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Casey Gilson P.C. News

Joyce Gist Lewis Elected Member-At-Large to Executive Committee of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta

Joyce Gist Lewis was elected Member-At-Large to the Executive Committee of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. Founded in 1922, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta has a present membership of approximately 1700 attorneys. In the years since its founding, the Lawyers Club has grown from a small coalition of lawyers determined to improve the standards of the legal profession in the Atlanta community to a highly diverse group who enjoy the privilege of an ethical and professional practice made possible in large part by the ideals of the founders.

Bob Casey, Jim Gilson and George Shingler Recognized as 2010 Georgia Super Lawyers

Bob Casey, Jim Gilson and George Shingler have been selected for inclusion in this year's list of Georgia Super Lawyers. The Georgia Super Lawyers designation consists of the top five percent (5%) of lawyers in the State of Georgia. This year's honorees were chosen after conducting a detailed research process evaluating each candidate based upon 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Bob Casey is recognized in the civil litigation defense practice area. He also is honored on The Top 100, a listing of lawyers who received the highest point totals in the 2010 Georgia Super Lawyers nomination, research and blue ribbon process. Jim Gilson is recognized in the civil litigation defense practice area and George Shingler is recognized in the intellectual property litigation practice area.

Joyce Gist Lewis Recognized as a 2010 Georgia Rising Star

Joyce Gist Lewis has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers as one of its 2010 Rising Stars. Rising Stars are comprised of the top 2.5 % of lawyers in the state who are 40 or under, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Attorneys selected as Rising Stars are chosen by Law & Politics Magazine through a multi-step evaluation process that incorporates both peer recognition and professional achievement. Joyce has been recognized for her practice in defending businesses against catastrophic personal injury and products liability claims. She was also named a Rising Star in 2007 and 2009.

Casey Gilson Attorneys Recognized in Georgia Trend Magazine's
2009 Roster of Legal Elite

Shareholders Jim Gilson, Bob Casey, George Shingler and Joyce Gist Lewis have been recognized by Georgia Trend magazine in its 2009 roster of the state's Legal Elite. Jim is recognized in the personal injury practice area and Bob in the area of general trial practice. George is recognized in business law, and Joyce is recognized in both the personal injury practice area and in general trial practice.

Appearing in the December issue of Georgia Trend Magazine, the Legal Elite listing reflects Georgia’s top lawyers selected by their peers as the most effective in 9 different practice areas. This year's list includes only several hundred of the more than 26,000 active in-state members of the State Bar of Georgia. This is the seventh year that Georgia Trend has presented a roster of the state's top attorneys.

Casey Gilson wins Defense Verdict following $36 Million Jury Demand
for Double Leg Amputation

Attorneys for CSX, Casey Gilson partners Robert E. Casey Jr. and Joyce Gist Lewis, last month secured a defense verdict for their client after a week-and-a-half-long jury trial before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr.

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Bob Casey Named as one of Best Lawyers in America

Bob Casey has been selected for inclusion in the 2009 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Georgia's Best Lawyers. The Best Lawyers in America lists attorneys in 78 specialties representing all 50 states who have been chosen for inclusion based solely on a comprehensive survey in which thousands of the nation's top lawyers evaluate their professional peers. Georgia's Best Lawyers is a list excerpted from the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Bob is recognized in the practice area of railroad law.

Joyce Gist Lewis Participated in YLD School Project

For the third year in a row, Joyce Gist Lewis participated in the State Bar of Georgia's Young Lawyers Division School Project. Sponsored by the Minorities in the Profession Committee, the program "If You Can See It, You Can Be It" consisted of hour-long presentations to Atlanta-area elementary schools on what it means to be a lawyer. The project's goal was to inspire the children to pursue careers as attorneys. Joyce gave presentations to two classes of fifth grade students at Hapeville Elementary School, located in Hapeville, Georgia.

