Plaintiff's Personal Injury

Mr. Douglas Campbell Dumont Related Seminars and Products

Ausband & Dumont

Like the other professionals at the Ausband & Dumont, Doug strives to be the best both inside and outside the courtroom. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1998 with a degree in Political Science and then earned his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law. Doug has recovered over $40,000,000 for his clients and looks forward to helping more people and families who who have been injured by another's bad decisions. He has successfully won settlements and trials for clients in state and federal courts throughout the southeast, and his appellate record is unbeaten.

Doug was a SuperLawyer Rising Star in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, and a SuperLawyer 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. He was also nominated to the Georgia Verdicts Hall of Fame in 2014 for a single verdict over $20,000,000!

Outside the courtroom, Doug spends a significant amount of time speaking with other lawyers throughout the United States. He has chaired or co-chaired the Plaintiffs Personal Injury CLE for eight years, which is broadcast to hundreds of lawyers throughout Georgia. Doug is also the author of a chapter in Thompson-Wests Handling Motor Vehicle Accident Cases publication. He is an active member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.

When Doug is away from the office, he enjoys spending most of his time with his wife and three children going to football games, fishing, traveling to their cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and serving on his church’s congregational council. 

Mr. John David Hadden Related Seminars and Products

Penn Law LLC

John D. Hadden is a trial and appellate litigator with Penn Law in Atlanta, where he handles catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases across the state. He is author of Georgia Law of Torts - Trial Preparation and Practice and Green's Georgia Law of Evidence, both published by Thomson Reuters. He is also a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. John is president of the Atlanta Trial Lawyers Association, a member of the Atlanta Bar Association Board of Directors and past chair of the Atlanta Bar’s Litigation Section, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Atlanta Bar Lawyer Referral and Information Service, and a past chair of the Litigation Committee of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyers Division. John is a graduate of Emory University and the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was a member of the Georgia Law Review. John has been named one of Georgia’s “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend, recognized by Atlanta Magazine in its annual list of Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers, and holds an AV/Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He has also been recognized by the Fulton County Daily Report as one of its “On the Rise — Top 40 Under 40.”

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.

Mr. Michael Brent Walker Related Seminars and Products

The Walker Firm LLC

Brent was born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia where he received his B.S. in Microbiology and the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University where he earned his J.D. and a certificate in trial advocacy. At Cumberland, he also served as a research fellow at the Cumberland Center for Biotechnology, Law and Ethics. 
 
Brent has practiced law since 2007 and brings a wide variety of experience to the MAG General Counsel role. He began his legal career as a plaintiff's attorney in Birmingham, Alabama with specialties in complex litigation and medical malpractice. Subsequently, Brent moved to Atlanta and joined a large defense firm working on professional malpractice defense including medical malpractice cases. In 2014, he founded his own firm and devoted the last decade to serving small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs as outside general counsel. A significant part of his practice was dedicated to serving physicians, healthcare providers, and companies related to healthcare. Brent also developed significant expertise in the cannabis industry and was one of the first attorneys in the State of Georgia to focus on serving the commercial cannabis and industrial hemp industries. Brent joined the Medical Association of Georgia as General Counsel in 2023.
 

Mr. Jeffrey Robert Filipovits Related Seminars and Products

Spears & Filipovits LLC

Jeff Filipovits has emerged as a distinguished lawyer specializing in police and government misconduct cases. With a stellar track record, Jeff has handled ten appellate oral arguments and four federal jury trials. Recognized for his strategic approach and attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to securing justice. Jeff's commitment to justice is not confined to the courtroom; he has actively contributed to legal education by sharing his insights and experiences at numerous seminars and classes. In 2020, Jeff formed Spears & Filipovits with his parter, longtime civil rights attorney Brian Spears. The firm specializes in federal civil rights litigation and often partners with other attorneys who recognize the specific expertise needed to litigate civil rights cases. Jeff is a 2009 graduate of GSU College of Law.

Ms. Meredith Stein Watts Related Seminars and Products

Brooks Injury Law LLC

Meredith Watts is a Partner at Brooks Injury Law, LLC, where she focuses her practice on catastrophic premises liability cases. In addition to her trial practice, Meredith also frequently serves as appellate counsel for all types of personal injury cases.

Since joining Brooks Injury Law in 2021, Meredith has achieved remarkable success, securing over $24 million for her clients in premises liability cases alone. This includes more than $11 million in negligent security cases and $2 million in cases where premises owners were held accountable for injuries to employees. Meredith has also demonstrated exceptional legal strategy by successfully defeating attempts by defense counsel to secure interlocutory appellate review of key trial court rulings in these cases, further establishing her reputation as a determined and skilled advocate.

