DeKalb County Lawyers

Tom joined Pate & Johnson in 2017 after graduating with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law.

While in law school, Tom honed his trial advocacy skills competing as a member of the moot court and mock trial teams. He also earned awards for achieving the highest marks in his Torts and Constitutional Law classes.

In his last year of school, Tom served as a research assistant to Professors Dan T. Coenen and Michael Wells, where his work focused on constitutional law, the early history of the U.S. Constitution, and civil rights litigation. Tom was also one of a few...

Reid Thompson started his own criminal defense law firm in May of 2009 with an emphasis on serious felony offenses. Since March 2010, he has tried ten felony jury trials winning not guilty verdicts in Murder trials in Fulton and Dekalb Counties. Previous experience includes work as an Assistant District Attorney for the Fulton County District Attorney's Office in the Complex Trial Division and at the Douglas County District Attorney's Office. During and after law school, Reid also worked at the Prosecuting Attorney's Council of Georgia, at the FultonCounty Solicitor's Office, and at the Georgia Justice Project....

Attorney Jeffrey S. Gilbert received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Mathematics from Ithaca College, and his Juris Doctorate degree from Emory University School of Law. He is a member of the Georgia State Bar, the Association of Attorneys for Justice Southern Trial Lawyers Association, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, and the Atlanta Bar Association. Before finding his own firm, Mr. Gilbert worked as a litigator for Oliver, Dickens, and Associates, which was a defense firm for travelers’ insurance companies. During that time, he was trying up to ten jury trials a year, in both...

Justin W. Chaney is a native of Atlanta. Prior to becoming an attorney Mr. Chaney was a Border Patrol Agent on the US-Mexico border in California and Texas. He was an Adjudications Officer with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) at the New Orleans District Office. While with the INS Mr. Chaney conducted interviews and adjudicated thousands of various petitions and applications. After graduating from Whittier Law School in 2002, Mr. Chaney’s practice has focused on immigration law and criminal defense for non-citizens. He is a member...

I am a native of Cedartown, Georgia. I graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Mercer University School of Law. I began my legal career as a law clerk for the Houston Judicial Circuit in Perry, Georgia. Subsequently, I worked as a Staff Attorney and Mediator for the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation. I then joined a prestigious law firm in Atlanta representing employer and insurance companies for approximately six years. Thereafter, I started my own law practice in 2005, where I exclusively represent injured...

Atlanta Attorney Jeffery Cleghorn is a Named Partner with the law firm of Kitchens New Cleghorn, LLC. Mr. Cleghorn heads the firm’s family law practice. His expertise is in Family Law, including Contested & Uncontested Divorces, Custody Custody Disputes, Modifications, Child Support, Alimony Payments, Adoptions, and Domestic Partnership Agreements and Disputes. Mr. Cleghorn also has extensive experience with Mediation, Arbitration and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Mr. Cleghorn is a 1984 distinguished military graduate of North Georgia College in Dahlonega, where he received a B.A. in Political Science. After graduation, he received a commission in the United States Army...

Jason Alloy is a litigator with significant trial and arbitration experience. Jason has briefed and argued appeals in both state and federal courts and has tried cases in court and in arbitration before AAA, JAMS, and FINRA. Jason previously served as counsel for the State of Georgia in litigation against the major tobacco companies, which resulted in a settlement that provided Georgia with approximately $56 million in 2013 from the tobacco companies and ensures continued payments to the state in the future. Jason also has served as a Deputy Special Attorney General – appointed by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue...

Mitchell Benjamin is a partner at DeLong, Caldwell, Bridgers, Fitzpatrick, & Benjamin, LLC with 21 years of experience. Mitchell was born and raised in New York City and began his practice in NYC after attending university and law school there. Mitchell focuses primarily on the practice areas of wage and hour law and commercial litigation He has represented more than a thousand employees in a variety of employment-related disputes involving retaliation, unpaid overtime, minimum wages, sexual harassment and discrimination claims based on race, age, gender, national origin and disability in both the state and federal courts. He is...

Whether counseling business owners on everyday management issues or litigating complex cases, Michelle is passionate about representing employers and employees in Georgia. She has extensive experience assisting individuals and businesses with issues unique to the employment law field, including litigating wage and hour disputes, wrongful termination, retaliation, non-compete agreements, and violations of the ADA, FMLA, ADEA, and Title VII in state, federal, and administrative forums. Additionally, Michelle has helped businesses navigate the legal landscape of these complex employment laws via management training and counseling on HR best practices. Having represented both employees and employers, Michelle has unique insight with respect...