Joyce Gist Lewis Recognized as a 2009 Georgia Rising Star

Joyce Gist Lewis has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers as one of its 2009 Rising Stars. Rising Stars acknowledges the top 2.5 % of lawyers in the state who are 40 or under, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Attorneys selected as Rising Stars are chosen by Law & Politics Magazine through a multi-step evaluation process that incorporates both peer recognition and professional achievement. Joyce has been recognized for her practice in defending businesses against catastrophic personal injury and products liability claims. She was also named as a Rising Star in 2007.

2009 Georgia Super Lawyers

Bob Casey, Jim Gilson and George Shingler have been selected for inclusion in this year's list of Georgia Super Lawyers. The Georgia Super Lawyers designation consists of the top five percent (5%) of lawyers in the State of Georgia. This years honorees were chosen after conducting a detailed research process evaluating each candidate based upon 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Bob Casey and Jim Gilson are recognized in the civil litigation defense practice area and George Shingler is recognized in the intellectual property litigation practice area.

Casey Gilson P.C. is proud to have three of its lawyers chosen by their peers to be among the top lawyers in the State of Georgia.

Jonathan Granade to Speak at Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Jonathan Granade will present an upcoming legal seminar to be held on February 27 at the Atlanta Buckhead Hotel. Entitled "Find it Fast on the Net: Strategies for Using the Web in Your Law Practice", this National Business Institute seminar will address the many uses of the internet that can and should be incorporated into the every day practice of law. A wide range of invaluable tips will be revealed. Topics include legal research short cuts, tricks to search the internet more effectively, discovering the vast wealth of public record and "publicly available" information on the internet, and locating archived and "missing" pages from web sites. For more information on this seminar, please go to http://www.nbi-sems.com.

Firm's Attorneys Appear in Georgia Trend Magazine's 2008 Legal Elite

Shareholders Jim Gilson and George Shingler have been recognized by Georgia Trend magazine in its 2008 roster of the state's Legal Elite. Jim is recognized in the personal injury practice area and George in the area of intellectual property.

Appearing in the December issue of Georgia Trend Magazine, the Legal Elite listing reflects Georgia’s top lawyers selected by their peers as the most effective in 10 different practice areas. This year's list includes only several hundred of the more than 26,000 active in-state members of the State Bar of Georgia. This is the sixth year that Georgia Trend has presented a roster of the state's top attorneys.

Amy Pettway Co-Hosts Southside Chapter Summer Barbeque

Amy Pettway co-hosted a GAWL Southside Chapter barbeque held in Spalding county in September. The barbeque was one of the Southside Chapter's most anticipated events of 2008 and was attended by legal professionals and their families from Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Henry and Spalding counties.

Amy Pettway Co-Hosts Southside Chapter's Neighborhood Networking Breakfast

Amy Pettway, current President of GAWL's Southside Chapter, recently co-hosted a GAWL Neighborhood Networking Breakfast in Fayette County. Held at J. Christopher's Restaurant in Peachtree City, the breakfast was the third one held since Amy spearheaded the networking event over a year ago. Although the breakfasts began as a forum for the county's female attorneys, both men and women professionals from Fayette, Coweta, Clayton and Spalding counties now attend these events. Amy and several other members of GAWL started the Southside Chapter in July, 2007.

Joyce Lewis Appointed to State Bar's Bench & Bar Committee

Joyce Gist Lewis was recently appointed by State Bar of Georgia President Jeffrey O. Bramlett to the Bench & Bar Committee. This standing committee of the State Bar consists of judges and lawyers from all over the state. The committee is responsible for overseeing the Judicial District Professionalism Program and identifying and facilitating solutions to issues of mutual interest between State judges and Georgia lawyers for the benefit of the bench, bar and public. Joyce will serve on the committee for the 2008-09 term.

