(Main Office)

The firm is the direct successor to a partnership established in 1899 by George Edmondson Maddox and Colonel William S. McHenry. Over the years, attorneys who had been partners and associates of the firm have served in various capacities in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the State of Georgia and the United States. One partner and two former partners served as members of the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners. Attorneys presently in the firm concentrate in various areas of the law, enabling it to offer a wide range of legal services to its clients. In 1999 the firm opened an office in Cedartown, with Michael D. McRae and Robert T. Monroe as its resident attorneys, to expand the geographical base of its practice.

Statement of Practice

General Civil and Trial Practice in all State and Federal Courts, Insurance, Banking and Corporations, Environmental, Employment, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Workers Compensation Law, Probate, Estate Planning, Taxation, Complex Litigation, Health Care, Personal Injury, Automobile Accidents, Family Law, Divorce, Commercial Law and Business Law.

Clients

COUNSEL FOR: Floyd County, Georgia
SunTrust Bank of Northwest Georgia
Development Authority of Floyd County
Berry College, Inc.
Bekeart Corp.
Hospital Authority of Floyd County
Darlington School
Rome Radiology Group, P.A.
Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
W.R. Adams, Inc.
Floyd Healthcare Management
Floyd Healthcare Resources, Inc.
City of Cedartown
City of Rockmart
Cedartown Development Authority
Rockmart Development Authority
Polk County Water Authority
Regions Bank of Cedartown
Floyd County, Gordon/Floyd Joint Development Authorities
J.L. Todd Auction Company
United Way of Rome and Floyd County, Inc.
Coosa Valley Regional Development Center
Haralson County, Georgia
Murphy-Harpst Children's Centers, Inc.
Rome-Neaton
Dollar General
Stair Parts
Servicemaster
City of Tallapoosa
Heritage First Bank.

LOCAL COUNSEL FOR: Pierre Foods
Temple-Inland (TIN, Inc.)
Alabama Power Co.
Lindale Manufacturing, Inc.
Engineered Fabrics Corporation
Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.
American Mutual Liability Insurance
CNA Insurance Cos.
State Farm
Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co.
Metropolitan Property & Liability Insurance Co.
Provident Life & Accident Insurance Co.
Reliance Standard Insurance
Safeco Insurance Group
Standard Accident Insurance Co.
St. Paul Insurance Cos.
Transamerica Insurance Cos.
Mutual Insurance Co.
Royal Globe Insurance Cos.
The Shelby Mutual Insurance Co.
Progressive Casualty Insurance Co.
MAG Mutual Insurance Co.
Worldwide Insurance Group
Zurich American Insurance Co.
Southlife Properties, Inc.
ESIS Insurance Services Co.
Haralson County Water Authority
Midstates Reinsurance Co.
Kellogg's
Sara Lee Baking Group
RSKCo Claim Services
AmTrust North American (formerly The Covenant Group)
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (formerly Crown American)
One Beacon Insurance Companies
Mount Vernon Mills, Dollar General Corporation
Gallagher-Bassett Services.

ASSISTANT DIVISION COUNSEL FOR: Norfolk Southern Railway Co.

APPROVED ATTORNEYS FOR: Lawyers Title Insurance Corp.

Address

100 East Second Avenue
Rome, GA 30162-0092, (Floyd Co.)

Phone

Phone: 706-291-6223
Toll Free: 888-291-6223
Telecopier: 706-291-7429
URL: http://www.msplaw.com
Call Firm Now

Website

http://www.msp-lawfirm.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Michael D. McRae (Member) born Rome, Georgia, May 8, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (A.B., 1972); Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University (J.D., 1975). Phi Delta Phi. Member, Editorial Staff, Mercer Law Review, 1974-1975. City Attorney, Cities of Cedartown and Rockmart. Attorney, Polk County Water Authority. Member, Georgia Hazardous Waste Trust Fund Advisory Committee, 1994-1999. Georgia State Ethics Commission, 1997-2002. Member: Polk County and Tallapoosa Circuit Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia; Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. (Resident, Cedartown). Practice Areas: Municipal Law; Wills; Estates Law; Criminal Law; Environmental Law; General and Complex Litigation.Email: Michael D. McRae

Jo H. Stegall, III (Member) born Rome, Georgia, September 4, 1958; admitted to bar, 1984, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.B.A., 1980; J.D., 1984). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia (Workers' Compensation Section; Member, Executive Council, Younger Lawyers Section, 1989-1991); Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation Law; Civil Practice; Education Law.Email: Jo H. Stegall, III

Jule W. Peek, Jr. (Member) born Albany, Georgia, March 20, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Georgia. Education: Hampden-Sydney College (B.A., 1985); University of Georgia (J.D., 1988). Member: Rome and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Executive Council, Younger Lawyers' Section, 1991-1992); Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. Barrister, American Inns of Court. Practice Areas: Domestic Relations Law; Insurance Defense Law; Medical Malpractice Defense; Personal Injury Law.Email: Jule W. Peek, Jr.

