Charles C. Stebbins, III
Of CounselClay's 40-year legal career emphasizes litigation of all kinds in federal and state courts throughout Georgia and elsewhere at both the trial and appellate levels.
His practice has emphasized business and commercial litigation and larger and more complex cases, but he has also frequently represented individuals as plaintiffs and defendants in business and non-business contexts. He has spent a significant portion of his practice in the collection of large sums through litigation for financial institutions and other creditors. He also has extensive experience in all aspects of the acquisition and ownership of rural acreage and in real property litigation.
At this stage in his career Clay has the freedom to devote time and energy to the representation of clients whose legal matters may diverge from those addressed by recognized specialties. His intent is to accept representation in a limited numbers of cases that require a high level of personal attention and research. He has long experience with and a particular interest in matters involving church governance and religious liberty. For many years he has been associated with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which seeks to protect the rights of religious believers and groups.
- Represented a church congregation in successfully separating from a national denomination while retaining its property.
- Obtained the reversal on appeal, on behalf of a financial institution, of a high six-figure fraud judgment against it, with direction that judgment should be entered in favor of the defendant without retrial.
- Represented the plaintiff in a claim for several million dollars arising out of an ownership dispute over a shopping center and brought the matter to a successful settlement conclusion.
- Obtained the reversal, by a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, after he argued the case personally in the Supreme Court, of a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit dismissing a damage suit against an employer for the firing of his client, a corporate executive, paving the way for a successful trial and damage award below.
- For a period of over three decades, handled all types of legal actions and purchase and sale transactions pertaining to over 400,000 acres of timber property in Georgia and South Carolina, including title examination, and title cure where necessary, as to all 400,000 acres.
- Obtained a seven-figure settlement award in a products liability action against a national drug company, which he believes to be among the highest such awards paid to any plaintiff in connection with the product.
- Over a period of more than two decades, advised a convenience store chain in its process of expanding from four to over 70 stores, including real estate acquisition and development.
- Represented a national franchisor in recurring litigation throughout the United States over franchisee severance and claims.
- Harvard Law School, J.D., 1975
- Harvard College, A.B., 1971
- Georgia Bar, 1976
- Alabama Bar, 1975
- Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals, 1978
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, 1985
- United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, 1981
