Jury Trials In Divorce

Mr. Randall Mark Kessler Related Seminars and Products

Kessler & Solomiany LLC

Randall M. Kessler is the founder of Kessler & Solomiany, LLC., a domestic relations law firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Kessler is the author of many family law books including Divorce: Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future, The GA Library of Family Law Forms, and How to Mediate a Divorce. He is also an adjunct professor of Family Law Litigation at Emory Law School and has served as the Chair of the Family Law Sections of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association. Mr. Kessler has represented some of the highest profile clients in the country including judges, national and local
politicians, professional athletes, TV Stars and other celebrities, entertainers and artists.

Hon. James G. Bodiford Related Seminars and Products

Cobb Circuit Superior Court

TITLE: SENIOR JUDGE, SUPERIOR COURTS OF GEORGIA

JOHN MARSHALL SCHOOL OF LAW: Graduated 1979; DISTINUISHED ALUMNI HONOREE: 2010

In his thirty (30) years active on the bench, Judge Bodiford presided over several of Georgia’s highest profile cases. These cases include the death-penalty trial of Attorney Fred Tokars, the Lynn Turner “Antifreeze Case,” and the internationally covered Tri-State crematory case, where over 300 bodies were found discarded outside a local crematory.

Both the Tokars case and the Turner case were covered gavel to gavel on Court TV. In 2008, Judge Bodiford was recruited and successfully completed the trial of State of Georgia v. Brian Nichols, who is known as the “Atlanta Courthouse Killer.”

During his time as a sitting Superior Court Judge, and during his ongoing tenure as a Senior Judge, Judge Bodiford has presided over hundreds of custody cases.  In his last ten years as a mediator in and around the metro-Atlanta area, Judge Bodiford has worked closely with the local domestic bars in bringing much-needed resolution to some of the most hotly contested divorces, legitimations, modifications and contempts.

Judge Bodiford has been a frequent lecturer to lay people, attorneys and other Judges.  On behalf of the United States, he traveled to Estonia, Bosnia, and the Republic of Georgia on twelve occasions to teach the American Justice System to European judges in those countries.

Among other accolades, in 2020 Judge Bodiford was the first P. Harris Hines Jurist in Resident at the UGA School of Law and in the fall of 2018, he received the prestigious Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

Mr. Michael Louis Goldberg Related Seminars and Products

Fried Goldberg LLC

Michael L. Goldberg is a partner in the law firm of Fried Goldberg LLC and represents victimssuffering catastrophic personal injuries or wrongful death throughout the Southeast, primarily in the areaoftrucking and commercial vehicle accidents. Michael was born in Augusta, Georgia and played for the Division I Basketball Team at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia where he graduated with a B.S. in Political Science in 1994.

He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia in 1997. He has beenlead counsel for the plaintiff on 15 cases with verdicts in excess of a million dollars and is admitted topractice law in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Michael was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in October of 2013. Fellowshipinto the ACTL is extended by invitation only and is limited to less than 1% of the lawyer population.

Michael was named as one of the top lawyers in Georgia under the age of 40 by the Fulton County Daily Report in 2011 and was consecutively named as one of the top 100 lawyers in Georgia in the Super Lawyers editionof Atlanta Magazine since 2013. He is the author of the Library of Georgia Personal Injury Forms, 6th Edition and Understanding Motor Carrier Claims, 6th edition.

Judge Kimberly A. Childs Related Seminars and Products

Cobb County Superior Court

Judge Kimberly A. Childs was elected in May 2016, winning a contested three-way race for an open seat on the Cobb County Judicial Circuit Superior Court bench.  She was re-elected again in 2020 and qualified in 2024 with no opposition.

Before her election, Judge Childs represented businesses and their owners in a variety of commercial disputes. She routinely litigated complex matters in courtrooms across metro-Atlanta.

Between her undergraduate studies and law school, Judge Childs worked as a guard at the DeKalb County Jail and later as a paralegal at a small law firm in Cobb County.  These experiences inspired her to further her education and provided a “real world” foundation for her commitment to our justice system.

