About

Assistant Public Defender 4, Georgia Public Defenders Council

Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit (OJC), Gray, Georgia                                2020 - Present

Attending court appearances within the Superior, State, Magistrate, Juvenile, Accountability, and City Municipal Courts within the eight (8) counties constituting the OJC, and within the courts permissible under GPDC-approved Cross-Circuit conflict representation; Simultaneously representing 100-400+/- active clients in court at various stages of their respective cases, including arraignments, preliminary hearings, pretrial hearings, probation hearings, conducting jury trials, conducting bench trials, sentencing hearings, post-adjudication/post-conviction hearings, appeals and related courtroom proceedings; Negotiating at all stages on behalf of the client; Conducting all aspects of Juvenile, Misdemeanor, and Felony trials, including, but not limited solely to conducting direct and cross examination, preparing and the presentation of exhibits and other demonstrative evidence; Reviewing discovery; Formulating trial strategies; Interviewing clients in and out of custody; Exploring alternative explanations for the alleged incident(s); Interviewing witnesses; Formulating Alibi defenses; Observing and photographing/videoing crime scenes; Drafting and serving subpoenas upon witnesses; Preparing clients, witnesses and expert witnesses for trial; Determining the need for, procuring expert witnesses; Assessing the need for psychological/psychiatric evaluations; Reviewing casefile documents, often in excess of 1 tb of digital and electronic discovery, including police reports, witness statements, laboratory reports, criminal histories of clients, witnesses and anticipated adverse witnesses testifying on behalf of the State; Reviewing applicable case law, including updates and proposed changes in Georgia Law;  Preparing petitions, legal briefs, trial summaries, and appeals.

 Assistant District Attorney 4, Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia

OJC – Dept. of Child Support Services, Milledgeville, Georgia   2019 - 2020

Representing the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) in the agency’s attempts to provide financial support for Georgia families then deficient or non-existent concerning the non-custodial parent; Establishing and enforcing child support orders, and collecting and distributing payments by and through establishment and/or contempt hearings before the Superior and Parental Accountability Courts; Directing non-custodial parents to DCSS services designed to promote the involvement of non-custodial parents in the lives of their children, including Fatherhood Program and Parental Accountability Court (PAC); Representing the DHS/DCSS in PAC within the eight (8) counties constituting the OJC.

OJC - Office of the District Attorney, Milledgeville, Georgia, 2014 - 2019.

Investigating and Prosecuting Felony and Misdemeanor cases by Accusations and Indictments; Presenting Indictments to Grand Jury; Conducting Arraignments; Negotiating Pleas to dispose of cases; Interviewing lay, expert and law enforcement witnesses; Examining and preparing witnesses for trial; Planning trial strategy; Researching points of law; Analyzing case files; Drafting memoranda concerning charging decisions; Conducting Trials; Conducting Probation Revocation Hearings; Conducting Restitution Hearings; Conducting Probable Cause Hearings; Drafting Appellate Pleadings; Responding to Appellate Proceedings; Conducting complex Civil Forfeiture Proceedings; Overseeing complex evaluations of and prosecution of defendants subject to the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

Assistant Public Defender, Legal Officer

Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit, Gray, Georgia, 2010 - 2013

Attending court appearances; Representing clients in court at various stages of cases, including arraignments, preliminary hearings, pretrial hearings, conducting jury trials, probation and sentencing, post-adjudication/post-conviction hearings, appeals and related courtroom proceedings: Negotiates at all stages on behalf of the client; Conducting all aspects of Misdemeanor and Felony trials, including direct and cross examination, preparation of and presentation of exhibits and other demonstrative evidence; Reviewing discovery and formulating Trial Strategies; interviewing clients in and out of custody; exploring alternative explanations for the alleged incident; interviewing witnesses and alibis; observes and photograph crime scenes; Drafting and serving subpoenas upon witnesses and prepares them for trial; preparing clients for trial; determining the need for, procuring and interviewing expert witnesses; assessing the need for psychological/psychiatric evaluations; reviewing casefile documents, including police reports, witness statements, laboratory reports, criminal histories, and reviewing applicable case law updates; preparing petitions, legal briefs, trial summaries.

Partner

Boston Passante, LLP/Passante Law Group, LLC, Macon, Georgia 2001 – 2010

Responsible for conducting title examination of Commercial and Residential real estate and conducting Commercial and Residential real estate closings; Commence various causes of action before the Magistrate, State, and Superior Courts throughout Middle Georgia; Draft and negotiate Contracts; Provide legal opinions on a variety of legal matters; Conduct all required discovery; Maintain Appellate practice. Practice Areas also include: Business Law, General Civil Litigation, Healthcare Law, Estate Planning, Guardianships, and Probate and Administration.

Associate

Carey, Jarrard & Walker, Gainesville, Georgia, 1998 – 2001

Responsible for conducting title examination of Commercial and Residential real estate; Conduct Commercial and Residential real estate closings; Commence various causes of action before the Magistrate, State, and Superior Courts within Hall, Lumpkin, and White County; Conduct all required discovery; Conduct jury trials, Maintain Appellate practice.

Professional Memberships: State Bar of Georgia (1997), Court of Appeals of Georgia (1997), Supreme Court of Georgia (1997), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia (2001).

Assistant District Attorney

 Alcovy Judicial Circuit, Covington, Georgia, 1997 - 1998.

Responsible for drafting Accusations and Indictments; Presenting Indictments to Grand Jury; Conducting Arraignments, Conducting Jury Trials, Probation Revocation Hearings, Restitution Hearings, and Probable Cause Hearings; Responding to Motions for New Trials and all other Appellate Proceedings; Defending State’s position regarding Motions to Suppress and Motions in Limine; Conducting proceedings before the Newton County Juvenile Court and Newton County Juvenile Drug Court.

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE:

United States Navy (enlisted)

CTT2 - Cryptologic Technician Technical Second Class, 1987 - 1991

Held compartmentalized TOP-SECRET security clearance; Participated in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm; responsible for the collection, analysis, and reporting of time-sensitive information vital to National Security. Received Honorable Discharge (RE-R1) on October 23, 1991. Received Navy Good Conduct Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon with two awards; National Defense Service Ribbon; and Navy Sharpshooter Ribbon for handguns.

EDUCATION:

Juris Doctor, 1997

Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia

Bachelor of Arts, Criminal Justice, (cum laude), 1994

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Associate of Arts, 1992

University of Maryland (European Division)

BAR ADMISSIONS:

2003 - Supreme Court of the United States of America

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

2002 - United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia

1999 - United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

1997 - State Bar of Georgia

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia

Supreme Court of the State of Georgia

Memberships:

GACDL – Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

NACDL – National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

Former Regular Television Legal Commentator on Fox24, FoxFiles, and Law Call/Let’s Talk Law

Former Lecturer, National Business Institute.

Former Lecturer, Dixieland Title Insurance Association

Lecturer, ProSanta School, Charlotte, N.C.