School And College Law

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. Kenneth Edward Jarrard Related Seminars and Products

Jarrard & Davis LLP

Ken is a founding partner of Jarrard & Davis law firm in Cumming.  His firm specializes in local government representation, and is the retained counsel for the Counties of Barrow, Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Georgetown-Quitman, Greene, Newton, Screven, and Pickens, and the Cities of Alpharetta, Fayetteville, Milton, and Stone Mountain.  His firm also provides litigation and specialty services on a case-by-case basis to governments and authorities throughout the state. In addition to legal representation, Ken provides numerous training classes throughout the year for Georgia elected and appointed officials, including attorneys and judges, in all areas of local government law including ethics, open government, contracts, emergency management, civil rights, zoning, and governmental immunities. Ken received his Master of Public Administration and law degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.