JD Journal » Georgia

Georgia Municipalities and Counties Issue Bonuses

jim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:29:18 +0000

Quite a few municipalities in the area of Athens, Georgia have offered bonuses and raises for their employees.

Council members from Jefferson and Winder City as well as county commission members from Barrow and Oconee voted for the bonuses. After the vote for the bonuses, those government officials cited their employees’ abilities to cut department costs while being able to maintain services to residents of those areas.

“(The bonus) was a reflection of two things, and No. 1 was the performance of our staff,” said John Ward, Jefferson’s city manager.

Employees for Jefferson City, who work full-time, received a one-time bonus of $200. Part-time workers for the city received a one-time bonus of $100. The city will spend less than $25,000 on the bonuses according to Ward.

Ward also said that city employees have been able to spend less money, to the point where the city was able to put aside reserve funding.

“The second part of that is that it’s been multiple years since there’s been any type of a cost-of-living adjustment,” Ward said.

During the recession, not many municipal or county employees have been issued salary bumps because government revenue from taxes has decreased.

Larry Wilburn, the Barrow County Commissioner, said that the economy could be turning around ever so slowly as evidenced by governments offering one-time bonuses. Wilburn also said that governments can now better assess their needs while also collecting less revenue.

“I think a lot of governments are doing a lot better job controlling costs,” Wilburn said.

Each of the full-time employees for Barrow County received one-time bonuses of $250.

“This is just a way to let them know that we do care about them,” Wilburn said.

Employees for the county have worked through salary cuts, budgets, and layoffs, according to Wilburn. The reason the commissioners voted for the bonuses was that they wanted to thank the county employees for all of their hard work during the tough economic times. The bonuses were issued right before Christmas.

“We, as a board, decided to give a little bit back to the employees,” he said.

Commissioners for Oconee County approved bonuses of $1,250 for its full-time employees who were making less than $40,000 per year and $1,000 bonuses for full-time employees who earn more than $40,000 per year. The county commissioners also approved a one-time $500 bonus for part-time employees who work over 20 hours per week.

A three percent increase in employee salary was approved by council members for Winder City.

Gibson Dunn Launches New FDA Practice

rebneely — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:19 +0000

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP has announced that Stephen Payne has joined its Washington, D.C. office as a partner.

Payne will help lead Gibson Dunn’s FDA and Health Care compliance and enforcement practice, focusing on pharmaceutical and medical device clients. With Payne’s arrival, the FDA portion of the practice is new to the firm. Payne’s own practice will focus on the representation of pharmaceutical and medical device clients. Payne joins from Sidley Austin, where he was also a partner.

Daniel Nelson, Co-Partner in Charge of the Washington, D.C. office, was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “We are delighted to welcome Steve to the firm. His addition will bring a new dimension to the firm’s enforcement practice and will enhance our ability to serve our clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device and health care sectors.”

Andrew Tulumello, Co-Partner in Charge of the Washington, D.C. office was quoted as saying: “Steve is a dynamic and talented lawyer. He has an extensive track record of efficiently obtaining government declinations for clients, and his experience dealing with the FDA and state and federal health care regulators and enforcers on complex regulatory issues will be a great asset to our life sciences practice.”

Payne was quoted as saying: “I am excited to join the firm. Gibson Dunn’s preeminent litigation platform is the ideal foundation on which to build an enforcement-focused practice in the FDA and health care space.”

Payne concentrates his practice on FDA and health care compliance, enforcement, and litigation for pharmaceutical and medical device clients. He has extensive FDA and health care regulatory and compliance counseling experience in the areas of good manufacturing practice regulations, product recalls, product promotion, and fraud and abuse. He has handled criminal and civil investigations conducted by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, civil False Claims Act qui tam suits, investigations and litigation conducted by state Attorneys General, and other inquiries and litigation relating to health care fraud and abuse and the enforcement of FDA regulations. In addition, Payne has also led internal investigations and compliance audits concerning good manufacturing practice regulations and pharmaceutical promotional practices, including potential off-label promotion and anti-kickback issues.

Payne practiced with Sidley Austin since 2000. Before working in private practice, he served as Senior Trial Counsel for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps at Fort Benning, Georgia and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia. In 1996, he graduated from Yale Law School. There, he was a John M. Olin Fellow in Law and Economics and a prize finalist in the mock trial competition.

Founded in 1890, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm with nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2010, American Lawyer named Gibson Dunn the “Top Litigation Department” of the year. Among the firm’s most well-known attorneys and alumni are former United States Solicitors General Theodore Olson and Ken Starr, Eugene Scalia, and Miguel Estrada.

