgia's historic transition from welfare to work. He created the innovative Workfirst program, which has helped over 90,000 welfare-dependent Georgia families move into the workforce, saving more than $100 million in tax dollars that have been reinvested in childcare, training and other support services.. In 1997, Thurmond became a distinguished lecturer at the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The following year, he was elected Georgia Labor Commissioner.. During his three terms as labor commissioner, the Labor Department went under a significant transformation in customer service and efficiency. Unemployment offices were transformed into state-of-the-art Career Centers focused on getting jobless Georgians back to work as quickly as possible.. Thurmond took a two-year leave from BWCP to serve as Superintendent to the DeKalb County School System, the third largest in Georgia.  He did a tremendous job in this capacity. Thurmond helped turn the troubled school district around with graduation rates rising from 57% to 62% in 2014 and turning the $14 million deficit into an $80 million surplus. He was quoted saying, “I’m a better person now than I was Feb. 8, 2013. I spent 35, 40 years in politics. From a very young man, I spent time with my eyes firmly fixed on the next election, even when I won. Here in DeKalb, I’ve been granted the privilege of focusing on the next generation. That’s so much more rewarding to me.". Thurmond's latest book, Freedom: Georgia's Antislavery Heritage, 1733-1865, was awarded the Georgia Historical Society's Lilla Hawes Award and the Georgia Center for the Book listed Freedom as one of The 25 Books All Georgians Should Read. He presently serves on the Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society.. Thurmond is a member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church West of Athens. He and his wife Zola are the proud parents of a daughter, Mikaya.