I am a partner at the national litigation law firm of Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young, LLP (HPTY). I call the Atlanta, Georgia, office home, though I handle or am responsible for lawyer liability claims or coverage matters in Kentucky, Texas, and California, where my firm has offices. I am licensed in Georgia and Kentucky and have a license application pending in Texas. 
Although I have a broad litigation practice history, my practice has developed into a specialty of defending attorneys in various claims of liability, defending attorneys in bar complaints, defending other professionals in claims and licensing matters, and representing insurance carriers in coverage disputes and declaratory judgment and bad faith litigation. For a more complete overview of my practice history, go to my bio at the HPTY law firm web site.
This blog is focused on lawyer liability claims and insurance coverage issues. Although I will discuss national cases and trends, my focus will be on Georgia law.
As my practice is largely devoted to defending attorneys, this blog is devoted to the issues that affect attorneys. This is the site for attorneys to visit to keep abreast of trends in attorney liability and ethics issues in Georgia. My goal is to make this blog interesting and interactive, with participation by my firm’s deep roster of outstanding professional liability attorneys (including multiple Super Lawyers and Rising Stars) as well as other leading attorneys, insurance providers and other related professionals in the state.
What ethical or lawyer liability issues are on your mind? Let me know.
My Professional affiliations
- Defense Research Institute (DRI), Ethics and Professionalism; Commercial Litigation
- Georgia Defense Lawyers Association
- American Bar Association, Lawyer Professional Liability
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society
- Atlanta Bar Association
- Georgia Bar Association
- Kentucky Bar Association
Some Of My Honors
- Bleckley Inn of Court, Barrister, 2002-2004
- AV Preemitant rating 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell
- Georgia Super Lawyer, Rising Star, Atlanta Magazine (2005, 2006, 2007)
- Georgia Super Lawyer, Super Lawyer Magazine (2009-2010)
- Top 100 Lawyers, Georgia Super Lawyer, Super Lawyer Magazine (2010)
Some CLE Presentations I Have Done
“Winning Your First Trial,” presentation on voir dire and ethics, BNI CLE (March 2010)
“Abusive Litigation: Defending Abusive Litigation Claims”, Georgia ICLE Seminar (February 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
“Specialty Ethics in Georgia (Eliminating Bias and Building Credibility): The Impact of Religious Orientation in Performance of One’s Professional Duties and Ethical Obligations”, NBNR Seminars (November 2004)
“Gaining the Competitive Edge: Litigating to Win Through Advanced Trial Advocacy in Georgia: Using Jury Selection To Increase Your Success At Trial”, NBI Seminars (April 2006)
“Litigation Skills: A Short Course For Legal Assistants: Understanding Georgia Civil Courts and Procedure”, Half Moon Seminars (April 2006, 2007)
“Depositions A-Z: Ethical Challenges in Depositions and Deposition Reflections”, BNI Seminars (August 2007, Internet Seminar December 2007)
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