Georgia Law Blog

Members of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association recently met at Sam and Roscos in Douglasville, Georgia for a kick-off event for the new West Metro TLA. I am happy to say that I have agreed to be the first Chairman of this group which covers the Douglas County and Paulding County areas. The event was sponsored by Ringler Associates and The Injury Specialists. Speakers included the President of GTLA Chris Clark, Micah Gravley who is the Legislative & Grassroots Outreach Coordinator, and myself. We are pictured below.

Also present were State Representatives Tim Bearden, Bill Hembree and Roger Bruce. From the judiciary, we were pleased to have several elected officials join us, including Douglas County Superior Court Judge William H. “Beau” McClain, Douglas County State Court Judge William O'Neal Dettmering, Jr., Douglas County District Attorney David McDade, and Douglas County Solicitor-General Brian Fortner.

I want to thank my friends and coleagues for making this a successful event. We hope to have more events in the future.

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Posted In: Douglasville & Douglas County Local Info.

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The West Metro Trial Lawyers Association, a new group within the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, will have its kick-off reception and party this Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00. The group will encompass the legal communities of Douglas County and Paulding County.

If you are a fellow attorney or a judge interested in coming to the event, please contact our office. We will provide more details and put you down on our RSVP list.

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Posted In: Douglasville & Douglas County Local Info.

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Yesterday, I had to file a new car accident injury case at the Paulding County Courthouse. I was fortunate enough to visit the new courthouse the very first day that it opened. I took an extra 15 minutes to check out the new courthouse. It is quite a sight. I visited the court rooms as well as the administrative building which is adjacent to the courthouse. The new courthouse is located on Highway 278 west of Chattahoochee Technical College. I suspect that I will be spending a lot of time at the Paulding County Courthouse in the upcoming years as I handle many personal injury claims in Paulding County, Georgia. It is also interesting to note that Paulding County has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The population now is just over 130,000 people. Below, see some pictures I took during my visit.

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Posted In: Douglasville & Douglas County Local Info.

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Georgia Highlands College, a two-year college currently located in Rome, Georgia, is scheduled to open a campus in Douglasville. Although the location has not been announced, it is estimated that 1500 students will attend the school which may open up as soon as August of 2009. This is exciting news for those of us who live and work in Douglasville, especially with the current economic troubles faced by residents in our area. It is also a blessing because many out of work people are going back to school to further their education in order to have the necessary skills to be ready when the job market picks up again. It is also interesting to note that a study commissioned years ago by the University System of Georgia identified Douglas County, GA as an underserved area for secondary education. Currently, the population of Douglas County, GA is approximately 130,000.

Jack Clay handles work comp cases and serious injury cases in Douglasville, GA. Our law firm offers free, no-obligation consultations for those who have been hurt on the job or in a car accident or truck wreck.

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The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting that a fire and explosion at a Douglasville plant burned two. This incident was originally reported as by CBS News in Atlanta, GA. The fire reportedly happened at 11:20 a.m. at the old Young Refining facility near Highway 78 in Douglasville, GA. Three workers reportedly suffered burns and two were taken to area hospitals. ARTC has been in business reportedly since 2005. They make asphalt products for paving roads and roofing applications.

Our law firm represents injured workers throughout Douglasville, Atlanta, and Georgia. If you or a loved one has been injured in a work accident, we are here to help. Please call us anytime for a free and confidential consultation.

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The public is invited to a free family Bar-B-Que at former Douglas County Sheriff Tommy Waldrop's farm located at the corner of Highway 78 and Post Road in Winston, GA. The event is from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This event is being held in support of Beau McClain who is running for Douglas County Superior Court Judge on November 4, 2008.

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Many of my clients in Douglasville ask me where the courthouse is for workers' compensation cases. I warn them that it is not so simple of an answer. Many just assume that because my office is located directly across the street from the Douglas County Courthouse that the State Board of Workers' Compensation hears cases at our courthouse. The answer may be surprising.

Georgia law dictates that the county in which a worker suffers an on the job injury determines what location the case will be heard. For example, if a workers' comp. client is injured in Douglas County, GA, their case will be heard at the State Board of Workers' Compensation in Atlanta. If this is the case, any judge that works in Atlanta may be assigned to hear the case in a hearing. However, if a client suffers a work injury in Paulding County, the case will be heard in Rome, GA and will be assigned to the only Administrative Law Judge covering that area of the State of Georgia. On the other hand, if somebody suffers a Carroll County workers' compensation injury, their case will be heard at the Carroll County Courthouse by the Administrative Law Judge who handles cases in Carroll County, GA.

The general rule of thumb is that the further an injured worker is away from Atlanta when he or she gets injured, the more likely extensive travel will be necessary to get to the courthouse in which the workers' comp. case will be heard.

For those lawyers out there who read my articles, the legal authority for where a hearing is held is O.C.G.A. 34-9-102((b) which states, in pertinent part, that, "...the hearing shall be held in the county where the injury or death occurred or in any contiguous county or in any count within 50 miles of the court o fthe injury or death..."

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While the point of my Blog is not to discuss politics, my Douglasville law firm has been involved helping candidates in several local races throughout Douglas County. Law and politics are inextricably linked. I am involved to try to help make a difference in which I live and work. In the July 15th election, the turn-out was very low. There was a run-off election on August 5th in which turn-out was even lower. In fact, the only local race on the August 5th ballot was for the Douglas County Board of Education. About 1,000 people voted in this election.

Whether you live in Douglasveille, Lithia Springs, Paulding County, Carrollton, GA, or New York, NY, the decision made by politicians all levels affect our lives. Please remember to vote on November 4th, 2008. This may, perhaps, be the most significant election of our lives.

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