The John Marshall Law School Launches New Law School in Savannah

rebneely — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:13:02 +0000

The John Marshall LawSchool, located in Atlanta, Georgia, announced in recent days that it had received American Bar Association approval to launch a Savannah branch campus next fall. The new location will be called Savannah Law School.

Alan Boyer, associate dean for recruitment and marketing, was quoted as saying in the December 8^th Law.com article, “Law school establishing branch in Savannah”: “There is no other law school serving that part of the southern Atlantic region. As word has got out, we’ve had some applicants to the school here inAtlanta ask to switch over to Savannah.” The region is expected to experience a large population growth over the next ten to fifteen years.

The new campus will probably draw students from over twenty nearby colleges and universities, according to Boyer. The closest ABA-accredited law schools are the Charleston School of Law in Charleston, S.C., and Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Fla.. Each is 90 minutes or more away by car. The University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, Georgia State University of College of Law and John Marshall’s main campus are over four hours away.

Over 1,500 judges and lawyers work in the Savannaharea; this gives a strong indication that students would have opportunities for externships and clerk positions, according to John Marshall administrators.

The school plans to enroll almost 100 students next year, with 60 attending full-time and the rest part-time. The part-time program is aimed at doctors, law enforcement officers, paralegals and retired military servicemen and -women. A “noncompetitive” environment will be stressed, which is intended to encourage teamwork; this means there will be no forced grading on a curve.

Richardson Lynn, dean at John Marshall, will oversee operations in Savannah, which will maintain a separate faculty from that at the main campus. He was quoted as saying: “With the new Savannah Law School, students from theSavannaharea and throughout the Atlantic coastal region can begin their legal careers closer to home. And students from around the country and the world can live and learn in a community rich in culture, heritage and southern hospitality.”

The school will begin hiring for the new branch in the spring. Interested students are able to begin the application process this month.

Though the ABA has approved new campus, theSavannahLawSchoolstill needs to get provisional accreditation. Boyer was quoted as saying: “Our plan is to immediately begin that process so that the inaugural class will be able to sit for the bar inGeorgia.”

In addition to the city of Savannah getting a new law school during the next academic year, a small group of lawyers is planning to open the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law in Indio,Calif., in September. As well, plans for other new law schools are underway in the Louisiana and Indiana. In addition, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School has plans to open a new campus inTampa, Fla., next year.

Although some legal educators are skeptical about launching new, additional law schools during a time when hiring in the legal industry has declined, the ABA is of the mind that limiting the number of law schools could pose an issue with regard to antitrust laws.

Bibb County School District Switches Law Firm Affiliation

jim — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:00:10 +0000

A school board in Bibb County has been fighting internally about its relationship with a law firm. The fight is regarding whether or not the lengthy relationship with the firm shows consistency and successful collaboration or a sign for new perspectives. Last week, the school board split a vote 5-3 in favor of replacing the law firm of Jones, Cork & Miller of Macon. The new firm the school board will work with is that of Hall, Booth, Smith & Slover of Atlanta.

Jeffery Monroe was the school’s representative for quite some time as a member of the Macon law firm. Monroe shook hands with the board members after the vote was announced and he claims the transition to a new firm will be very quick.

“We’ve had a good run with the board for over 70 years, and that quality accounts for our time,” he said.

The president of the school board is Tommy Barnes, who claims the school system possibly became wedded to conducting business in a certain method. Barnes compared changing law firms to that of changing horses.

“Not necessarily because the horse we have wasn’t running well, but because we’ll be running a different type of race,” he said.

Romain Dallemand is the superintendent of the Bibb school district and was the main person pushing for the change in law firms. Dallemand claims that the long relationship could be viewed as a liability and declared that the district needed to work with other terms.

“I do believe we need to look at and revisit our legal services every year, and we need to send out a (request for proposal) every year, so we can look at ways to better meet the needs of the district,” Dallemand said. “Not every 50 years.”

A letter was written in support of keeping the Macon law firm employed by the school district because of its lead education attorney. The lead education attorney is Warren Plowden.

The vote occurred only 30 minutes after discussion by the school board and the community. Those who voted in favor of the new law firm were Barnes, Susan Middleton, Ella Carter, Tom Hudson and Wanda West. Those members who voted against it were Gary Bechtel, Susan Sipe and Lynn Farmer.

The board members, whether or not they voted for the switch, offered opinions or criticisms of the firm Jones, Cork & Miller. The board members did not discuss any of the eight law firms that had offered proposals to the school district.

