Livestream - VA Accreditation

Mr. Drew Norman Early Related Seminars and Products

Shewmaker & Lewis LLC

Drew N. Early was born in Harrisonburg VA.  Attended US Military Academy, West Point NY, graduating in 1979.  Served in US Army, to include service with XVIII ABN Corps, Second Infantry Division, Tenth Mountain Division, and Third Army.  Multiple deployments, including Haiti and several to the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen, and the Emirates).

Graduate, with honors, US Army Command and General Staff College and follow-on attendance at US Army School of Advanced Military Studies, with an advanced degree in Strategic Planning.  Then multiple planning assignments in the Army, to include Third Army, focusing on the Middle East.  Received separate Master’s Degree in Management while on active duty. 

Graduate JD, cum laude, from Georgia State University and currently of counsel with Shewmaker and Shewmaker for probate and related matters, focused on veterans’ assistance and elder law.  Practicing veterans’ law since 2008.

- Adjunct Professor at Emory University's College of Law

- Executive Director of Emory School of Law’s Volunteer Clinic for Veterans 

Accreditations and Admissions

US Supreme Court
US Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia
US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for State of Georgia
Accredited to practice before the VA
Serving on DeKalb County Probate Court Court-Appointed list
Registered Mediator
 

Published

The Elder Law Journal, Volume 18, Number 1, 2010
Proceedings, US Naval Institute, November 1997
GA Bar Journal
Frequent CLE contributor within GA and to national veterans advocacy groups—CLEs to National Organization of Veterans Advocates conferences in Washington DC, Chicago IL, Las Vegas NV, San Antonio TX, Portland OR, Providence RI, and others.  Separate CLEs in GA and VA.    
 

Awards

2010 Marshall-Tuttle Award from State Bar of Georgia as outstanding lawyer for his service to military and veterans
Numerous US and foreign military awards and decorations
 

Professional Associations

Past Chair, Military and Veterans Section of the State Bar of Georgia
National Organization of Veterans Advocates
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
Veterans Benefits Practice and Development Council
 

Expertise

VA cases in multiple US states and possessions, to include Guam and PR.
Expert witness, Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings, 2009.
Nominee, US House of Representatives Veterans Affairs advisory sub-committee, Disability Compensation and Small Business Opportunities

Mr. J. Travis Studdard Related Seminars and Products

Perkins Studdard LLC

Travis Studdard is a partner at Perkins Studdard LLC in Carrollton where he practices workers’ compensation and veterans disability law with his brother-in-law, Jason Perkins.

Travis received his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Georgia, where he was a First Honor Graduate. He went on to receive his law degree with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2004. Upon graduation, Travis returned to the West Georgia area and began representing injured workers with a particular focus on catastrophic designation claims, which are similar to VA individual unemployability cases.

For the past few years, Travis’ practice has focused primarily on veterans disability law. Travis was a founder of the West Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, having served in various roles including President. He has also been very active over the years in the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and in particular the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Claimants Lawyers Organization, having served a number of terms on the Board of Directors and as Education Chair. He is also a sustaining member of the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates.

Outside of work, Travis is active in his local church, including four years as lay leader of the congregation and most recently as chair of a year-long pastor search committee. The rest of his time, he is either at one of his kids’ sporting events, playing pickleball, traveling to a new SCUBA diving locale, or watching the Georgia Bulldogs.

Ms. Victoria Helen Watkins Related Seminars and Products

Victoria Watkins Law

Attorney Victoria Watkins was born in the Motor City and raised in sunny Southern California.  Victoria completed her undergraduate coursework at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Reading, England.  She graduated cum laude from the Georgia State University College of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court Board and interned with the Georgia Council on Aging.

Victoria is a member in good standing of the Georgia Bar and the Cobb County Bar Association, and has served as an Accredited Attorney with the Veterans Administration for over a decade. In addition to helping veterans, her practice encompasses estate planning and guardianship matters. She is a past Board member of the Cobb Services for the Elderly and the Cherokee Services for the Elderly, and currently serves the Cobb County Probate Court as court-appointed counsel and Guardian ad Litem. 

Mr. William Brownell Dyer III Related Seminars and Products

Lee & Hayes PLLC

Major General Bill Dyer is the Commanding General of the United States Army Reserve 108^th Training Command, where he executes command and control over 8,000 Army Reserve Soldiers who perform Initial Entry Training for both enlisted and officers across the United States.  He earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute in 1985 and his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1992.  His military education includes a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, as well as the Advanced Joint Professional Military Education course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Judge Advocate Officer Basic and Advanced Courses.

MG Dyer was initially commissioned in the U.S. Air Force and served on the Base Engineering Staff at Lowry AFB, CO.  Following graduation from law school, he was commissioned in the Army and served four years on Active Duty at Ft. Gordon, GA as a Legal Assistance Attorney and Trial Defense Counsel.