Few people are lucky enough to be able to follow their dreams into a career that is equally their passion. Attorney Anthony Bullock is among those lucky few. With nearly a decade of experience practicing law in the public and private sectors, Anthony's diverse legal background aids his practice and clients with a unique perspective and an understanding of the potential challenges that stand in the way of a client's recovery.

Anthony was introduced to the private practice of law while employed as a law clerk in the Labor & Employment Law section of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania based...

Carolina Antonini received her law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law, where she is currently an adjunct professor of immigration law. She is a co-founding member of the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association, serves on the Board of Georgia Law Related Education and has served on the board of AILA’s Atlanta Chapter. Ms. Antonini has appeared in a variety of media programs, hosts a weekly radio show and co-authored a high school textbook used to teach youth and continuing education adults about the law. In 2001, Ms. Antonini was named Judge Pro Hac Vice for the City Court...

Attorney Akil Kenneth Secret is a licensed attorney in the States of Georgia and Nebraska. His practice focuses on Serious Personal Injury Litigation, Wrongful Death Litigation and Major Criminal Defense. Mr. Secret has represented defendants in numerous high profile state and federal cases. He has tried hundreds of cases with extraordinary success. Mr. Secret has represented Lawyers, Doctors, Accountants, Real Estate Brokers and Agents and Corporate Executives. Attorney Akil Secret attended University of Nebraska and transferred to attend Morehouse College where he pursued his undergraduate studies until 1973 with a major in Political Science. He attended Atlanta Law School and earned...

Steve Lowry is a talented litigator with broad experience across multiple areas of practice. A passionate advocate for parties who have been harmed by the actions of others, Steve has secured numerous top 10 verdicts in Georgia, including the state’s largest judgment on record against a nursing home facility for medical malpractice.

Jed Manton is committed to representing individuals and business that have been harmed by the actions of others. With a solid track record, Jed has helped numerous clients who have been seriously injured or who have lost a loved one obtain justice, while holding the wrongdoer accountable.

Daniela McCalla brings over 10 years of experience in the legal field. She received her Juris Doctor (JD) from Florida A & M University, College of Law in 2011. Prior to that, she earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History from GA Southern University. Upon graduation from law school, she was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2011. Throughout her career, she has distinguished herself as a knowledgeable and dedicated attorney, representing clients in a variety of legal matters. Her areas of expertise include personal injury and business law. She is passionate about advocating for her clients' rights...

Norm Sawyer’s early career was spent representing the clients of large insurance companies, so he offers a unique perspective to his clients and the Litner + Deganian team. Norm knows how the insurance companies think and act, which can be a big advantage in a personal injury case. He also has a substantial amount of experience working with mediators as well as in state and federal courts.
“Insurance companies have so many clients that there’s very little interaction and a lot of rigid processes,” Norm commented. “I wanted to impact people’s lives, not just their insurance rates.” Norm met Arman Deganian...

Since starting Rachel Kaufman Law in June of 2015, Rachel has provided top-notch legal representation to hundreds of clients throughout the State of Georgia. In that short time, Rachel has gained a reputation for being a highly passionate and highly effective courtroom advocate. Amongst her colleagues, judges and courtroom personnel, Rachel is known for being a smart fighter, who can see through the tumbleweeds and intuitively zero-in on which strategic routes need to be taken to get to the best outcome possible. No matter the charge (DUI, Murder, Drug Offense, etc.), Rachel approaches each client’s situation with family-like loyalty and...

Bar Admissions - State Bar of Georgia - State Court of Georgia - Federal U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia - Federal U.S. District Court Middle District of Georgia Areas of Practice - Divorce and Family Law - Bankruptcy: Personal and Business - Business Law - Immigration

"Matt joined the Robbins Firm in September 2014. Matt focuses on an array of business and commercial litigation matters, as well as regulatory and administrative matters for businesses and individuals. Prior to joining the Robbins Firm, Matt served as a law clerk to the Honorable Harold L. Murphy, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Matt earned a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in History from the University of Georgia, magna cum laude. He then earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he graduated magna cum...