But You Said You're a Lawyer
Beth Gilchrist
Atlanta Law Group
Have you ever had someone ask
what they should do if they re-
ceived a citation for violating the
new cellphone “hands-free” law?
Well, that was just one of the many
helpful topics covered by the At-
lanta Bar Association’s CLE on No-
vember 9, 2018, chaired by Darren
Tobin at Butler Tobin. Called “But
You Said You’re a Lawyer?! Top-
ics Every Lawyer Should Know
(a little) About,” the CLE covered
subjects non-attorneys may expect
those who practice law to know.
Since the event was beyond in-
formative, only some of the high-
lights are included below.
The Honorable Tiffany Cater
Sellers, Chief Judge, Municipal
County of the City of South Ful-
36
November 2018
ton, kicked off the day, speaking
on general municipal court rules
that all people, especially lawyers,
should know. Since municipal
court is a volume practice, packing
patience is key. In addition, talking
to the clerk and the solicitor can
be beneficial because the clerk has
the most access to information
in court and the solicitor is often
willing to make a deal to move
cases off the calendar. If attend-
ing court is not the ticket-holder’s
friend, plea in absentia should be
considered. For traffic matters,
review the Georgia Department
of Driver Services rules and ask
for a copy of the driving history.
Without knowing the implications
of a plea deal, one cannot make a
fully informed recommendation
or decision about how to proceed.
Alexa Ross from Robbins Ross Al-
loy Belinfante Littlefield LLC illus-
trated that the three things that can
make or break a jury trial are ver-
dict forms, jury instructions, and
closing arguments. Having items
on paper is vital for jurors, and it is
good to hand the judge amended
instructions after hearing the other
side’s facts, especially for any new
unique fact not already included in
the instructions. In addition, Ms.
Ross reminded attorneys of the
new apportionment rule in torts.
The jury decides the percentage
each person is at fault, including
non-parties.
Alyssa Baskam at Butler Tobin