MEMBERS OF FIRM
William B. Hardegree (Partner) born Talladega, Alabama, October 21, 1932; admitted to bar, 1957, Alabama; 1960, Georgia. Education: Vanderbilt University; University of Alabama (LL.B., 1957). Member, Middle District of Georgia, U.S. District Court Rules Advisory Committee, 1992-1998. Member: Alabama State Bar; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Board of Governors, 1971-1977; Member, State Disciplinary Board, 1985-1988); Columbus and American Bar Associations; Georgia Bar Foundation; Association of Trial Lawyers of America. [Capt., JAGC, 1957-1960]. Practice Areas: Civil Trial Practice; Personal Injury; Torts; Products Liability; Insurance Coverage; Employment Discrimination - Wrongful Termination.Email: William B. Hardegree
Morton A. Harris (Partner) born Columbus, Georgia, March 13, 1934; admitted to bar, 1959, Georgia. Education: Emory University (B.B.A., summa cum laude, 1956); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1959). Omicron Delta Kappa; Beta Gamma Sigma. Listed in, Marquis Who's Who in American Law. President: Small Business Council of America, Inc., 1979-1986; Columbus Estate Planning Council, 1973-1974. Trustee, Georgia Federal Tax Conference, 1980, Vice President and Program Chairman, 1988, President, 1989. Member, Editorial Advisory Board, The Practical Tax Lawyer, 1986; FEPQ Financial Estate Planners Quarterly, 1993. Chair, Ali-ABA, Course of Study, "Qualified Plans, Professional Organizations, Health Care and Welfare Benefits," 1994. President, Institute for the Study of American Cultures, 1997-2003.Fellow: American College of Tax Counsel; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; American College of Employee Benefits Counsel; Columbus Lawyers Club. Member: State Bar of Georgia (Chairman, Tax Section, 1981-1982; Vice Chairman, Corporate and Banking Law Section, 1980-1982); American Bar Association (Section of Taxation: Division Coordinator, Liaison with IRS, 2000-2002, Secretary, 1991-1993 and Member of Council, 1989-1996; Chairman, 1978-1980, Special Advisor, 1980-1983, Committee on Professional Service Corporations; Chairman, Subcommittee on Model Professional Corporation Act, 1973-1976; Chairman, 1983-1985 and Vice Chairman, 1981-1983, Committee on Membership). Practice Areas: Taxation; Business Law; Corporate Law; Employee Benefits; Trusts and Estates; Wills; Retirement Planning; Estate Planning; Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations.Email: Morton A. Harris
J. Barrington Vaught (Partner) born Washington, D.C., January 25, 1945; admitted to bar, 1970, Georgia. Education: Washington and Lee University (B.A., 1967); University of Georgia (J.D., 1970). Phi Delta Phi. President, The Columbus Museum, Inc., 1984-1989. Honorary Trustee Member, Board of Directors and Chairman of Personal Wealth Executive Committee, Sun Trust Bank, West Georgia. Member: State Bar of Georgia; Columbus Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Bank and Banking; Commercial Law; General Law.Email: J. Barrington Vaught
Charles T. Staples (Managing Partner) born Columbus, Georgia, May 18, 1945; admitted to bar, 1971, Georgia. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.S., 1967); University of Georgia (J.D., magna cum laude, 1971). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Eta Sigma; Phi Delta Phi. Member, Editorial Board, Georgia Law Review, 1969-1971. Member: State Bar of Georgia; Columbus (President, 1983-1984) and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Law; Corporate Law; Trusts and Estates; Wills and Probate.Email: Charles T. Staples
Robert C. Martin, Jr. (Partner) born Mobile, Alabama, December 5, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Georgia. Education: Vanderbilt University (B.A., cum laude, 1977); University of Georgia (J.D., cum laude, 1980). Phi Delta Phi. Member: State Bar of Georgia; Columbus Bar Association. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice.Email: Robert C. Martin, Jr.
George W. Mize, Jr. (Partner) born Montgomery, Alabama, July 9, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Georgia. Education: Auburn University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1980); University of Georgia (J.D., cum laude, 1983). Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Delta Phi. Member: State Bar of Georgia; Columbus and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Law; Commercial Law; Real Estate; Finance; Franchises and Franchising.Email: George W. Mize, Jr.