Judge Childs has been active in the local bar for many years. She served as President of the Cobb County Bar Association in 2017-20018. Before that, she was the President-Elect, Treasurer,Secretary, Trustee, Business Law & Litigation Section President, Solo/Small Firm Section Secretary, Women of the Bar Section President.  In 2015, she received the President’s Award from the Cobb Bar.

Judge Childs is a member of Lawyers Club of Atlanta.  She serves on the State Bar of Georgia’s Bench & Bar Committee, Court Technology Justice Committee, and the Uniform Superior Court Rules Committee of the Council of Superior Court Judges.  She currently represents the Cobb Judicial Circuit on the State Bar Board of Governors.  

Judge Childs presides over the Cobb County Drug Treatment Court. DTC is an accountability court designed to manage individuals with substance addiction by providing an alternative to the traditional justice system. DTC is designed to improve the health of our participants, not only by addressing the immediate symptoms of their addiction but also orienting participants to a new way of healthier living that can be continued for the rest of their life.

Judge Childs graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University College of Law. At Georgia State, she was on the editorial board of Law Review and received numerous academic honors.  She obtained her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from North Georgia College. 

Before serving on the bench, her skills in and out of the courtroom earned her top honors, including being recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer, a Georgia Super Lawyer Rising Star, and one of the Business Law Legal Elite.  In 2016, Judge Childs was named to the Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers list, as well as one of the Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in both 2015 & 2016. 

On a personal note, Judge Childs is a steadfast and passionate fan of the Atlanta Falcons. She also enjoys watching Atlanta United, the Hawks, and the Braves.  

Hon. Sheryl B. Jolly Related Seminars and Products

Columbia County Justice Center

Judge Sheryl B. Jolly  serves as the Presiding Judge of Superior Court, Columbia Judicial Circuit. Judge Jolly was elected Superior Court Judge for the Augusta Judicial Circuit in 2004 and served in that capacity until the Columbia Judicial Circuit was created in 2021. 

Other current appointments include:  Administrative Judge for 10th Judicial District, Executive Committee of Council of Superior Court Judges, and a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia.

Judge Jolly's public service began in 1986 in the Office of the District Attorney, Augusta Judicial Circuit where she served as  Assistant District Attorney until 1989. She continued her public service as a prosecutor in the State Court of Richmond County, Georgia as Assistant Solicitor General (1989-1993) and subsequently as Chief Assistant Solicitor General (1993-1994). In 1996, Judge Jolly was elected to the Office of Solicitor General of the State Court of Richmond County, Georgia. She served two terms as Solicitor General before seeking election as Superior Court Judge.  In addition to her public service as a prosecutor, she served as an Adjunct Faculty Member for Brenau Professional College for over 20 years and taught courses in Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law, and Public Administration for both undergraduate and graduate level courses.  She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Augusta Bar Association.  Judge Jolly has been actively involved in community activities and service boards, including leadership positions in Leadership Augusta, the Greater Augusta Arts Council, Augusta Junior Woman's Club, Columbia Judicial Circuit Domestic Violence Task Force,  Augusta Child Advocacy Center, Rape Crisis/Sexual Assault Services, The Augusta Partnership for Children and many other local boards.  

Judge Jolly has been a frequent lecturer at judicial conferences for Pre-Trial Issues in Death Penalty cases and presentations in the area of family law.

Ms. Nancy I. Jordan Related Seminars and Products

Kessler & Solomiany LLC

Nancy Ingram Jordan serves clients in all areas of family law with a special emphasis on appellate law. Having been an appellate advocate for over 30 years, Ms. Jordan brings a distinctive mindset and established legal and tactical skills that are vital in appellate litigation. Ms. Jordan provides services to clients and to trial lawyers as an appellate lawyer and/or consultant. In this role, she helps navigate the options that exist, either prior to a final judgment or following a final judgment in which time-sensitive decisions must be made.

Ms. Jordan initially developed her passion and expertise in appellate law based upon her many years in civil and criminal appellate practice in both the state appellate courts and federal courts. Prior to entering private practice, she served as a felony prosecutor in the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, with an emphasis on appellate law.