In 2010, the school district spent nearly $714,000 on legal services with their old law firm. Dallemand is hoping to hire an attorney that will work in-house for a much more affordable price.

The outside legal work of the school district will be conducted by the new firm; Hall, Booth, Smith & Slover, which charges $150 per hour for most of its attorney work.

Wednesday Morning Roundup

joshua — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:34:41 +0000

Good morning! After a long weekend, things started slow yesterday but really picked up steam. Here’s an overview of the day’s hottest stories…

The Supreme Court has a big week planned…

Attorney-Client privilege is becoming an issue back east…

Bill LeBeau has moved to Holland & Knight…

Performance reviews have begun at Fulbright…

and the judiciary is feeling the impact of budget cuts in Georgia…

Georgia Supreme Court Judges to Take Furlough Days

joshua — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:20:35 +0000

State budge cuts in Georgia have caused an ongoing crises in the Georgia court system. In May, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue ordered 25% cuts to all state agencies, but then Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court Leah Ward Searsclaimed that Perdue didn’t have the authority to include the judiciary, a seperate and equal branch of the government. A showdown was averted when the two branches reached a compromise allowing some of the pay cuts to be pushed off to the following fiscal year. Sears retired at the end of May and in June, the Governor was back asking for a 5% reduction. New Chief Justice Carol Hunstein, along with the senior justices for the Georgia appellate and district courts, again objected. Last week Hunstein announced that Court employees including the judges would voluntarily take three days of unpaid furlough between now and the end of the year. While maintaining that the executive branch lacks the legal authority to mandate pay cuts for the judiciary, Hunstein said that the judicial branch would voluntarily take these unpaid days off to do its part in controlling the budge deficit. In addition, the court will be taking other steps to curb costs, from closing the law library to returning leased copy machines.

Seyfarth Shaw Hires for IP, Corporate in Atlanta

Erik Even — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:46:23 +0000

Seyfarth Shaw has added lawyers to its intellectual property and corporate & finance groups in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jack D. Todd joins as a partner from Morris, Manning & Martin. His practice concentrates on patent and trademark prosecution, strategic counseling, enforcement and protection of IP, transactional, licensing, opinion, and clearance. His JD is from Duke University School of Law.

Kevin T. Brown joins as of counsel from Macon, Georgia’s Sell & Melton. His practice focuses on representing governmental issuers of securities and private borrowers in conduit incentive financing transactions; general state and local government representation; ad valorem taxation; corporate transactions relating to public/private partnerships, and related real estate matters. His JD is from the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has ten offices.

Rumor: King & Spalding Turning Associates into Staff Attorneys [Update]

Erik Even — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:33:56 +0000

A JDJournal tipster informs us that Atlanta’s King & Spalding, which laid off 37 lawyers and 85 staff in March, is “converting a significant number of associates to staff attorneys.”

That’s all the information we have at the moment. If you know anything about the situation at King & Spalding, please — send us a confidential tip!

King & Spalding was founded in Atlanta in 1885. Its clients include Georgia blue chip companies, from Coca-Cola and Home Depot to SunTrust, as well as General Motors and Ernst & Young. It has 13 offices, including locations in Dubai and Frankfurt.

UPDATE

A JDJournal tipster tells is that 50 associates are to be converted to staff attorneys.

Thanks for the tip!

Seyfarth Shaw Hires for Atlanta Office

Erik Even — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:45:03 +0000

Seyfarth Shaw, which last week brought on a new team of corporate and technology partners from Alston & Bird, is expanding its Atlanta office with lawyers poached from Troutman Sanders.

Robert C. Stevens joins as a partner in Seyfarth Shaw’s Labor & Employment Department. He concentrates his practice on litigation and counseling matters involving employment discrimination, restrictive covenant, trade secret, and wage & hour issues. Stevens earned his JD magna cum laude from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for the Alabama Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

Benjamin D. Briggs also joins the labor group as partner. He focuses on a wide-variety of labor and employment matters arising under state and federal law. Briggs received JD with honors from Georgia State University, where he was a member of the Georgia State Law Review.

Seyfarth Shaw’s Labor & Employment Department consists of 350 employment attorneys nationally at all levels of experience.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has nine offices in the US and one in Belgium.

Seyfarth Shaw Brings on Team from Alston & Bird

Erik Even — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:14:20 +0000

Chicago-based Seyfarth Shaw, which in May laid off 50 people and reduced salaries, has brought on a new team of corporate and technology partners from Alston & Bird.

