Editor’s Note: This is part one of a five-day series of stories on the Savannah legal community. Tuesday: History and “the book” are intertwined in everything in Savannah, including the practice of law.
Jim Pannell picks up his binoculars and looks out the window of his 10th-floor office at a huge ship passing by on the Savannah River. He’s not looking at the mountain of colorful containers full of cargo. He’s looking at the bridge, where the captain, as usual, is getting navigation help from a local pilot.
“We represent the pilots,” says Pannell, a partner at Gray Pannell & Woodward. Harbor pilots have guided ships into ports through ages, Pannell says, noting that James Joyce mentioned one in Ulysses. They go out in small boats to meet the ships. The pilot boards and helps the captain find the safest part of the channel to avoid rocks or obstacles. Pannell points to a tiny ladder running up the side of the ship in the distance. That’s how the pilot gets on board. The job has become more critical than ever with the increasing size of modern ships.
Representing the Savannah Pilots Association in contract negotiations with the Georgia Ports Authority and other matters is only a small part of Pannell’s work. He once had a general practice, specializing in “whatever walked in the door.” He also served Savannah in the state House of Representatives from 1985 to 1990. He’s now primarily a bond lawyer.
Still, the Port of Savannah affects his work and that of most other lawyers in town—and most businesses, for that matter. Lawyers who don’t represent the port or related businesses might be suing them—over contract disputes, injuries or cargo gone missing. Certainly, the port is one of the main reasons Pannell cites for the growth he’s seen since he moved to Savannah 39 years ago. The State Bar of Georgia lists about 1,200 members in Savannah. Pannell estimates the city now has about 700 practicing lawyers. When he came to town, he says, the number was 300.
Savannah’s Big 10 law firms |
|
| Firm | Lawyers |
|---|---|
| HunterMaclean | 60 |
| Bouhan Falligant | 27 |
| Oliver Maner | 27 |
| Ellis, Painter, Ratterree & Adams | 19 |
| Brannen, Searcy & Smith | 15 |
| Brennan & Wasden | 13 |
| Brennan, Harris & Rominger | 12 |
| Weiner, Shearouse, Weitz, Greenberg & Shawe | 12 |
| McCorkle & Johnson | 6 |
| Savage Turner Pinckney & Madison | 6 |
| Source: Firm websites | |
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