Joyce Lewis Presents Judge Anne Barnes with 2008 Outstanding Woman in the Profession Achievement Award

Joyce Gist Lewis recently presented Chief Judge Anne Barnes of the Georgia Court of Appeals with the Atlanta Bar Association's 2008 Outstanding Woman in the Profession Achievement Award. Hosted at the Capital City Club by the Bar Association's Women in the Profession Section, Lewis bestowed the award on Judge Barnes for her contributions which have assisted in promoting and empowering women in the legal profession.

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Casey Gilson Legal Victory Subject of National Law Journal Article

The recent decision in which CG lawyers George Shingler and Jonathan Granade persuaded the Eleventh Circuit to vacate a preliminary injunction against their client is the subject of an article published in The National Law Journal. Entitled "Courts Show Confusion Over Uses of 'Metatags'", the article discusses North American Medical Corp. v. Axiom Worldwide, Inc., 522 F.3d 1211, (11th Cir. 2008) and its apparent conflict with other recently decided cases across the country.

Amy Pettway Selected as a Committee Star by 2007-2008 GAWL Board

Amy Pettway was recently selected as a Committee Star by the 2007-2008 Board of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL). Amy, who has been a member of GAWL since 2006, received this recognition for her activism in GAWL committees and for making significant contributions to GAWL over the past year. During this time period, Amy was instrumental in starting the Southside Chapter, spearheading the Fayette County Neighborhood Networking Breakfasts and serving on GAWL's "It's About Time II" Committee, a dynamic team of women responsible for researching and publicizing the benefits of part-time schedules for attorneys.

Amy was publicly acknowledged as a Committee Star at the GAWL Annual Dinner held at 103 West Restaurant in Buckhead in May.

Joyce Gist Lewis Participates in Second Annual Young Lawyers Division School Project

Joyce Gist Lewis recently spoke to a fourth grade class at Liberty Point Elementary School in Union City as part of State Bar of Georgia's Young Lawyers Division (YLD) School Project "If You Can See It, You Can Be It." This project consisted of hour-long presentations to students in Atlanta-area elementary schools on what it means to be a lawyer with the goal of encouraging minority elementary school students to pursue careers as attorneys. Joyce spoke about the skills which must be developed in order for the children to become successful attorneys. The YLD project was a collaborative effort between the YLD Minorities in the Profession Committee (MIPC), Georgia Association of Black Women Lawyers Association (GABWA), the Gate City Bar Association and Georgia Association of African American Attorneys. Joyce also participated in this event last year, speaking to two classes of fourth grade students at Stonewall Tell Elementary School in College Park.

Casey Gilson Lawyer Becomes Statewide Representative-At-Large for Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL)

Shareholder Joyce Gist Lewis was recently elected to one of two Statewide Representative-At-Large positions on the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL) Board. In this position, Joyce will serve as liaison to the Multi-Bar Leadership Committee and to the Chapter Governance Committee. An active GAWL member for many years, Joyce is immediate past President of the Atlanta Chapter of GAWL. Joyce also served as Programs Chair during the 2000-2001 term, was Vice President of Programs Statewide from 2001 to 2003 and co-chaired the Leadership Committee Statewide for the 2005-2006 term. Since 2006, Joyce has also served on the Statewide Judicial Applicant Review Committee.

Associate Amy Pettway Leads Southside Chapter of Georgia Association of Women Lawyers

Amy Pettway took office of President of the Southside Chapter of GAWL (GSC) in May 2008, after serving as the Chapter's Vice President since its inception. Amy and six other female lawyers founded the Southside Chapter in July 2007. She and the other new board members of GSC were introduced to the area legal community at a recent event held at the historic Fayetteville Train Depot.

The Southside Chapter of GAWL is comprised of Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Henry, and Spalding counties. For more information, visit www.gawl.org and click on "Upcoming Events."