Robert C. Reynolds, Jr. is an outsourcing lawyer who co-founded Alston & Bird’s energy infrastructure team. He received his JD from the Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was an editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He will work from both Atlanta and Seyfarth’s Washington DC office.

Shawn K. Baldwin, who joins in Atlanta, focuses on strategic corporate transactions. He got his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is admitted to the Georgia Bar.

S. Joel Cartee, who also joins in Atlanta, handles complex global transactions and matters relayed to the Kyoto Protocol. He is a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia. He received his JD from the University of Alabama School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has ten offices.

Alston & Bird Reduces Associate Pay By $5K

Erik Even — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:57:28 +0000

Today Atlanta’s Alston & Bird informed its associates that the firm is reducing all associate salaries by $5,000.

At this time, the firm expects to reverse the salary cut at the end of the year.

In April, Alston & Bird laid off 14 lawyers and 38 staff, but offered the lawyers affected what amounts to a public interest fellowship, and the possibly of being rehired at a future date.

Alston & Bird LLP is the second largest law firm in Atlanta, Georgia and the 43rd largest in the United States. Founded in 1893, the firm has offices in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; New York City; Washington, DC; Dallas; Los Angeles, the Silicon Valley and Ventura County.

Morrison & Foerster Expands Outsourcing Team

Erik Even — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:20:37 +0000

Morrison & Foerster has hired two outsourcing experts from Alston & Bird.

Christopher Ford and Scott Stevenson advised the state of Georgia in a $1.7 billion contract to outsource information technology services for various state agencies.

The two join Morrison & Foerster’s Washington, DC office. Ford joins as a partner, and Stevenson as of counsel.

In May, the firm deferred incoming associates; and in February slashed bonuses and froze salaries.

Morrison & Foerster LLP has more than 1,000 lawyers in 19 offices. The firm was founded in San Francisco in 1883.

Leitman Siegal to Acquire Campbell Gidiere

Erik Even — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:59:30 +0000

Birmingham, Alabama law firm Leitman, Siegal & Payne will acquire cross-town rival Campbell, Gidiere, Lee, Sinclair & Williams. The two firms will move together into a new headquarters.

The combination will take effect April 1st, but it’s probably real anyway. The new name will be Leitman, Siegal, Payne & Campbell. The firm will have 20 lawyers.

Clients of the combined firm include Georgia-based home-improvement retailer Marvin’s, and Birmingham’s Colonial Properties Trust.

Founded in 1976, Leitman, Siegal & Payne, PC provides a wide variety of legal services to clients throughout Alabama and the Southeast.

Update: Troutman Sanders to Hold Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:10:27 +0000

Troutman Sanders announced today that the firm will lay off associates and offer staff a voluntary buyout, which is likely to be followed by a layoff.

The 778-lawyer firm also pushed back the start date for its 2009 first-year associates to January, 2010 and cut two weeks from its summer associate program.

Robert W. Webb Jr., the firm’s chairman, announced the plans to associates and staff in firmwide meetings.

The firm, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York, Newark, Norfolk, Orange County, Raleigh, Richmond, San Diego, Shanghai, Tyson’s Corner, Virginia Beach and Washington, DC.

Utah To Start Mentor Program For New Lawyers

Erik Even — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:07:46 +0000

The state of Utah will become the third in the nation, after Georgia and Delaware, to require people new to the practice of law to participate in a yearlong, mandatory mentoring program intended to foster professionalism, ethics, and practical advice.

The Utah Supreme Court has already approved the program, called the New Lawyer Training Program, and now anyone who applies to the Utah State Bar must go through the program. Every new lawyer will be paired with a court-approved attorney, one who has proven experience, who will give one-on-one guidance to the new attorney.

“If you’re a young, solo practitioner just out of law school and you have an office in South Jordan, or you work out of home or Starbucks, you really need to find a relationship with someone who can work with you through that early developmental experience,” said Utah State Bar President, Nate Alder.

ATL: Paul Hastings Layoffs in L.A.

Erik Even — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:27:26 +0000

First LA’s Paul Hastings announced the layoff of 10 Atlanta associates.

Now tipsters tell Above the Law that the firm is holding stealth layoffs today at its Los Angeles HQ.

I just wanted to let you know that stealth layoffs are ongoing at Paul Hastings. Rumor has it that the grim reaper is making rounds to many offices [in California].

There are also rumors of layoffs in the firm’s Shanghai office.

If you know anything about layoffs at Paul Hasting, please send us a confidential tip!

Founded in LA in 1951, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP is a leading international law firm with over 1,300 attorneys and 18 offices worldwide. Paul Hastings serves a diverse client base that includes many top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.

