The Daily Report is pleased to announce these winners of the 2021 Georgia Legal Awards. We'll publish a special supplement, further highlighting these skilled practitioners and their important accomplishments, later this summer. At that time, we'll announce the Attorney of the Year winner from among this group of three finalists.

Please join us in congratulating this year's honorees.

Attorney of the Year Finalists

Ryan Germany, general counsel to Georgia's secretary of state, for his role in defending the state's election system against claims lodged on both sides of the political spectrum.

Tricia CK Hoffler, The CK Hoffler Firm, for her impact in litigation against the state over voting rights and for her work as president of the National Bar Association.

Michael Terry, Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, for his work defending litigation concerning mask mandates and the 2020 election, among other accomplishments.

Lifetime Achievement

Charysse Alexander – senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia

Michael Baskin – The Baskin Law Group

Stan Blackburn - Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton

Jim Durham – Hall Booth Smith

Don Keenan – Keenan Law Firm

Marion Pope - Hasty Pope Davies

Bob Rothman - Arnall Golden Gregory

Dwight Thomas – Dwight L. Thomas

Catherine Vandenberg - Atlanta Legal Aid Society (since retired)

Paul Weathington – Weathington

Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore – Moore Law

On the Rise

Derick Cooper – Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial

Gillian Crowl – Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers

Kimberlynn Davis – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton

Tiffany Dillingham – U.S. Attorney's Office

Sawyer Duncan – King & Spalding

Elissa Haynes – Drew Eckl Farnham

Daniel Hunyh – Morris, Manning & Martin

Madison Kitchens – King & Spalding

Mellori Lumpkin-Dawson – U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia

Jason Marcus – Bracker & Marcus

Michael Mayo – Mayo Hill

Jenae Moxie – Wilkie Farr & Gallagher

Jordan Myers – Alston & Bird

Cara Peterman – Alston & Bird

Andrew Pinson – Georgia Solicitor General, Office of the Attorney General

Candis Jones Smith – Lewis Brisbois

Julia Stone – Caplan Cobb

Elizabeth Story – Parker Poe

Sachin Varghese – Bondurant Mixson & Elmore

Joseph Wilson – Joseph Wilson Injury Lawyers

We'd also like to say a special thank you to our outside judge panelists, who provide an invaluable service:

On the Rise Panel

• Tony Cochran of Smith, Gambrell & Russell (2020 Best Mentor)

• Sachi Cole of Penn Law Group (2020 On the Rise)

• Tomekia Daniel of Georgia Legal Service (2020 Best Mentor)

• Senior Judge Gail Tusan of JAMS (a senior judge and former chief judge of the Fulton County Superior Court)

• Bryan Tyson of Taylor English Duma (2016 Attorney of the Year finalist)

Attorney of the Year Panel

• Jenn Coalson of Parks Chesin & Walbert, a 2019 On the Rise class member

• Sarah Geraghty of the Southern Center for Human Rights, our attorney of the year for 2019

• Crystal McElrath of Swift Currie, a member of the 2020 On the Rise class

• BJay Pak of Alston & Bird, former U.S. attorney and 2011 On the Rise honoree

• Brandon Peak of Butler Wooten Peak, a 2020 attorney of the year finalist

• W. Ray Persons of King & Spalding (2016 Lifetime Achievement award recipient