Forsyth County Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

Edward D. Buckley is one of the founding partners of Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP. Ed was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, by parents who raised him to make a difference for the better. Ed understands the hardships that working people face and has built his law practice championing their cause, focusing his practice on civil rights and employment discrimination cases. He has represented people from virtually every walk of life, including hotel laundry workers, truckers, secretaries, food industry workers, technicians, salespeople, teachers, professors, stockbrokers, CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, longshoremen, doctors and lawyers. He has represented numerous executives in everything...

Tracy S. Reeves, Jr. 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...

After defending insurance companies for over ten years, Laura ("Laurie") Vickery Benesh formed Vickery Benesh Law, P.C. to assist victims and their families who have experienced personal injury or wrongful death as a result of automobile accidents, slip and fall, and premises liability. She also assists businesses in disputes resulting from breach of agreements and other matters. Laurie earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Emory University and is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell. She has successfully argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and throughout Georgia’s state courts. She serves on the Board...

Julian A. Fortuna is a at Partner Greenspoon Marder LLP where he practices business and tax law with a focus on tax planning and representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and various other tax authorities. He also handles estate and trust tax matters. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Fortuna was Vice President and General Tax Counsel for InterContinental Hotels Group ("IHG"). During his eleven year tenure at IHG, Mr. Fortuna managed a team of tax professionals responsible for structuring the domestic and international tax impacts of numerous mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other corporate transactions, as...

Tom is a former federal prosecutor who represents businesses and individuals in government investigations, False Claims Act litigation, complex civil litigation, and white collar criminal defense. Before founding Griffin Durham Tanner and Clarkson, Tom led a nationally recognized Department of Justice unit responsible for prosecuting complex civil and criminal fraud out of the Southern District of Georgia. In addition to his supervisory responsibilities, he led some of the office’s most complex and significant criminal cases in the office. During his tenure with the Department of Justice, he tried cases involving public corruption, health care fraud, pill mills, wire/mail fraud, and violent...

The Law Firm of Leipow & Associates, P.C. was formed in the spirit of service and is dedicated to the representation of individuals and businesses that have been harmed by the actions of others.

The firm is focused on representation of businesses and injured individuals in all state and federal trial and appellate courts.

My experiences in business litigation include a variety of contract disputes between business entities, including asset purchase, distribution, service, and sales agreements. Every business dispute is unique and involves a different set of problems to solve for each business entity involved. Therefore I provide a comprehensive approach...

Lisa’s client-centered law practice includes advice, counseling, and litigation in all aspects of labor and employment law as well as general business law advice, document drafting and litigation of business disputes. She also utilizes her expertise in legal research and writing and knowledge of the appellate process to provide top-notch representation in civil appeals in both state and federal courts. Most recently, Lisa became registered through the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution as a mediator and arbitrator, and she brings her wide range of legal experience and her ability to see and understand all sides of a dispute to assist...

Since starting Rachel Kaufman Law in June of 2015, Rachel has provided top-notch legal representation to hundreds of clients throughout the State of Georgia. In that short time, Rachel has gained a reputation for being a highly passionate and highly effective courtroom advocate. Amongst her colleagues, judges and courtroom personnel, Rachel is known for being a smart fighter, who can see through the tumbleweeds and intuitively zero-in on which strategic routes need to be taken to get to the best outcome possible. No matter the charge (DUI, Murder, Drug Offense, etc.), Rachel approaches each client’s situation with family-like loyalty and...

Sydney received her law degree from the University of Alabama after completing her undergraduate studies at Ole Miss. While at the University of Alabama School of Law, Sydney studied criminal law and criminal defense under the current Executive Director and Attorney-in-Chief of the Federal Defenders of New York, and earned top honors for her work in Alabama’s criminal defense clinic. She also served as the Ethics Opinions Editor for Volume 35 of the Journal of the Legal Profession. After graduating from law school, Sydney worked as a Staff Attorney at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Sydney...

Attorney Akil Kenneth Secret is a licensed attorney in the States of Georgia and Nebraska. His practice focuses on Serious Personal Injury Litigation, Wrongful Death Litigation and Major Criminal Defense. Mr. Secret has represented defendants in numerous high profile state and federal cases. He has tried hundreds of cases with extraordinary success. Mr. Secret has represented Lawyers, Doctors, Accountants, Real Estate Brokers and Agents and Corporate Executives. Attorney Akil Secret attended University of Nebraska and transferred to attend Morehouse College where he pursued his undergraduate studies until 1973 with a major in Political Science. He attended Atlanta Law School and earned...

Robert Speer, The Magic Lawyer®, was born in Atlanta GA, and has been a resident of Georgia all of his life. He has been a trial lawyer for almost 22 years. He handles cases in the areas of DUI/DWI, Criminal Law, Juvenile Law, Divorce, and Injury cases. His office is in Woodstock GA, but he also handles cases in Canton GA, Atlanta GA, Marietta GA, Cumming GA, Lawrenceviille GA, Decatur GA, Sandy Springs GA, Roswell GA, Alpharetta GA, and all over Georgia. Call (770) 517-0017 today for fantastic legal representation!