Ms. Jordan has authored or co-authored over 500 appellate briefs and has appeared before the appellate courts in over 80 oral arguments. Ms. Jordan’s name appears in approximately 332 reported decisions of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Court of Appeals of Georgia. She has argued several cases of the first impression before the Georgia appellate courts. Her appellate practice has focused on a variety of civil cases, as well as family and criminal law in both the state appellate courts and the federal courts.
Ms. Jordan is currently a registered civil and domestic mediator and arbitrator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.

Ms. Jordan is a noted speaker who shares her experience and legal knowledge with various professional groups through speaking engagements. She has lectured on appeals at appellate, criminal, government and family law seminars sponsored by the State Bar of Georgia, the Cobb County Bar Association and Kennesaw State University’s College of Continuing and Professional Education. Ms. Jordan has also taught at the North Georgia Police Academy and at the Emory Trial Techniques Program.

Mr. Alexander Dewitt Weatherby Related Seminars and Products

Weatherby Law Firm PC

Alex is a trial lawyer at Weatherby Law Firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. He works to make lives better with honor, efficiency, and effectiveness. He offers legal representation for folks in catastrophic injury, truck accident, class action, and professional malpractice cases. Alex recovers millions of dollars for genuinely injured folks, and he defends honorable companies in need of legal help.

Recently, he was a lead attorney in a wrongful death trial from a car accident that resulted in a verdict in excess of $27,000,000, which was one of the Top 20 verdicts in the nation for car accidents.

Alex is the first lawyer in his family. His father is a plumbing contractor, and he encouraged Alex at a young age to go to college and graduate school. After working summers for his dad’s plumbing company, Alex was not hard to convince!

Alex has a great respect for construction workers, and those summers taught him a lot about a strong work ethic.

Alex graduated from Samford University, in Birmingham AL, and majored in Communication Studies. He focused on public speaking and critical writing, skills he still uses as a trial lawyer.

Alex is a seventh-generation Georgia and an Atlanta native, so he knew he wanted to come back home. Alex went to the University of Georgia School of Law. At Georgia Law School, Alex was a member of the mock trial board which helps law students with trial advocacy. Alex was also a member of the moot court board which focuses on appellate arguments. During his final year of law school, Alex received the “William King Meadow Award.”

Students and faculty vote to provide this award to “one student in the graduating class best-exemplifying integrity, responsibility, and high legal ethics, and who has the keen sense of humor necessary to bring a proper perspective to solving legal issues.” Alex still works to keep his sense of humor at all times and under all circumstances, which jurors, judges, and clients tend to like!

Alex began working with Pitts Carr in 2010 and opened his own firm in 2021. His practice focuses on helping folks who truly need it, in the most honorable way possible. Alex has extensive experience with catastrophic injury cases, including brain injury, spinal cord injury, wrongful death, truck accident, bus accident, bicycle accident, inadequate security (shooting at an apartment complex), legal malpractice, and medical malpractice.

When he is not lawyering, Alex works to give back to his community. He is a Board Member of the Professional Liability Section of the Georgia State Bar. He has taught several years as an adjunct professor at Georgia State University. He serves as the President of his Neighborhood Association, and he serves on the Administrative Council of his Church. Alex’s favorite thing to do is spend time with his two daughters, wife, and dog in their home in Decatur, Georgia.

Hon. Asha F. Jackson Related Seminars and Products

DeKalb County Superior Court

The Honorable Asha F. Jackson was appointed to the bench in 2012 and twice elected in uncontested races in DeKalb County. Judge Jackson has the distinct honor of having clerked for her predecessor on the bench, Judge Michael Hancock, just after graduating from law school. Prior to becoming a Judge, Judge Jackson was a partner practicing commercial litigation out of the Atlanta office of Barnes and Thornburg, LLP and prior to this, she was a partner practicing tort litigation and professional negligence out of the Atlanta office of Carlock, Copeland, and Stair, LLP. While practicing, Judge Jackson tried numerous cases to verdict including mass tort, personal injury, product liability, and professional negligence cases on behalf of corporate and individual defendants. Her more notable cases include the representation of NFL football great Ray Lewis in a civil suit arising out of two murders after the Atlanta Super bowl and the representation of a funeral home sued after the owner of a North Georgia crematory failed to cremate hundreds of bodies.

