After a stint in the United States Army following college, I entered the police academy and became a police officer. This training, experience and connections from having served in one of the world's most dangerous jobs created credibility with other police officers and ultimately led me to my career as an attorney. I am in my 20th year of practice, after attending law school while working full time as a police officer.

I went into private practice upon graduating law school and being sworn in for the Georgia Bar, and began handling civil and criminal litigation. However, my roots in criminal law drew me in the direction of defending citizens accused of crimes. Divorce cases, personal injury cases and other litigation helped pay the bills in the early part of my career, but I became known --- among lawyers and judges --- for my skills in criminal defense.

For several years, I was the part-time prosecutor in Decatur Municipal Court. DUI cases were a nightly event in this job, and I learned all of the "ins and outs" of the prosecution's tactics and angles to limit the defense case. When you prosecute cases, you are permitted to attend the prosecutors' seminars, which I did. 

Along my path to becoming a criminal trial attorney, I have taken advanced training in DRUG possession and trafficking cases, DUI, sex crimes, analyzing DNA evidence, challenging ballistics testing, child molestation cases, and over a dozen other highly-specialized areas of criminal defense. Most significantly, I am one of a handful of Georgia attorneys who is "death penalty" qualified, and have handled over 25 murder cases.

So, from defending speeding cases to DUI to drug possession to murder, I have done it all. Like in the medical field, and especially with SURGERY, experience is the best teacher.