Governmental Law at Johnson & Freeman, LLC
If you need governmental law expertise, Johnson & Freeman, LLC has unmatched experience—whether for ad valorem tax laws, 1981 and 1983 defenses, or legal issues that arise during building design and construction. Our sought-after skills come both from our attorneys who previously worked as governmental in-house staff, as well as from our firm’s extensive hands-on practice. This history includes successfully litigating for the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, Henry County, DeKalb County, Jasper County, Liberty County, and Newton County.
As a minority-owned firm that knows the ins-and-outs of the procurement process, many of the largest law firms in the state have joint ventured with us on complex litigation issues. In one such situation, we worked with Holland & Knight to represent the City of Atlanta and Fulton County in litigation that involved the Atlanta Fulton County Water Resource Commission. The three-year project involved developing an equitable solution for city and county residents to share the usage and cost of water.
In addition, in 2002, the City of Atlanta selected our firm, in conjunction with Kilpatrick Stockton, to assist the City’s law department on legal matters related to the $6.7 billion Hartsfield-Jackson Development Program—an unprecedented legal contract for the state of Georgia. This 10-year program includes the construction of the recently opened fifth runway, a new international terminal, enhanced road and rail access, additional parking facilities, and new rental car facilities. During this project, the City has recognized our firm for excellent legal support by awarding us with all types of achievement awards.
Johnson & Freeman, LLC is different from other legal firms in important ways. Instead of a one-size-fits-all service approach, we embark upon cases with a holistic approach. By doing this we achieve results that are in-line with your goals; we ensure that your legal problems do not reoccur; and we make prudent choices to minimize the legal costs and the ongoing economic impact to your business.
Client-Focused Representation
Our firm’s client-centered culture is unusual in the legal world. As opposed to looking out for our own bottom line first-and-foremost, we provide your company with personalized care and attention, and we tailor our talents and resources to meet your business’s needs.
Why have we taken this approach? We know that our success depends on your success. So we have thrown out the traditional culture of one-size-fits-all, smoke-and-mirrors legal representation. Instead, we focus on results and above-the-board legal representation. We tell you what we are doing and why we are doing it. In addition, we know that your business is concerned with the bottom line, so we make practical choices and keep overhead costs down for everything from document fees to the creation of multimedia presentations.
Also part of this client-focused representation, our attorneys work collaboratively. This means that the entire firm is committed to your case, as opposed to just a one attorney or one group of the firm. The result is that your business benefits from the best ideas of all of our attorneys.
Ultimately, this client-centered legal approach helps you not only achieve your immediate legal goals, but it also protects you from future litigation.
Civically Minded
Active engagement in our community is also an essential aspect of our firm’s culture. In fact, our firm has a separate educational foundation that uses the firm’s profits to award five college scholarships annually.
Our impressive range of involvement also includes the following:
- two of our attorneys sit on the Fulton County Magistrate Court bench
- one of our attorneys is the Chief Judge of the Riverdale Municipal Court
- our attorneys serve as mock trial coaches for high school students
- our firm’s pro-bono services give those who would not generally have access to lawyers a fair chance at justice
- our firm is active in the political arena
While our attorneys are involved in these activities simply because they believe that it is their duty to society, our clients do benefit from our involvement. With such a thorough on-the-ground knowledge of what’s going on in community, we already know about legal issues that directly affect you and your business—and we may even have a strategy of how to approach your case. The final result is that we deliver an exceptionally well-rounded approach to the law.
Representation by Georgia’s Top Lawyers
To ensure that you only get the best in innovation and knowledge, our attorneys—who are graduates of the country’s top universities— continue to consistently educate themselves and stay abreast of the ever-changing laws. In addition, our attorneys track and discuss current issues and trends in the practice law, as well as updates in the community, on a daily basis.
By staying on top of the law and delivering exceptional service to clients, our attorneys have caught the attention of other lawyers in the sate. In fact, year after year our lawyers are named “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars” in Georgia, as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics—the results of which are published in Atlanta Magazine annually. Johnson & Freeman’s attorneys also have litigation experience in both the Federal and State systems; from trial through appellate, all the way up to the Supreme Court.