In her current position, Judge Jackson presides over more than 1000 complex civil, felony criminal, and domestic cases assigned to her division. She is very active in judicial leadership serving on numerous committees of The Statewide Judicial Council, The Council of Superior Court Judges and The Statewide Judicial Taskforce. Judge Jackson was appointed by the President of the State bar to serve on the newly formed committee of the Georgia Business Court. Because of her passionate commitment to the community and her belief in young people, Judge Jackson created Project Pinnacle, a one-year mandatory in-court experience for non-violent offenders under the age of 25. The goal of Project Pinnacle is to discourage young people from committing further offenses by providing them with life skills training, legal rights, and responsibilities education, and career development opportunities. Project Pinnacle is a co-ed program and Judge Jackson is dedicated to restoring young people to a respectful position in the community.
Judge Jackson is the founding and presiding Judge of the felony mental health court in DeKalb County. In this role, she is responsible for working with severe and persistently mentally ill defendants with a focus on health management, accountability in behavior, and therapy. Participants are referred from all divisions in the DeKalb Superior Court. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Statewide Council of Accountability Court Judges as the Mental Health Court representative.

Judge Jackson is very active in the legal community. She has held various leadership positions in the Atlanta Bar Association, the Gate City Bar Association, and the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. Judge Jackson was inducted into the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only Trial Order for the top 1% of litigators in the country and she has been consistently recognized by her peers for excellence in litigation, professionalism, and service including being named to the Georgia Trend Magazine Top Attorney’s List, the Georgia Rising Stars List, The Atlanta Daily Report Lawyer on the Rise and the NBA Trailblazer Under 40 just to name a few. In the community, Judge Jackson volunteers with a number of groups and organizations including her service as a Board Member of the State Commission on Family Violence, The Atlanta Area Council of Girl Scouts where she serves annually as the Judge for Law Merit Badge Day, The Atlanta Area Council of Boy Scouts where she teaches the Law Merit Badge and served as a fundraising captain, and The National Advisory Board of Forever Family; a youth mentoring organization committed to servicing children of incarcerated parents.

Hon. Ural D.L. Glanville Related Seminars and Products

Fulton County Superior Court

Mr. Robert G. Wellon Related Seminars and Products

Attorney and Counselor at Law

Rob Wellon has been practicing law since 1974, with an emphasis on litigation, and concentrating on family law. He is recognized as a creative problem-solver, whether in settling issues or trying cases. With a lifelong commitment to service, Wellon has over twenty years of guiding law students into the profession, as an adjunct professor at Emory Law School.  Wellon is the founder and initial director of the Atlanta College of Trial Advocacy, former chairman of the Atlanta Bar Litigation Section and Adjunct Professor on Trial Advocacy.

Hon. Christopher Samuel Brasher Related Seminars and Products

Fulton County Superior Court

Former Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Fulton County when he retired from the bench in late 2022, Chris Brasher served on Georgia’s busiest trial court for nearly seventeen years. During his time on the Superior Court bench, Judge Brasher presided over more than 20,000 cases, ranging from commercial disputes involving hundreds of millions of dollars, to catastrophic injury cases, to professional negligence and malpractice cases, to high-asset divorce cases, to complex and vexing custody matters, to capital murder and other violent felony cases. As a lawyer prior to his service on the bench, Judge Brasher tried cases in more than 130 counties in Georgia, as well as in all of Georgia’s Federal District Courts. As an appellate advocate, Judge Brasher argued more than forty cases in appellate courts, including before Georgia’s Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, as well as in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and in the United States Supreme Court. Judge Brasher has more than 70 reported decisions as lead appellate counsel.

On the bench, Judge Brasher earned a reputation as a hard-working, efficient, and effective jurist who was always prepared, patient, and fair. Judge Brasher’s court was known to be a place where disputes were resolved in an efficient way, where parties and counsel would be heard, and where professionalism and respect were expected and practiced.