A proud "Double Dawg," Meredith earned both her undergraduate degree and J.D. from the University of Georgia, graduating magna cum laude. Her legal career has spanned a wide range of practice areas, from general commercial and construction litigation to personal injury, real estate, and intellectual property law.

Meredith is an active member of her community in Smyrna, where she lives with her two sons. Outside the office, Meredith can be found working on her deadlift at CrossFit South Cobb, training for a running race on the Silver Comet, cheering on the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, or her favorite pastime, watching her own boys play baseball all over Georgia.

Mr. David Neal Lefkowitz Related Seminars and Products

The Lefkowitz Firm LLC

David Lefkowitz graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. and earned his J.D. from Emory University School of Law. The Lefkowitz Firm, LLC, represents individuals and corporations in their claims for legal malpractice (legal negligence) and similar claims such as breach of fiduciary duty, executor misconduct and ethical misconduct by attorneys and other fiduciaries. The firm also represents attorneys and law firms with regard to risk management and attorney’s fee disputes. David is an adjunct professor of legal malpractice law, ethics, and risk management at the University of Georgia School of Law and is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars. David has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Athens, Georgia.  

Ms. Natalie S. Woodward Related Seminars and Products

Warshauer Woodward Atkins

Anyone who meets Natalie Woodward feels like they have known her their entire life. It is this ability to put people at ease that makes her such an effective trial lawyer. Natalie secured a $77.7 million psychiatric malpractice verdict in September 2022 for the Carusillo family whose son was forced out of a mental health facility without his medication in 2017. Watch the News Nation interview about the case.

In 2010, she tried her first jury trial as lead counsel in a wrongful arrest case and secured a $1 million verdict which is the largest verdict of its kind in Georgia history. In 2021, she was interviewed about this trial. https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-e8jnd-101dc94

Her cases have made international and national news including her fight to protect the rights of children on social media. https://youtu.be/cfGYpv8iKIE

In 2014, she argued before the Georgia Court of Appeals to obtain increased protection for children targeted on social media. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ga-court-of-appeals/1680364.html Natalie has also led the fight to secure justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Natalie is a proud native of Powder Springs, Georgia and is a venerable “Double Dawg.” She received undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Political Science from UGA and then graduated from UGA Law in 2002. While in law school, she was a member of the 2001 Champion Intrastate Moot Court Team, President of her Second Year Class and Chair of the Moot Court Board.

Natalie serves on the Executive Committee for the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Bench and Bar Committee of the State Bar of Georgia. She has been recognized by her peers as one of the best lawyers in the State for the past six years and was selected as one of the Best Young Lawyers in Georgia by Atlanta Magazine.

Ms. Alison Lee Currie Related Seminars and Products

The Summerville Firm

Alison Currie is a partner at The Summerville Firm, an appellate boutique. As a trial and appellate lawyer, Ms. Currie works with other firms to analyze, brief, and argue complex and nuanced questions of law. Her firm assists in motions practice, evidentiary hearings, trial strategy, and serves as embedded counsel to advise trial counsel and preserve evidentiary issues. Her firm also handles post-judgment briefing, fee disputes, and appeals of all types and at all stages. 

Prior to joining The Summerville Firm in 2023, Ms. Currie spent 12 years as a medical malpractice defense attorney, where she defended doctors and hospitals in all phases of litigation in both state and federal courts. Ms. Currie is a graduate of Emory University and the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served as an editor on the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and won the Talmadge and Intrastate moot court competitions. In her free time, she loves classic movies, fiction novels, traveling, and spending time with her husband (a dentist) and her son (a toddler). 

Mr. Brendan Gerard Krasinski Related Seminars and Products

The Champion Firm

Brendan Krasinski is an personal injury attorney with The Champion Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.C. who focuses on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases from medical malpractice, defective products, premises liability, and auto wrecks. He graduated with B.S. from the United States Military Academy (West Point) and after serving for 6 years in the U.S. Army, went to the University of Georgia School of Law, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Before joining the Champion Firm, Brendan was a products liability attorney at Alston & Bird (13 years) and DLA Piper (5 years), where he represented: 

• - pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in multi-plaintiff mass tort litigation, 
• - food and beverage companies in consumer fraud class actions, and 
• - Medical malpractice cases largely focused on assisted living facilities in Georgia.

As a younger lawyer, Brendan had the distinct honor of being part of the team that tried one of the first Talc Trials that resulted in a $117,000,000 verdict, so he got to witness first hand some fantastic trial lawyers in action. Unfortunately, Brendan was watching them as part of the defense (though to his credit, he was one of the only defense attorneys that saw the verdict coming).