Virginia B. Harman (Member) born Cedartown, Georgia, December 22, 1958; admitted to bar, 1982, Georgia and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia; 1988, U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: LaGrange College; Georgia State University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1979) University of Georgia (J.D., with honors, 1982). Phi Beta Kappa; Mortar Board. Assistant District Attorney, Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, Lafayette, Georgia, 1982-1983. Member: Rome (Secretary/Treasurer, 1995-1996; Vice-President, 1996-1997, President, 1997-1998) and American (Member, Litigation Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Sections on: Banking, Commercial Law, Environmental Law; Member, Disciplinary Board Review Panel, 1991-1994; Disciplinary Board Investigative Panel, 1997-1999); Georgia Indigent Defense Council (Chairperson, 1991-1992); Georgia Bankers Association (Legal Counsel Section). Practice Areas: Banking Law; Bankruptcy; Creditors Rights; Commercial Law; Contracts; Environmental Law; Probate, Trust and Estate Litigation; Trial Practice.Email: Virginia B. Harman

Scott M. Smith (Member) born Carrollton, Georgia, March 23, 1964; admitted to bar, 1989, Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals and U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.B.A., 1986); Mercer University (J.D., 1989). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Real Property Section). Practice Areas: Real Estate-Commercial Law; Real Estate-Residential Law; Commercial Law; Subdivision Planning; Development Authorities; Government Law.Email: Scott M. Smith

Thomas H. Manning (Member) born Newnan, Georgia, February 3, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Georgia; Supreme Court of Georgia; Georgia Court of Appeals; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Virginia Military Institute (B.A., with distinction, 1985); University of Georgia (J.D., 1988). Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia; Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Government Law; Estate Planning; Commercial Law; Insurance Defense Law; Workers Compensation Law; Medical Malpractice Defense Law; Forestry Law; Civil Practice.Email: Thomas H. Manning

Mather D. Graham (Member) born Atlanta, Georgia, June 18, 1966; admitted to bar, 1993, Georgia; Supreme Court of Georgia; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia. Education: Berry College (B.S., 1990); Washington & Lee University; Mercer University (J.D., 1993). Member: Rome and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Trust Law; Estate Administration.Email: Mather D. Graham

Robert T. Monroe (Member) born Louisville, Kentucky, March 24, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Georgia. Education: University of the South (B.A., cum laude, 1991); University of Louisville School of Law (J.D., 1994). Member, Editorial Staff, Journal of Law and Education, 1993-1994. Author, "Balancing Individual Privacy With the Public's Right to Know - Georgia Supreme Court's Red & Black, Ruling Creates Gray Area," Spring 1994 edition. Associate Juvenile Judge, Tallapoosa Circuit (Polk and Haralson Counties), 2003—. Member: Polk County and Tallapoosa Circuit Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Real Property and Younger Lawyers Section); Polk County Indigent Defense Committee, 1998—. (Resident, Cedartown). Practice Areas: General Litigation; Local Government Law; Real Estate Law; Domestic Relations.Email: Robert T. Monroe

C. Andrew Garner, III (Member) born Atlanta, Georgia, July 26, 1974; admitted to bar, 1999, Georgia; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia. Education: University of Mississippi (B.A., 1996); Mercer University (J.D., 1999). Phi Delta Phi. Law Clerk, Honorable Carl C. Brown, Jr. and Honorable J. Carlisle Overstreet, Augusta Judicial Circuit, 1999-2001. Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Real Estate; Corporate Law; Local Government Law.Email: C. Andrew Garner, III

ASSOCIATES

Robert Q. Bersky (Associate) born Henderson, Kentucky, December 28, 1976; admitted to bar, 2005, Georgia. Education: Murray State University (B.S., 2002); Mercer University (J.D., 2005). Member: Tallapoosa Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia. (Resident, Cedartown). Practice Areas: Real Estate; Local Government Law; Municipal Law; Wills; Estate Planning; Corporate Law.Email: Robert Q. Bersky