After leaving Active Duty, MG Dyer joined the Army Reserve’s 213^th Legal Support Organization and served in a variety of positions including Trial Counsel, Mobilization Officer, and Legal Assistance Attorney.  He was then selected to serve as Command Judge Advocate of the 416^th Engineer Command’s Facility Engineer Center, Southeast.  In 2003, he was mobilized and deployed with the 416^th FEC-SE as part of the 3d Infantry Division for the initial invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Following redeployment, MG Dyer became an International/Operational Law Attorney (DIMA) at FORSCOM, and was later selected to be the Staff Judge Advocate for the 3d Medical Command at Ft. Gillem, GA.  His following assignment was Staff Judge Advocate of the 335^th Signal Command in East Point, GA.

In 2012, MG Dyer was selected to be the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7 for the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command, where he oversaw all operational and training activities across the entire Command.  Following his tenure as G-3/5/7, MG Dyer took Command of the 153d Legal Operations Detachment in Philadelphia.  He relinquished command in 2015 to become the Deputy Commanding Officer – East of the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command.  Upon promotion to Brigadier General, he was selected to be the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations, with duty at the Pentagon.  While in this position, he did a second combat deployment, to Afghanistan, where he led the NATO effort to establish the Rule of Law in Afghanistan.  Upon his return to the United States, he transitioned from that position to become the Commanding General of the Army Reserve Legal Command.  He relinquished that command in October of 2022, upon promotion to Major General, to assume his current assignment.  His military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Combat Action Badge.

MG Dyer is a partner in the Atlanta office of Lee & Hayes, where he leads the firm’s intellectual property litigation practice, and primarily focuses on patent, trademark, and trade secret issues.  He has been nationally recognized by Chambers and Managing Intellectual Property as a leader in the intellectual property field and is a frequent lecturer on intellectual property topics.  He has been a faculty member of the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law since 2006.  He is a member of the Georgia Bar.

Ms. Katherine Louise Ingram Related Seminars and Products

Fort Benning Soldier's MEB Counsel

Ms. Patricia Dee Shewmaker Related Seminars and Products

Shewmaker & Lewis LLC

Patty Shewmaker, a native of Nebraska, attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York where she earned a bachelor of science in political science and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Military Intelligence. Patty served seven (7) years on active duty in the United States Army and three (3) years in the Georgia Army National Guard. Patty deployed as a Company Commander of a Counterintelligence Company in support of OPERATIONS IRAQI FREEDOM and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. Patty received the Bronze Star Medal for her service in a combat theater of operations. With her extensive military background and understanding the unique issues that confront military families, Patty represents many military service members in family law issues.

Patty earned her law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law where she graduated with honors. She has an active practice in all areas of family law including divorce litigation, modification of custody, alimony and child support, contempt actions and legitimations and paternity suits.

Patty also specializes in dividing qualified retirement plans incident to divorce and legal separation, including pensions under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), military pensions, private pensions, 401(k)s, Thrift Savings Plans (TSPs), and other qualified retirement plans.

Patty also has extensive experience with cross jurisdictional family law litigation. She represents clients whose cases span across multiple states and foreign countries, be it a divorce, custody action, or a modification. Patty is well versed in the special jurisdictional requirements of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) and the Uniform Family Support Act (UFSA).

Patty is a member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia. Patty is also a member of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and she is a member of the executive committee of the Military and Veterans Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, the DeKalb Bar Association, and a member of the Class of 2012 of Leadership DeKalb.

Patty is admitted to practice with the State Bar of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.

Mr. Eric Alvin Ballinger Related Seminars and Products

The Law Office of Eric A Ballinger LLM PC

Eric Ballinger is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of John Marshall Law School, Atlanta, Georgia, in 1993 and an honors graduate with a Master of Laws in Litigation from Atlanta Law School in 1994.  He has practiced law on Main Street in Canton, Georgia since 1993 as a sole practitioner and “Main Street Lawyer” for nearly thirty years handling cases involving criminal defense, family law, child custody, corporate law, estates, and probate, as well as general litigation.  Mr. Ballinger is rated 10.0 out of 10.0 on Avvo, Av Rated by Martindale Hubble, and a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters. Eric Ballinger has served on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia for the past fifteen years, having served as the Chairman of the Military Legal Assistance Program from 2013 to 2019 as well as the Chair of the Law Practice Management oversight committee, the Member Benefits Committee, the Bench and Bar Committee, and the Wellness Committee.  Eric Ballinger is currently a part-time Judge in the Magistrate Court of Cherokee County.  Prior to attending law school, Eric Ballinger was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps as an Infantry officer and served on active duty as a platoon leader, training officer, company executive officer, and company commander.