With just over a year of practicing law under her belt, Haley Kairab and co-counsel Andrew Hagenbush of Piasta Walker Hagenbush secured a $1.3 million jury verdict out of the State Court of DeKalb County at Kairab’s second trial. Hagenbush credited Kairab with the lion’s share of work on the case, and the young lawyer was responsible for the case writeup, opening and the final closing arguments.

“I was extremely nervous. I had experience with trial advocacy going into practice, having done mock trial in law school at UGA and in college,” Kairab, who won the Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition in 2022, said. “However, advocating for a real client with real stakes is very different, and there are a lot more moving parts to account for.”