Tom joined Pate & Johnson in 2017 after graduating with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law.

While in law school, Tom honed his trial advocacy skills competing as a member of the moot court and mock trial teams. He also earned awards for achieving the highest marks in his Torts and Constitutional Law classes.

In his last year of school, Tom served as a research assistant to Professors Dan T. Coenen and Michael Wells, where his work focused on constitutional law, the early history of the U.S. Constitution, and civil rights litigation. Tom was also one of a few...

Jon Schwartz has environmental litigation experience in state and federal courts. He has represented clients on matters involving the Clean Water Act, storm water runoff, protection of wildlife and habitat, land use, historic preservation, and injuries caused by exposure to toxic substances. Jon was selected to the Georgia Super Lawyers list and Atlanta Magazine recognized him as a “rising star” in environmental litigation.

Jess Johnson is one of the best young lawyers in Georgia. He has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in criminal defense and civil litigation by Super Lawyers Magazine for the past several years. While only 2.5% of lawyers in Georgia under the age of 40 receive such an honor, Jess was first named to this list after only 3 years of practice.

Jess has been instrumental in our firm’s success in both trials and appeals. In his very first trial, Jess was awarded an Acquittal Award from the Federal Defender Program for helping our firm win a “not guilty” verdict...

Albert Wan is an attorney based in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in criminal defense and civil rights litigation. He is admitted to practice in Georgia and New York courts. To learn more about Mr. Wan and his law practice please visit his website at: http://www.albertwanlaw.com

Kate fiercely believes that everyone has the right to a fair trial and an excellent lawyer. She brings an unmatched passion for justice and a discerning academic eye to every case she works on. Beginning her career as a public defender, Kate gained significant experience representing the poor in the State and Superior Courts of Clarke and DeKalb County, Georgia. During her time in public defense, she handled hundreds of cases and spent thousands of hours in the courtroom fighting for her clients. She has argued dozens of pre-trial motions and successfully kept the prosecution from being able to introduce illegally-collected...

The Brody Law Firm is a boutique criminal defense firm with a special focus on the defense of sex offense allegations. Bernard has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine, Atlanta Magazine’s Super Lawyers, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys, for his work in the courtroom and his tireless work ethic that has led to countless dismissals of cases prior to trial.

Bernard is a frequent speaker at Georgia trial lawyers seminars on topics involving Sex Offense Allegations, Computer Forensics, Appellate Advocacy and Federal Asset Forfeiture. He has handled a number of high profile...

Amanda Gaddis Speights represents clients in divorce or family law matters, criminal matters, appeals, and other civil litigation. In family law matters, Amanda has guided and counseled clients in settling uncontested divorces, fought for clients' rights in contested divorces and child custody or child support proceedings, and ensured that clients resolved their family disputes with the best resolution possible for their family given the situation. In addition to her work on family law cases, Amanda has represented clients arrested for various crimes, including DUI, felony and misdemeanor drug offenses, theft crimes, assault or battery charges. Amanda is very...

State prosecutor for over 11 years; have tried over 100 felony cases, including 2 death penalty cases. As a defense attorney since then, I have specialized in appeals of criminal convictions, achieving a very high reversal rate. Currently actively engaged in a death penalty appeal, awaiting the docketing notice from the Georgia Supreme Court. Criminal law is all that I have done in my career, and I have a passion for the work I do. I also have a deep commitment to my clients. As I tell all of my clients and potential...

Joann Brown Williams has been litigating for well over a decade. Joann’s “bread-and-butter” is business litigation, including breach of contract, corporate governance, trade secret, non-compete and non-solicit covenants, employment related disputes in the areas of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Her “chocolate,” however, are claims dealing with First Amendment and defamation. Joann has tried cases throughout Northeast Georgia in both State and Federal Courts and has practiced in State and Federal Courts throughout the country. Joann has been involved in several high profile cases that have been written about in The Los Angeles Times, The National Law...

I am a criminal defense attorney who is a "dual threat" -- handling cases on both the trial level and on appeal. I have tried dozens of cases, ranging from traffic tickets all the way up to murder. Similarly, I have appealed criminal convictions of all types, including oral arguments before both the Court of Appeals of Georgia and the Supreme Court of Georgia. When I was about 20 years old, I learned about all the wrongful convictions that have destroyed the lives of innocent people. As a result, I knew I wanted to be a...

Yasha Heidari is a founding member of Heidari Power Law Group LLC (H&P). He is well known both for his litigation focus and for his versatility. Yasha has given lectures and presided over seminars in many areas of the law, including ethics law, administrative and regulatory law, best business practices, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the role of Intellectual Property in the age of digital media. Moreover, Yasha has presented numerous papers with topics ranging from modern day questions concerning technology to complex game-theory models at the London School of Economics. Yasha holds a juris doctor...