I believe one of our highest obligations is to be of service to others. For me, being a lawyer is a way for me to serve others in need. I represent folks who have suffered either a serious injury or the death of a loved one, and they are usually up against a large corporation or a well-funded insurance company that seems more interested in profit than in promoting safety or protecting people.
It really is that simple for me: people should matter more than profit. Too often we hear stories of people getting hurt or killed because companies wouldn't spend money on safety: cars that lack adequate seat belts; truckers who are driving too many hours because the company wants them to make more deliveries; hospitals that treat patients like they are valuable only if they have good insurance.
After I graduated from college, I completed law school and was honored to obtain a clerkship in Illinois with a federal judge. After my clerkship, I began representing injured people and their families. I have successfully represented families of people injured in wrecks involving tractor trailers, and folks who were injured as a result of medical negligence or because of products that were dangerous. I am active in our state and local trial bars, and was president of the Middle Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. I am also an adjunct professor at Mercer University Law School, where I teach Pretrial Advocacy.
Outside work, I spend a lot of time with my wife and 2 young boys. I coach the boys nearly year-round in their sports activities. I also serve on several non-profit boards, including our local school board. We are also active in our church and in many community groups and events. For relaxation and fun, I enjoy reading, both fiction and non-fiction, playing sports and travelling with my family.
I think the most rewarding part of my job is not just that I have been able to help families in great need, but that my actions hopefully contribute to make our community, and hopefully our world, a little bit safer. Our courts are one place where we are able to hold wrongdoers responsible for their misdeeds - in that way, our courts are one place that enforces the rule of responsibility for your actions, the same rule we teach our children. When corporations do wrong and injure someone, they should be held accountable. The Injury Board places primary emphasis on safety, and lawyers' role in making our world safer, and I am in complete agreement with those values.
I am a committed and passionate advocate for my clients and I am grateful that I can make a difference in their lives.
