Hon. Keegan Federal Jr

R. Keegan Federal, Jr.
Judge Federal did his undergraduate work at Loyola University in New Orleans, majoring in Philosophy, where he financed his education by selling encyclopedias door-to-door, playing bit parts as an extra in movies, managing an inn in the French Quarter, and working at the Playboy Club (as a bartender). He graduated, with Honors, from Emory University Law School in 1966, having won three American Jurisprudence Awards, and was admitted to practice at the age of 22. While pursuing an M.B.A. part-time at Georgia State University, Keegan practiced litigation full-time with Shoob McLain & Jessee in downtown Atlanta until 1968 when the Army called. He served as a military lawyer defending court-martial cases at Ft. Gordon, GA, and then spent a year in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service.
Upon returning, Keegan practiced insurance defense with Nall Miller & Cadenhead for two years, and then started a general litigation practice with Fred Orr in Decatur in 1972. Four years later, at the age of 33, he was elected to the Superior Court, a position he held for two terms, after which he chose not to run for reelection in order to accept a partnership at Dow Lohnes & Albertson where he successfully represented WSB, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Cox Enterprises in several high-profile cases. In 1987, Keegan opened his own litigation firm again, and maintained an active and successful plaintiff’s practice in Atlanta for the next 30 years.
In 2016, Keegan and his wife Rebecca moved onto their boat and cruised the eastern seaboard for 3 years, and then in 2019 they bought the oldest house in St. Mary’s, GA, built in 1801 (when Thomas Jefferson became president), and converted it into an inn which they now operate there.
Keegan is now in his 59th year as a member of the Bar and maintains a part-time law practice at his office in St. Mary’s. He has continued the mediation and arbitration work he began as an adjunct to his trial work many years ago, and for the past ten years he has been acting as a Special Master in cases that are too time-consuming and problematic for the presiding judge. He is a long-time member of the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center, a Fellow in the Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals, the Georgia Academy of Mediators and Arbitrators, and a number of other civic and professional organizations.