Rob Hassett's Articles Featured in Metro Atlanta Publications

Rob Hassett, a frequent author of articles which address issues relating to software, entertainment, internet, copyright and trademark law, recently had several articles published in Northside Woman Magazine and Business to Business Magazine. To read Rob's articles, follow the links below:

Northside Woman Magazine:
Read Article: Choosing the Right Name for Your Business
Read Article: Raising Capital for Your New Business

Business to Business Magazine:
Read Article: Insights Into Law: Getting It Right The First Time
Read Article: Legal Requirements for Websites
Read Article: Factors to Consider When Buying a Business or How to Know When Someone Would Want to Buy Yours

Casey Gilson Lawyers Persuade Eleventh Circuit to Vacate Preliminary Injunction

George Shingler and Jonathan Granade got a preliminary injunction against their client vacated. The preliminary injunction had been issued against the client for alleged false advertisement and trademark infringement relating to the client's usage of Plaintiffs' registered trademarks as metatags on the client's website. In North American Medical Corp. v. Axiom Worldwide, Inc., 522 F. 3d 1211 (11th Cir. 2008), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated the district court's preliminary injunction, agreeing with our position that Plaintiffs were not entitled to the presumption of irreparable harm upon which the district court had relied. The Eleventh Circuit held that the Plaintiffs were required to offer evidence of irreparable injury before being able to obtain a preliminary injunction. This is the first appellate court decision to apply the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision eBay v. MercExchange, LLC, 547 U.S. 388, 126 S. Ct. 1837 (2006), to a preliminary injunction sought under the Lanham Act for trademark infringement.

Associate Amy Pettway Attends Recent GABWA/GAWL Joint Mixer

Firm Associate Amy Pettway recently attended the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA) and Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL) first joint mixer planned for 2008. The event was held at Silk in Midtown Atlanta and was attended by solo practitioners, attorneys from large Atlanta law firms, and members of the Fulton County judiciary. The joint mixers expect to be one of many efforts to provide networking and marketing opportunities for female attorneys within the two organizations. Amy is a past officer of GABWA and recently took the office of President of GAWL's Southside Chapter (GSC). She has been instrumental in promoting GABWA/GAWL events and will continue to do so in her role as President of the Southside Chapter.

2008 Georgia Super Lawyers

Bob Casey, Jim Gilson and George Shingler have been recognized as Georgia Super Lawyers for 2008. The Georgia Super Lawyer designation consists of the top five percent (5%) of lawyers in the State of Georgia. This recognition resulted from a survey conducted of more than 21,000 Georgia lawyers who were asked to identify the best lawyers they personally had observed in action. Each Super Lawyer was chosen by their peers as being among the best in their profession in Georgia.

Each of the firm’s Super Lawyers was profiled in both the March issue of Atlanta Magazine and Georgia Super Lawyers 2008, a magazine published for lawyers. The practice areas for which these attorneys received Georgia Super Lawyer recognition are as follows:

Bob Casey: Civil litigation defense, business litigation, and franchise/dealership.

Jim Gilson: Civil litigation defense.

George Shingler: Intellectual Property litigation, business litigation and general litigation.

Casey Gilson P.C. is proud to have three of its lawyers chosen by their peers to be among the top lawyers in the State of Georgia.

Amy Pettway Co-Hosts First Judicial Luncheon of GAWL Southside Chapter

Casey Gilson firm newcomer Amy Pettway recently co-hosted the first annual Judicial Luncheon of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL), Southside Chapter. Held at the historic Hazlehurst House in McDonough, the luncheon honored local members of the judiciary of the southside metropolitan area. The featured speaker of the luncheon was Henry County Probate Court Judge Kelley Powell. Highlighting the history of mental health care in Georgia and emphasizing the urgency for diversion programs in the criminal justice system, such as mental health courts, Judge Powell spoke about a mental health court which has been proposed in Henry County. Several other speakers discussed related topics, including managing inmate populations with mental health challenges and how mental health courts can alleviate jail overcrowding and markedly reduce costs for local governments.

