Transformation of  lives of clients and their families is part of my calling in law practice. While money is the quantitative measure of success, whenever possible I also try to guide outcomes in a way that will redirect the trajectory of life for clients and their families. A recent case is a good example.

Recently we handled a case for a 30-year-old single mom from a less than privileged background. She had struggled to put herself through a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program. When injured, she was working as a CNA and living paycheck-to-paycheck with her daughter in a modest

Ken Shigley has been named a trustee of the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education in Georgia for 2013-14.

The ICJE is a resource consortium of the Georgia Judicial Branch, the State Bar of Georgia, and the ABA accredited law schools of the State (Emory, Georgia State, Mercer, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, and the University of Georgia). It bears primary responsibility for basic training and continuing education of elected officials, court support personnel and volunteer agents of the State’s judicial branch. Conferences and seminars signify the products traditionally identified with the ICJE by its constituents. During a typical program year,

This week the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a voluntary Review Panel reprimand is insufficient discipline for a lawyer who violated client confidentiality in responding to an ex-client’s derogatory comments in a consumer forum website. See In the Matter of Margaret Skinner, Georgia Supreme Court Docket No. S13Y0105.

In the decade since I began blogging here, in either the first or second lawyer blog in Georgia, lawyers participating in blogs, social media, online forums, etc., have sailed somewhat uncharted seas in relation to the Rules of Professional Conduct.

The bottom line, however, has always been that the rules that govern

In a unanimous opinion, the Georgia Supreme Court held Monday that legal malpractice claims may be assigned to other parties in some circumstances, the scope of which remains unclear.

Villanueva vs. First American Title Insurance arose out of a highly unusual real estate closing. A senior attorney hired an associate to work on closings but had a non-attorney employee with signature power on the attorney trust account. The younger attorney was designated as a partner, though that was apparently a bit of a fiction, and handled an $800,000 closing. The mortgage company wired funds to the law firm’s trust account.

Do advocates of more “loser pays” rules offer a solution in search of a problem?

Are people unaware of the “loser pays” sanctions that are already part of Georgia law?

As discussed in previous posts, Georgia already has five statutory “loser pays” rules, four of which passed in tort reform legislation during the time I have been practicing law, and one we have had since the Civil War. Georgia needs a sixth “loser pays” about as much as it needs a sixth law school at a time when graduates of the existing law schools have a really hard time finding

In the past 10 days this plaintiffs’ trial lawyer, in the capacity of State Bar of Georgia president, has co-presided over a joint meeting of the State Bar Executive Committee and the Georgia Supreme Court, had a joint press conference with the Attorney General of Georgia and spoke at a lunch meeting that included general counsels of some of Georgia’s leading corporations. In 75 days, I will complete my term as State Bar president and get back to practicing law full-time.

I do not expect any favoritism from anyone as cases must be decided on their merits.  But if a

As president of the State Bar of Georgia, I often have occasion to speak at events that extend beyond my own personal injury, wrongful death and commercial trucking law practice. The following is excerpted from my presentation — “Trial Preparation: 30 tips in 30 Minutes” – at the Georgia Law of Torts seminar at Mercer University Law School in Macon on September 23, 2011.

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5 . Social Media.

Social media can be “self surveillance” that hands a loaded gun to the other side in litigation. Discuss with a potential client whether she might consider taking down any Facebook, MySpace,

As president of the State Bar of Georgia, I often have occasion to speak at events that extend beyond my own personal injury, wrongful death and commercial trucking law practice. The following is excerpted from my presentation — “Trial Preparation: 30 tips in 30 Minutes” – at the Georgia Law of Torts seminar at Mercer University Law School in Macon on September 23, 2011.

2. Invest in the interview.

An attorney’s commitment to a serious contingent fee case is a major investment of time and resources. Do your due diligence as you would with any major investment. Set aside enough

The following was published in the August 2011 issue of the Georgia Bar Journal, as my president’s column. (If you want to see the end notes, go to the online version of the Journal.) It does not deal with my practice as a personal injury and wrongful death trial attorney focused on commercial trucking accidents. Rather, it addresses core concerns of all members of the legal profession.

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It was a Sunday in December nearly 40 years ago at my grandparents’ rural home at Mentone, Ala., a bucolic spot best known for summer camps, midway between Chattanooga and

This month all Georgia lawyers have a new resource for online legal research as a benefit of membership in the State Bar of Georgia. The Member Benefits Committee compared  Fastcase to the online research site that was previously provided to Georgia Bar members, and found Fastcase better in several significant aspects. Here are links to the Fastcase website, blog and user manual.

This helps to level the playing field for solo and small firm lawyers with tight budgets.