John McKay Sheftall (Partner) born Macon, Georgia, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.A., magna cum laude, 1980); University of Virginia (M.A., 1983; J.D., 1983). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Omicron Delta Kappa. Member, Mortar Board. Member: Columbus and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (Fiduciary Law Section); Atlanta Estate Planning Council; Columbus Estate Planning Council; Georgia Historical Society (Curator, 1984-1990; Vice President, 1994-2000); Historic Columbus Foundation (Trustee and Director, 1994); Georgia Legal History Foundation. Practice Areas: Trusts and Estates; Wills and Probate; Taxation.Email: John McKay Sheftall
Alan F. Rothschild, Jr. (Partner) born Columbus, Georgia, October 8, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, Georgia. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., 1982); University of Georgia (J.D., 1985); Emory University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1991). Author: "Public Scrutiny of Exempt Organizations," Estate Planning, November, 2004; "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Estate Plannings," Probate & Property, Jan/Feb, 2002; "The Blockage Discount: When More Might Mean Less," The Practical Tax Lawyer, Spring 1997. Faculty, 39th Annual Phillip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. Editor, "Current Probate and Trust Developments," Real Property, Probate and Trust Section, American Bar Association, 1994, 1995 and 1996. Member, Board of Trustees, Southeastern Council of Foundations, 2003. Board of Trustees, President, 1998-2000, Columbus Museum, Inc. Member: Columbus (President, 1999-2000) and American (Member, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; Council Member, 2002) Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia; Columbus Estate Planning Council; Georgia Association of Hospital Attorneys. Fellow: American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Practice Areas: Trusts and Estates; Wills and Probate; Taxation; Corporate Law; Business Law; Health Care.Email: Alan F. Rothschild, Jr.
William C. Pound (Partner) born Columbus, Georgia, January 6, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, Georgia. Education: University of Alabama (B.S., 1982); Mercer University (J.D., 1985). Member: Columbus Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Real Property Law Section and Bankruptcy Section). Practice Areas: Creditor Bankruptcy; Creditors Rights; Real Estate; Real Property; Commercial Law; Probate.Email: William C. Pound
Gregory S. Ellington (Partner) born Atlanta, Georgia, May 16, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, Georgia; 1996, Alabama. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., 1991); University of Georgia (J.D., 1995). Member: State Bar of Georgia; Alabama State Bar; Joseph Henry Lumpkin Inn of Court (1998-2000). Practice Areas: Litigation; Torts; Civil Practice.Email: Gregory S. Ellington
Bradley R. Coppedge (Partner) born Columbus, Georgia, March 9, 1971; admitted to bar, 1996, Georgia; 1998, Alabama. Education: Mercer University (B.B.A., 1993; J.D., 1996); University of Miami (LL.M. in Taxation, 1997). Member: Columbus and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia; Alabama State Bar. Practice Areas: Taxation; Trusts and Estates; Wills; Probate; Corporate Law; Business Law.Email: Bradley R. Coppedge
Carter P. Schondelmayer (Partner) born Athens, Georgia, July 1,1973; admitted to bar, 1998, Georgia; 1999, Alabama. Education: University of Georgia (B.A., 1995; J.D., 1998). Member: Columbus and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia; Alabama State Bar; Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Probate Litigation; Labor and Employment.Email: Carter P. Schondelmayer
Jorge Vega (Partner) born Santurce, Puerto Rico, February 12, 1954; admitted to bar, 1983, Texas; 2002, Washington; 2005, Georgia. Education: University of Texas at San Antonio (B.A., magna cum laude, 1979); Harvard University Law School (J.D., 1982). State Bar of Georgia; State Bar of Texas; Washington State Bar. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation.
Melanie V. Slaton (Partner) born Merced, California, July 14, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, California; 2003, U.S. Supreme Court; 2007, Georgia. Education: California State University at Fresno (B.A., 1985); University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D., 1988). Member, Board of Directors: Columbus Historic Foundation, 2006; Open Door Community Foundation, 2006; Springer Opera House, State Theater of Georgia, 2006. Member, Leadership Georgia Class of 2007. Member: State Bar of California (Member, Sections on: Labor and Employment); State Bar of Georgia; Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. Practice Areas: Employment Law; Litigation.
ASSOCIATES
Bobby Scott (Associate) born Fort Gordon, Georgia, March 4, 1976; admitted to bar, 2003, Georgia; 2004, Alabama. Education: Georgia State University (B.A., Political Science, summa cum laude, 1998); University of Georgia (J.D., 2003). Managing Editor, Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law, 2002-2003. Member: Columbus Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia; Alabama State Bar; Georgia Defense Lawyers Association; Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation.
Marjorie M. Smith (Associate) born Columbus, Georgia, June 26, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, Georgia; 2003, Alabama. Education: Davidson College (B.A., 1998); University of Georgia (J.D., cum laude, 2002). Member, Editorial Board, 2000-2001, and Executive Editor, 2001-2002, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. Member: State Bar of Georgia (Member, Elder Law Committee, Younger Lawyers Division); Alabama State Bar; Columbus and American Bar Associations; Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. Practice Areas: Trusts and Estates; Wills; Probate; Taxation; Corporate Law.Email: Marjorie M. Smith
Sarah Hart Sillitto (Associate) born Atlanta, Georgia, July 11, 1979; admitted to bar, 2004, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.A., 2001; J.D., 2004). Member: Columbus Younger Lawyers' Association; Georgia Association of Women Lawyers; Georgia Defense Lawyers' Association; Columbus and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: General Litigation.Email: Sarah Hart Sillitto
Kristin Strunk (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, Georgia. Education: Auburn University (B.S., International Business, summa cum laude, 2004); University of Georgia (J.D., 2007). Member: Columbus and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Sections on: General Practice and Trial Law Section; Tort and Insurance Practice Session, 2007); Georgia Association of Women Lawyers; Columbus Younger Lawyers' Club. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice.