Goodman McGuffey LLP celebrated its 30th anniversary yesterday, May 4th, 2020. Even though it was not a celebration quite like normal, we are still full of excitement and praise for another year as a firm.

A quote from founding partner, Wade McGuffey, “It has been an amazing 30 years. We started out with a simple concept that we would provide our clients with exceptional service at a reasonable cost while still having a comfortable environment in which to work. Now that we are in four states with more than 80 people, we are still committed to our original concept. Through technology and hardworking people, we continue to provide exceptional service to our clients and provide a flexible, comfortable environment for all of us to work.”

Change is inevitable, but our team at Goodman McGuffey has strived to maintain the core roots and concepts over the years in order to provide steady and undisturbed legal services, communication, and trust to our clients. A quote from our new CEO, Adam Joffe, “Our core values as a law firm, that have been the cornerstone of our success, will continue to pervade every aspect of the way we do business.  Our commitment to excellence and to remain at the forefront of technology drives our ability to provide exceptional service at a reasonable cost.  Despite our appetite for success, we will never lose sight of the founding principal of the firm, which was to create an environment that was employee centric.  We want to wake up every day and want to go to work.  That is our goal for the next 30 years.”

Thank you to all who have been a part of GM since our doors opened 30 years ago. None of the success would have been possible without the constant support and dedication of everyone involved. Here’s to many, many more to come.

As of today, May 4th, 2020, Chief Justice Harold D. Melton announced that he will extend the Statewide Judicial Emergency for another month, until Friday, June 12, 2020. The press release with details can be found here: https://www.gasupreme.us/extend-judicial-emergency/

Under the new extension order, all criminal and civil jury trials will continue to be suspended, and courts will be barred from summoning and impaneling new trial and grand juries. Courts now will be urged to develop plans for building back non-critical operations that can be conducted remotely by videoconferencing or by maintaining adherence to public health guidelines. The order will urge courts to increase the use of technology to conduct remote judicial proceedings where legally permitted as a preferred alternative to in-person proceedings. All this is necessary to help limit the backlog once the emergency is terminated.

More information is available on the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Website.

You can access the Original Order and First Extension Order on our website.
  
Stay safe and well, everyone!

Goodman McGuffey Team Donation Page

The Atlanta teams participating in the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy have raised $426,000 so far for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, enough to provide 1,700,000 meals. With record unemployment and extreme food shortages due to COVID-19, families are in desperate need of food. Check out this new video from 11Alive News about the Atlanta Community Food Bank and their ability to face this current challenge head on due to the efforts of the Atlanta teams and your generous donations.

Don’t forget tomorrow, Friday May 1st, is the FINAL day of the competition! The scoring system for each team is 4 points for every $1 raised. With these unprecedented times and effects of COVID-19, it is even more important that we give back where we can, and this competition gives back directly to our Atlanta community.  Each $1 donated provides enough food for 4 meals, and any donation will help.

You can donate to Team GM at https://www.classy.org/give/t295531/#!/donation/checkout

Have your friends and family donate too!

If you have questions for team Goodman McGuffey, please feel free to contact associates Tina Lute or Sam Mullis for more information. Any donation helps, and we appreciate your support in these desperate times.

If you would like more information on how you can help or the competition itself, you can visit the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy website.

Stay well and stay safe!

Goodman McGuffey Team Donation Page

Today kicks off the final week of the statewide Georgia Legal Food Frenzy fundraising competition benefiting food banks across the state. We are 42% of the way to our individual firm goal, and intend to reach it by May 1, 2020, but we cannot do it without your help!

Normally, we would ask in addition to monetary donations, that you clean out your pantry to donate food. With COVID-19, this year’s competition has done away with in person food donations and only allows for monetary donations. The scoring system for each team is 4 points for every $1 raised. With these unprecedented times and effects of COVID-19, it is even more important that we give back where we can, and this competition gives back directly to our Atlanta community.  

The Atlanta Division of the Competition has raised $317,000.00 for the Atlanta Community Food Bank! Each $1 donated provides enough food for 4 meals, and any donation will help.

You can donate to Team GM at https://www.classy.org/give/t295531/#!/donation/checkout

Have your friends and family donate too!

If you have questions for team Goodman McGuffey, please feel free to contact associates Tina Lute or Sam Mullis for more information. Any donation helps, and we appreciate your support in these desperate times.

If you would like more information on how you can help or the competition itself, you can visit the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy website.

Stay well and stay safe!

Goodman McGuffey Team Donation Page

What is the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy Competition?

