William Atkins
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William Atkins

Bill Atkins is a seasoned trial lawyer with decades of experience representing clients in a wide variety of subject areas, including employment, civil rights, medical malpractice, and catastrophic personal injury. He has also served as lead counsel in several multi-party cases, including age discrimination and civil rights class actions. Bill has won jury verdicts for his clients in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Bill has devoted the bulk of his career to representing clients in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. He has focused on the difficult, out-of-the-ordinary cases including commercial motor vehicle accidents, sexual abuse at youth services organizations, and a wrongful death claim against a daycare center. His medical malpractice cases have included cases against several major hospital systems in Georgia and specialists in various fields from internal medicine, anesthesia, gastroenterology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, and orthopedic surgery.

As a mediator, Bill’s experience helps him quickly identify the core issues that should motivate each side to resolve the case. Because he has handled a wide variety of matters, he is also uniquely qualified to facilitate discussion of substantive legal issues that may determine the outcome at trial if the case is not settled at mediation.

Bill lives in Marietta with his wife and “puppy” – a rescue dog and Bill’s best friend. Bill coaches the Mock Trial team at Walton High School. Bill also spends significant time in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and is a member at Sawgrass Country Club.

Admitted to Practice

  • Admitted to practice in Georgia, 1994
  • Georgia Supreme Court, 1996
  • Georgia Court of Appeals, 1996
  • Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, 2000
  • Northern District of Georgia, 2000
  • Middle District of Georgia, 2000
  • Southern District of Georgia, 2012
  • Admitted “pro hac vice” to represent clients in Florida, Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Education

Vassar College, BA- History, 1991

    • Varsity Soccer – 4 years
    • Drama Department productions, including Blythe Spirit, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Man and Superman, The Importance of Being Earnest

Emory School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1994

    • Emory Moot Court Program
    • Best Oralist – Emory Moot Court Competition
    • Georgia Interschool Moot Court Competition Team
    • National Moot Court Competition Team

Professional or Trade Affiliations

  1. Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
  2. American Association for Justice
  3. Lawyers Club of Atlanta

Publications

  • Death By a Thousand Cuts: The Expansion of Qualified Immunity Threatens The Continued Viability of Constitutional Torts, GTLA’s Verdict Magazine – Winter 2020

Speaking Engagements

  • Seminar Presentation: Using Depositions Testimony to Avoid Summary Judgment, GTLA Seminar – Depositions: From Good To Great To Winning, 2014
  • Seminar Presentation:  Ministerial Duty Claims Under Georgia Law, ICLE Seminar: Litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 2015

Publications

It’s Not Always About Settlement: Five Compelling Reasons to Mediate, February 2023