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Lester Tate is a trial lawyer who served as the 48th President of the State Bar of Georgia. Since 1996, he has practiced as a member of Akin & Tate, Georgia’s oldest continuing law firm. He has spent his entire professional career as a courtroom lawyer, having tried over one hundred civil and criminal cases to verdict and appeared over thirty times in state and federal appellate courts.
He currently serves as National Treasurer of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a member of the Executive Committee. He is the past President of the Southeastern Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA) and is a member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates.
Lester is a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society, whose members are rigorously screened by trial lawyers and judges to determine the member’s ability, experience, accomplishments, and ethical standards.
He is Senior Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America, a trial lawyer honorary society comprised of less than 1% of American lawyers, and, because of his extensive courtroom experience, he holds the rank of “Advocate” in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
While devoting most of his time to wrongful death and serious personal injury cases, where he has a number of million and multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements, Lester’s practice includes many diverse matters. He has successfully defended individuals charged with a broad array of state and federal crimes at trial, ranging from murder to conspiracy. He has also handled a wide variety of complex commercial and political cases involving issues as varied as shareholder rights and ballot access.
Active in community and public affairs, Lester serves on the board of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia and the Board of Advisors for Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media, and Communications. Lester’s pro bono work includes having represented Advocates for Children as volunteer legal counsel for over twenty years.
A native Georgian, Lester was born in Cedartown and was the first person in his family to go to college. He received his undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982 and his Juris Doctorate degree from The University of South Carolina School of Law in 1987. While in law school, he was selected for membership on the South Carolina Law Review.
Following graduation from Georgia Tech, Lester spent almost three years working for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, he served on the staff of then U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and as Press Secretary and Armed Services Committee aide to former U.S. Congressman George (Buddy) Darden. More recently, Lester continued his political involvement as Chairman of the Bartow County Democratic Party and as a member of the State Democratic Committee.
He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Lawyer’s Foundation of Georgia, and a Senior Life Fellow of the ABOTA Foundation. Various publications have repeatedly recognized him as one of the state’s top lawyers, including Georgia Trend Magazine, which has named him to its list of “Georgia’s Legal Elite,” and Atlanta Magazine, which has repeatedly named him as a “Super Lawyer.”
In addition to having served as President of the State Bar of Georgia, Lester holds or has held leadership positions in a number of other Bar-related and community organizations. Those include the following:
American Bar Association
American Association of Justice
Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (Champion Member) Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Georgia Federal Bar Association
Bartow County Bar Association
Cobb Bar Association
Atlanta Bar Association
Old War Horse Lawyers
Lawyer’s Club of Atlanta
Morgan Akin is a veteran trial lawyer and is co-owner of Akin & Tate, one of the oldest continuous family practices in the United States. The firm was established in 1836 by Morgan’s great grandfather. Morgan and his five ancestors have provided legal advice and counsel to citizens of Cartersville, Bartow County, and northwest Georgia for almost two centuries. Morgan and his father, Warren Akin, joined with Lester Tate to form Akin & Tate, P.C. in 1996.
Morgan practices primarily in the areas of plaintiff’s personal injury, business and commercial litigation, estate litigation, and real estate litigation. A former special assistant Attorney General representing the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT), Morgan now represents landowners against the DOT and other condemning authorities in eminent domain cases.
After graduating from college, Morgan was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force and was named a distinguished military graduate. He served in the Air Force reserve following law school, attaining the rank of captain. After graduating from law school, and following a brief tour in the Air Force, Morgan returned to Cartersville in 1974, where he has since been in the active practice of law.
Dwight Chamberlin is one of Georgia’s top trial lawyers. He has over 38 years of trial experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury cases, criminal and commercial litigation matters, labor and employment litigation, and corporate and contract disputes. As an accomplished trial attorney, Dwight has secured several million-dollar settlements and verdicts, obtaining maximum compensation for a wide range of injury claims, including:
Dwight is dedicated to protecting the rights of others and helping people recover from injuries they suffer as a result of someone’s negligence. He has earned an outstanding reputation for his work, aggressively pursuing compensation for medical costs, lost wages, expenses, and for pain and suffering. He is a lifetime member of the Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum, having obtained substantial recoveries for people injured because of wrongful or illegal acts by cities/municipalities, corporations, or others.
Earlier in his career, Dwight served as lead trial counsel for several Insurance Companies, including Allstate, State Farm, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Companies, and Zurich Insurance, in addition to Kmart, and Outback Steakhouse. This invaluable experience gives him a unique perspective on how insurance companies defend accident claims, helping him obtain the best results today for his personal injury clients. Recognized for his outstanding trial and negotiating skills, Dwight’s dedication and passion for advocating for the injured are most evident when he holds these big insurance companies accountable, securing the maximum compensation available and ensuring justice is served.
Dwight Chamberlin also has experience in litigating employment claims, wage and hour claims, contract disputes, and corporate director and shareholder disputes.
Choosing a lawyer can be one of the most important decisions you make. If you want a proven trial attorney who cares about your case and will tenaciously fight for your rights, contact Dwight Chamberlin today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Dwight Chamberlin has been Lead Counsel in over 60 trials!
Recently tried a case against the City of Atlanta in March 2022 after suing the City of Atlanta involving a man who was injured by a defective water meter lid which the City knew existed, but decided to ignore correcting. The City knew it had a duty to correct the danger, and knew it created a nuisance but did not correct the problem. The man permanently and severely injured his left leg and damaged his right, and surgery was unable to repair it. At trial, the City of Atlanta blamed the man for his injuries and claimed his damages, if any, to be worth no more than a little over $100,000.00, but the jury disagreed. After an 8-day jury trial, the jury awarded him $2,361,700.00 in compensatory damages for the City’s negligence and/or creation or maintenance of a nuisance, and $944,680. 00 in attorney’s fees because the City acted in bad faith and was stubbornly litigious or caused him unnecessary trouble and expense. The jury also determined that the man was not, in any way, at fault for his injuries.
Sued the City of Atlanta involving a 62-year-old blind man who was attempting to walk down a City of Atlanta sidewalk, but due to the unsafe condition of the sidewalk, he fell, injuring his lower back. Before his injury, he had undergone lower back surgery, from which he had recovered. The fall required another back surgery to correct painful radiculopathy. Although he underwent the surgery, unfortunately, it did not correct the condition. The City of Atlanta initially only made a nominal offer, but due to Dwight’s thorough and tenacious case preparation, the case settled two days before Trial for $3,000,000.
Recently tried slip and fall case, in February 2020 in Cobb County State Court, involving a 72-year-old retired lady who slipped and fell in a McDonald’s. She injured her lower back and continued to experience pain up to the time of the trial. Surgery and epidurals were recommended, but she rejected these treatments. She incurred approximately $10,000 in medical bills, primarily associated with physical therapy. Again, there was a nominal offer made by the Defendant to settle prior to trial. The case was tried only on liability and pain and suffering damages; there were no lost wages or past or future medical damages claimed at trial. The Jury returned a verdict of $330,000.
Had the pleasure of Dwight representing me with a Personal Injury case resulting from a car accident. He did a fantastic job from start to finish. I highly recommend his services. He is a true professional.
William Sulivan
A 78-year-old lady fell on a City of Atlanta sidewalk and broke her two front teeth. She had a medical history of serious dental disease before her fall. The City, citing her long history of pre-existing problems with her teeth, was initially only willing to make a nominal offer. Again due to Dwight’s excellent case preparation, the case was settled for $150,000 prior to trial.