Goodman McGuffey is participating in the 2020 Georgia Legal Food Frenzy Competition, a two-week fund drive competition in partnership with the Georgia Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia, the Young Lawyers Division and the Georgia Food Bank Association. While nearly 63% of Georgia’s public-school students are eligible for either a free or reduced breakfast or lunch each day, only 17% have access to the lunch program during the summer. The competition is timed to help the food banks move into summer prepared and well-stocked to meet the increased demand for food from working families.

The competition will run from April 20 to May 1. Due to COVID-19, food donations will not be collected for the Legal Food Frenzy this year and fundraising will take place online. A​ll funds raised will stay local and benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

How Can You Help?

Each $1 donated provides enough food for 4 meals. This year, Georgians across the state are struggling with school and childcare closures, lost wages, and layoffs, and demand for food bank services has increased 30 to 40 percent since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 in 5 kids in Georgia are food insecure and more people will need emergency food assistance because of COVID-19.

Even a $1.00 donation will make a difference!!! You can make a donation to our Goodman McGuffey Team Donation page HERE.

If you have questions for team Goodman McGuffey, please feel free to contact associates Tina Lute or Sam Mullis for more information. Any donation helps, and we appreciate your support in these desperate times.

If you would like more information on how you can help or the competition itself, you can visit the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy website.

Stay well and stay safe!

Goodman McGuffey Associate, Samantha Mullis, is running in the 2020-2021 State Bar election for Secretary of Young Lawyer’s Division. The Young Lawyers Division “YLD” is a division of the bar for attorneys under the age of 37 or within their first five years of practice. The YLD is considered the service arm of the Bar and Samantha has been involved with the YLD since at least 2017. She is currently co-chair of the Women in the Profession section and has been since 2018.

Young Lawyers can vote through next Friday, April 24, 2020 by logging onto their Georgia Bar account. Check out Samantha’s bio here: https://www.gabar.org/newsandpublications/election/Mullis_Samantha.cfm

Good luck Sam!

Goodman McGuffey Partner James Hankins and Associate Samantha Mullis argued in the Georgia Court of Appeals, asking the Court of Appeals to affirm the trial court’s dismissal of a punitive damages claim against their client. Video footage of the COA Oral Argument in the can be accessed by clicking HERE. 

In the case, Michael Crann v. Local Mechanical, et. al., a former employee allegedly consumed drugs or alcohol, and then that employee stole a work vehicle and the work vehicle was involved in a multi-vehicle collision.  One of the claimants injured in the series of accidents filed a lawsuit, and when James and Sam filed an answer for their client, they filed a partial motion to dismiss the claim of punitive damages, arguing that per the text of punitive damages statute, punitive damages were not legally recoverable against their client.  The trial court agreed with their argument and dismissed the punitive damages claim.  On appeal, James and Sam asked the Court of Appeals to affirm the trial court’s order.

Good Luck team!

Featured In This Article:

James T. Hankins, III

Partner

Atlanta Office

Goodman McGuffey opened their Charlotte, NC office on April 13, 2010 with attorney Adam Whitten as managing partner. Ten years later, the future looks brighter than ever and none of the success would have been possible without the constant support and dedication of our Charlotte team. Here’s to many, many more.

Featured In This Article:

Adam E. Whitten

Partner

Charlotte Office

The Georgia Department of Labor updated their guidelines on Friday April 10^th, 2020, to distribute federal unemployment funds as a part of the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) which is bringing paramount economic relief to Georgians. Regarding the effects of COVID-19, employees may possibly be eligible for unemployment benefits now under the CARES Act provisions and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Act (FPUC). FPUC provides an additional $600 payment per week to any individual eligible for any of the Unemployment Compensation programs – State and Federal. You can visit the GDOL website for more information, which is available HERE.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the GDOL’s updated guidelines. This can be done by filling out the contact us form located under the Contact tab on our website, or reaching out to our employment law team of Robert Luskin or Alyce Ogunsola. If your inquiry is urgent, please contact any of our offices directly.

Our team here at Goodman McGuffey will continue to keep everyone updated on the ongoing changes due to COVID-19. We are continuously monitoring the decisions of the courts and the CDC’s Guidelines to ensure the safety of our clients and employees.

Stay well and stay safe!

Due to the extreme impacts of COVID-19, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order permitting remote notarization and witnessing of all documents within the state of Georgia. The executive order provides a basic framework that must be followed for notarization and witnessing using real time audio-visual technology during these crucial times. You can access the order HERE.

Our team here at Goodman McGuffey will continue to keep everyone updated on the ongoing changes due to COVID-19. We are continuously monitoring the decisions of the courts and the CDC’s Guidelines to ensure the safety of our clients and employees. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, which can be done by filling out the contact us form located under the Contact tab on our website. If your inquiry is urgent, please contact any of our offices directly.

Stay well and stay safe!