Brian Bojo (Associate) born September 20, 1977, Rome, Georgia; admitted to bar, 2004, Georgia. Education: Toccoa Falls College (B.A., 2000); Georgia State University (J.D., 2004). Member: Rome and American (Member, Tax Subsection) Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Fiduciary Subsection). Practice Areas: Wills; Corporate Law; Probate; Estate Planning.Email: Brian Bojo

W. Jordan Knight (Associate) born Rome, Georgia, September 30, 1979; admitted to bar, 2006, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.B.A., Finance and Real Estate, 2003); Samford University (J.D., 2006). Member: Rome and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Corporate Law; Wills; Civil Litigation.Email: W. Jordan Knight

Jason B. Sanker (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, September 13, 1977; admitted to bar, 2005, Georgia. Education: University of West Georgia (2000); Mercer University (J.D., 2005). Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Local Government Law; Municipal Law; Medical Malpractice; Litigation.Email: Jason B. Sanker

Emily Smith (Associate) born Rome, Georgia, April 7, 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, Georgia. Education: Berry College (B.A., 2003); Regent University (J.D., 2006). Fellow: Blackstone Fellowship. Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Probate; Wills; Municipal Law.Email: Emily Smith

OF COUNSEL

Oscar M. Smith (Of Counsel) born Valdosta, Georgia, September 19, 1923; admitted to bar, 1947, Georgia. Education: South Georgia Teachers College; Georgia School of Technology; University of Georgia (LL.B., summa cum laude, 1948). Phi Delta Phi; Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi. Special Assistant Attorney General, State of Georgia, 1968—. Member, 1975-1978 and Chairman, 1979-1980, Georgia State Board of Bar Examiners. Member: Rome and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia; Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (President, 1971-1972); International Association of Insurance Counsel. Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers.

James D. Maddox (Of Counsel) born Rome, Georgia, December 8, 1921; admitted to bar, 1947, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.S.C., 1942); University of Michigan (LL.B., 1947). Phi Delta Phi. Judge, City Court, Floyd County, 1959-1967 (resigned). Regent, University System of Georgia, 1972-1980. Member: Rome (President, 1956) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia (President, Young Lawyers Section, 1950); Georgia Defense Lawyers Association; National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel; National Association of College and University Attorneys. Fellow: Georgia Bar Foundation; Defense Research Institute.

Daniel M. Roper (Of Counsel) born Miami, Florida, December 30, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, Georgia, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, Supreme Court of of Georgia and Georgia Court of Appeals; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: University of Georgia (B.S.F.R., 1983; J.D., 1986). Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Bankruptcy and Agricultural Law Sections, Vice-Chairman, 1989-1994); American Agricultural Law Association. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Banking Law; Commercial Litigation; Condemnation Law; Insurance Defense Law; Agricultural Law; Forestry Law; General Litigation.Email: Daniel M. Roper

COUNSEL

John M. Graham, III (Counsel) born Rome, Georgia, May 31, 1941; admitted to bar, 1966, Georgia. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.S., 1963); University of Virginia (J.D., 1966). Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 1991—. Member: Rome Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia (Member, Fiduciary Law Section, 1980—; Officer, 1995-1998; Vice-Chairman, Chair, 1997-1998; Member, Board of Governors, 1973-1977; Georgia Trust Code Revision Committee, 1989-1991; Georgia Probate Code Revision Committee, 1993-1998; Georgia Guardianship Code Revision Committee, 1997-2000; Georgia Board of Bar Examiners, 1991-1995; Georgia Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants, 1996-1998. Practice Areas: Estate Planning Law; Taxation Law; Estate, Gift and Income Tax Law; Trust Law; Corporate Law; Transactional Law; Estate and Trust Dispute Resolution and Litigation.Email: John M. Graham, III

Jackson B. Harris (Counsel) born Rome, Georgia, November 29, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Georgia. Education: University of Georgia (B.B.A., cum laude, 1975; J.D., 1978). Phi Delta Phi. Partner: Smith, Shaw, Maddox, Davidson & Graham, 1983-1988; Shaw, Maddox, Graham, Monk & Harris, 1988-1990. General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Zartic, Inc., 1991- 2006. Member: Rome and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Business Law; Commercial Law; Labor and Employment.Email: Jackson B. Harris

Charles C. Shaw (Counsel) born Cartersville, Georgia, March 11, 1928; admitted to bar, 1952, Georgia. Education: University of the South (B.A., 1949); University of Georgia (LL.B., 1952). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Rome Bar Association (Former President); State Bar of Georgia. Practice Areas: Real Estate-Property Law; Real Estate-Residential Law; Title Examinations Law; Title Insurance Closing Law.Email: Charles C. Shaw