Amy and several other members of GAWL started the Southside Chapter in July, 2007. Comprised of Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Henry, and Spalding counties, the Southside Chapter is celebrating a successful inaugural year. Since its inception, it has hosted several networking events and taken part in community initiatives, including promoting a business attire drive to benefit Promise Place, a temporary shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence located in Fayette County. Amy currently serves as the Southside Chapter's Vice President.

Summary Judgment Obtained in Trademark Case

George Shingler has obtained summary judgment in a trademark dispute before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a client who provides real estate and construction loans to contractors who purchase and rehabilitate residential and commercial properties. Our client had transacted business using its trade name for several years before it applied to register its trade name as a trademark with the USPTO. Its application was refused because a foreign financial services company had registered the same name as a trademark in Europe and with the USPTO. George brought a cancellation petition before the TTAB and, after discovery, moved for summary judgment. His motion demonstrated that the marks were confusingly similar, there was prior use by our client of the mark, and there was no use of the mark in the United States by the other registrant. Based on this overwhelming showing and the opposition's failure to rebut it, the TTAB granted George's motion for summary judgment.

Firm's Attorneys Among Georgia Trend Magazine's 2007 Legal Elite

Shareholders Jim Gilson and Matt Williams, and Rob Hassett (of counsel), are recognized by Georgia Trend magazine in its 2007 roster of the state's Legal Elite. Jim is recognized in the personal injury practice area, Matt in the area of real estate law and Rob in the field of intellectual property.

Appearing in the December issue of Georgia Trend, the Legal Elite listing reflects Georgia’s top lawyers selected by their peers as the most effective in 10 different practice areas. This year's list includes only several hundred of the more than 26,000 active in-state members of the State Bar of Georgia. This is the fifth year that Georgia Trend has presented a roster of the state's Legal Elite.

Joyce Gist Lewis Spoke at Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Joyce Gist Lewis spoke at an Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia seminar which was held on December 14, 2007 at the State Bar of Georgia Headquarters. The Jury Trial seminar was co-sponsored by the General Practice and Trial Law Section of the Bar. Joyce presented the topic "Shaping Your Case Through Motions in Limine and the Pretrial Order."

Unanimous Decision by Georgia Appellate Courts on Public Duty Doctrine

George Shingler got agreement from all 12 judges of the Georgia Court of Appeals and all 7 justices of the Georgia Supreme Court for his legal position in successfully appealing the dismissal of our client's case by the trial court. Our client sustained catastrophic injuries when a barn collapsed on her. The evidence showed that the barn was improperly constructed and that the defendant building inspector failed to inspect the barn before permitting occupancy. The building inspector contended he owed no duty to our client to inspect the barn even though it was his job to inspect buildings. While the trial court accepted this argument, it was resoundingly rejected by all 19 active appellate court judges in Georgia, finding that the public duty doctrine applies to the official acts of a county building inspector. It is believed this is the first time that all sitting Georgia appellate judges have sided with one party to an appeal. The case has since settled. The decision is Clive v. Gregory, 280 Ga.App. 836, 635 S.E.2d 188 (2006), aff'd sub nom. Gregory v. Clive, 282 Ga. 476, 651 S.E.2d 709 (2007).

Jonathan Granade Completes YLD Leadership Academy

Jonathan Granade was invited to participate in the second annual class of the State Bar of Georgia's Young Lawyers Division Leadership Academy. Modeled after leadership-training programs for young business, civic and community leaders, the YLD Leadership Academy focuses on training its members to serve as leaders within the legal community as well as within their local communities. Selected as one of approximately 50 participants statewide, Jonathan and the other class members convened once a month for six months, meeting with leaders from the State Bar of Georgia, the judiciary, the public interest sector, law schools, and the political arena to discuss different issues facing young lawyers today.