Via ATL.

Adorno & Yoss Atlanta Hires 8 Partners, 5 Associates

Erik Even — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:38:02 +0000

Adorno & Yoss is expanding its Atlanta office at a time when many national firms are instituting hiring freezes or layoffs.

The firm has added 13 lawyers — eight partners and five associates — in the past three months, bringing the Atlanta head count to 45 attorneys.

Adorno & Yoss is an international law firm with over 300 professionals in 27 locations.

Burr & Forman Absorbs Florida Firm

Erik Even — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:17:35 +0000

Burr & Forman LLP, a law firm with offices throughout the Southeast, announced it has merged with the central Florida firm of Graham, Builder, Jones, Pratt & Marks LLP.

The new firm will retain the Burr & Forman monicker.

“We are excited to welcome this talented group of lawyers to our firm and expand our legal resources into Florida,” Lee Thuston, the managing partner of Burr & Forman, said in a release. ”This merger allows us to offer our combined client base the benefits of the many areas of expertise that exist between the two firms.”

Burr & Forman LLP is a 103-year old, full-service law firm employing over 200 attorneys with offices in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Murder Defendant Denied Counsel, Sues Public Defenders

Erik Even — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:00:23 +0000

A murder defendant who has been denied legal representation for eight months is suing the head of the Georgia public defender system.

“This is surely an unprecedented deprivation of counsel in modern times,” said the lawsuit, filed for Jamie Ryan Weis by prominent Atlanta lawyers Stephen Bright, Sarah Geraghty, Ed Garland and Don Samuel.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Weis for the 2006 killing of Catherine King.

Since April, Weis has been sitting in jail awaiting trial without lawyers to represent him. The lawsuit was filed after trial judge Johnnie Caldwell scheduled a January 5th hearing on the case.

“It’s frustrating,” Pike County District Attorney Scott Ballard said. “We’ll be ready to prosecute just as soon as they’re ready.”

The suit was filed in Fulton County Superior Court against Robert “Mack” Crawford, director of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, and Gerry Word, acting head of the capital defender’s office.

Weis’ case has highlights the budgetary problems plaguing the state’s public defender system.

Weis’ two appointed lawyers, Bob Citronberg and Tom West, were removed from the case in November 2007 when the cash-strapped defender system did not have the money to pay them.

Two local public defenders were ordered to take over the case, but they objected, saying they already had crushing caseloads and had neither the time nor the resources to defend a capital case.

At a court hearing in April, an agreement was reached to return Citronberg and West to the case, provided that Crawford sign a contract allowing them to be paid. That has yet to occur.

Crawford should have signed the contract long ago, the suit said. ”He should not have delayed the reinstatement of counsel for eight days; the delay of eight months is unconscionable.”

Weis’ suit seeks a court order reinstating Citronberg and West as his lawyers.

Separately, the lawyers filed a motion Wednesday in Pike County objecting to Monday’s court hearing because Weis has no criminal defense lawyers.

Via AJC.com.

Georgia Dems Call For Presidential Popular Vote

Erik Even — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:29:15 +0000

While fifteen electors were meeting in Atlanta today to cast their votes for John McCain, four state lawmakers called for the nation to abandon the Electoral College and instead elect the president by direct popular vote.

Democratic State Senators Nan Orrock and Vincent Fort of Atlanta, and Democratic Representatives Billy Mitchell of Decatur and Stephanie Stuckey Benfield of Atlanta, called today for Georgia to adopt legislation leading to a national popular vote for President.

“The current system of electing the President is outdated and needs to be changed,” said Senator Orrock. “It should be very simple; the candidate who receives the most votes throughout all 50 states should always win the presidential election.”

Benfield said the current system allows the needs and interests of Georgia to be ignored.

“If we had a national popular vote then every vote would be equal and candidates would campaign for every vote. The days of Ohio, Florida, and a handful of other battleground states dominating the election at the expense of everyone else would be finished.”

Benfield pointed to a recent report by Fair Vote.org that said 98% of the 2008 campaign events involving a presidential or vice-presidential candidate occurred in just 15 closely divided “battleground” states.

This means that two thirds of the states, including Georgia, were ignored by the presidential campaigns, the report says.

The National Popular Vote bill that Benfield, Orrock and others are championing would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all fifty states. Whichever presidential candidate wins the popular vote nationwide would be guaranteed enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

The National Popular Vote bill would only come into effect if states representing 270 electoral votes pass the law in identical form. Currently, four states representing fifty electoral votes have enacted the law.

Via Georgia Politics Unfiltered.