As a colleague and in the community, Judge Brasher has served in leadership roles in local, county, and statewide organizations. Teaching and mentoring have always been a part of Judge Brasher’s efforts to equip others in their professional, academic, and personal lives. As a veteran trial judge with over two hundred jury trials, Judge Brasher knows what works and what does not before a jury. As a trained and certified mediator, Judge Brasher has honed the skills needed to assist in resolving disputes.

Hon. Brian M. Rickman Related Seminars and Products

Georgia Court of Appeals

2015 – Present

Chief Judge Brian M. Rickman was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals in November 2015 by Governor Nathan Deal and took office on January 1, 2016.

Born in Madison County, Georgia, Judge Rickman was a jailer working in the Rabun County Detention Center before entering Piedmont College where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in 1998. He earned his Juris Doctor from The University of Georgia School of Law in 2001. While in law school he was a member of the Mock Trial Board and was involved in the Prosecutorial Clinic. Judge Rickman was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia on October 29th, 2001. He began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit and then the Mountain Judicial Circuit. In 2004 he left the District Attorney’s Office to become a partner in a small town law firm in Rabun County, Georgia. He was a partner at Stockton & Rickman. At Stockton & Rickman, in addition to taking on whatever clients came through the door, including several pro bono cases, he was involved in civil litigation and was defense counsel in several cases including murder cases. In 2008, Judge Rickman was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to be the District Attorney for the Mountain Judicial Circuit and this was the position Judge Rickman held prior to taking office at The Georgia Court of Appeals.

In 2004, Judge Rickman became an adjunct professor at Piedmont College. He has taught several courses, including, American Government, Criminal Law and Procedure, and Courts and Society. He is a member of the Piedmont College Board of Trustees.

Judge Rickman was involved in several Professional Organizations as District Attorney. He was a member of the Georgia Board of Public Safety. The Georgia Board of Public Safety has statutory oversight over the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Department of Public Safety, and the Georgia Public Training Center. He was elected to be Secretary of the Georgia Board of Public Safety. Judge Rickman also served on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council as the Board of Public Safety representative. Judge Rickman was elected by colleagues to serve on The Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Council has statutory oversight over the State budget and training of Georgia’s District Attorney’s Offices. He served as chairman of the Personnel Committee.

In 2008, Judge Rickman was a recipient of the Piedmont College Alumni Association’s Pacesetter Award. In 2013 he was named by the Fulton Daily Report as a “40 under 40 On the Rise,” selection.

Judge Rickman’s most important role is as husband to his wife, Maggie, and father to his two young children.

Hon. Christopher Charles Edwards Related Seminars and Products

Judge, Attorney at Law

Julia Jenae Related Seminars and Products

CourtTV

Julia is an anchor and legal correspondent for Court TV, a national legal journalism network based in Atlanta, where she has covered historic trials and high profile cases since its relaunch in 2019.

Prior to joining Court TV, she spent several years in Jacksonville, Florida as an investigative reporter for First Coast News and in East Texas reporting for KLTV's investigative team. While in Texas, she was awarded a Gavel Award from the State Bar of Texas for her investigation into a rogue employer who was siphoning thousands in child support funds away from a local father's paycheck. Julia is a three-time EMMY award recipient for investigative reports, some of which prompted state investigations, policy changes, and reimbursement of taxpayer money.

She received her Bachelor's in Journalism and Spanish from Mercer University then went on to attend Coastal Law and the University of Miami School of Law pursuing her Juris Doctor. After law school, she practiced as a civil litigation attorney in Atlanta for several years before pursuing her passion for helping people through journalism. She is a member of the Florida Bar and State Bar of Georgia. 

She has covered historic trials in courtrooms across the country, including that of disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein, singer R. Kelly’s sex trafficking trial, the Parkland school shooter and the 2021 trials in the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Outside of the newsroom, she's either working with children in the community, volunteering as an election protection attorney, or somewhere on the beach. She loves to travel and learn new languages and is proficient at Spanish and American Sign Language.