Casey Gilson Lawyer Leads Atlanta Chapter of Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL)

Shareholder Joyce Gist Lewis took office of the Atlanta Chapter of GAWL in May 2007, after serving as president-elect for the previous year. Active in the Atlanta Chapter for many years, Joyce served as Programs Chair during the 2000-2001 term, was Vice President of Programs Statewide from 2001 to 2003 and co-chaired the Leadership Committee Statewide for the 2005-2006 term. Since 2006, Joyce has also served on the Statewide Judicial Applicant Review Committee.

Rob Hassett's Gwinnett Business Journal Column

Rob Hassett has authored numerous published articles concerning software, entertainment, internet, copyright and trademark law. Rob's articles regularly appear in the Gwinnett Business Journal and can also be found at the links below:

Choosing the Right Entity for a New Business

Enforceability of Agreements Based Only on E-mails

Selling an Idea

Privacy Polices for Websites

Registering Trademarks and Service Marks

Who Owns the Copyrights in Computer Programs

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Especially in Connection with Business Sales

Joyce Gist Lewis Participated in YLD School Project

Joyce Gist Lewis participated in the State Bar of Georgia's Young Lawyers Division School Project in May, 2007. Sponsored by the Minorities in the Profession Committee, the program "If You Can See It, You Can Be It" consisted of hour-long presentations to Atlanta-area elementary schools on what it means to be a lawyer. The project's goal was to inspire the children to pursue careers as attorneys. Joyce gave presentations to two classes of fourth grade students at Stonewall Tell Elementary School, located in College Park. The YLD's School Project received special recognition for this project by the American Bar Association at the ABA's annual meeting in San Francisco, California last summer.

2007 Georgia Super Lawyer and Georgia Rising Star

George Shingler has been recognized in the 2007 edition of Georgia Super Lawyers. The Georgia Super Lawyer designation consists of the top five percent (5%) of lawyers in the State of Georgia. This recognition resulted from a survey conducted of more than 23,000 Georgia lawyers who were asked to identify the best lawyers they personally had observed in action. Each Super Lawyer was chosen by their peers as being among the best in their profession in Georgia. George has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2004.

Joyce Gist Lewis has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers as one of its Rising Stars. Rising Stars recognizes the top up-and-coming lawyers in the state. Attorneys are asked to nominate the best attorneys who are 40 or under, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Only 2.5 percent of the state’s attorneys are named to the list.

Highest Jury Verdict Award in the State of Georgia*

Derwin Brown, the Sheriff-elect of DeKalb County, Georgia, was assassinated on December 15, 2000. After four years of investigation and litigation, a Gwinnett County jury awarded more than $326 million in compensatory damages to the widow and family of Derwin Brown and $450 million in punitive damages. These awards represent the largest damages award in a wrongful death action and the largest punitive damages award in the history of the State of Georgia. Collectively, the $776,136,398 judgment is the largest in the history of the state.

This wrongful death action was brought against the five co-conspirators in the murder of Derwin Brown - - former DeKalb Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, former Sheriff's Office employees Patrick Cuffy and Melvin Walker, Paul Skyers and David I. Ramsey. Dorsey, a one-term sheriff whom Brown ousted in the August, 2000 election, is serving a life sentence for his part in the murder of Derwin Brown and for running a corrupt office. Cuffy and Skyers admitted their roles in the conspiracy and testified against Dorsey and the other co-conspirators in exchange for immunity. The complaint alleged federal civil rights claims in addition to the state wrongful death claims. It also contended that Dorsey and the other conspirators plotted to and killed Derwin Brown because he had defeated Dorsey in the 2000 election. Dorsey thought that eliminating Brown would allow Dorsey to stay in office. Summary judgment previously had been granted to Mrs. Brown on her liability claims against Dorsey, Cuffy and Skyers.

* According to Bloomberg ® Data, the verdict reached by the Gwinnett County jury made several statistical milestones. In addition to being the highest verdict award in the State of Georgia, it is the fourth highest verdict award in the United States in 2004, the thirteenth highest personal injury verdict in the history of such records being kept in the United States, and it is the fourth highest verdict for a wrongful death of a single individual in the history of the United States.

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