Cobb County is home to 70 of Georgia's top attorneys according to a recent publication called Super Lawyers. The publication recognizes attorneys in more than 70 practice areas who have achieved peer recognition and success in their legal work. Cobb had 37 attorneys named Rising Stars, who are 40 years old or younger, and 33 named Super Lawyers, who are over 40. The Marietta law firm Moore, Ingram, Johnson & Steele had 10 attorneys named to the list. Cobb Bar Association President J. Kevin Moore said this strong showing confirms Cobb's status as home to some of the best lawyers in the state.

1. By Katy Ruth Camp
krcamp@mdjonline.com
MARIETTA — Cobb
County is home to 70 of the
state’s top attorneys, accord-
ing to a recent publication
called Super Lawyers, which
vets nominated attorneys
throughout the U.S. for the
distinction.
According to the publica-
tion, Super Lawyers is a rating
service of attorneys from more
than 70 practice areas who
have achieved recognition
among their peers and have
shown achievement in the
practice of law. The multi-
phase process includes initial
nominations by peers,
research by the publication’s
staff and feedback from the
nominees’ peers.
The Super Lawyers maga-
zine is sent out to various law
schools, while a separate sec-
tion appeared this month
locally in Atlanta Magazine
honoring the selected attor-
neys.
Super Lawyers spokes-
woman Megan Gustafson
could not provide the total
number of attorneys who were
chosen in Georgia, nor how
many were selected out of the
entire U.S., so that data was
unavailable as of press time.
The publication splits cate-
gorizes the distinctions by
Super Lawyers, who are older
than 40 years old, and Rising
Stars, who are 40 years old
and younger.
Cobb has 37 Rising Stars
and 33 Super Lawyers,
according to the list.
Marietta law firm Moore,
Ingram, Johnson & Steele had
the strongest presence on the
list with 10 attorneys listed,
including Super Lawyers
Robert D. Ingram, John H.
Moore and Stephen C. Steele
and Rising Stars Jeffrey A.
Daxe, Alexander T. Galloway
III, T. Shane Mayes, Rodney
R. McColloch, Christopher C.
Mingledorff, J. Kevin Moore
and James D. Walker, III.
Kevin Moore, who is also
president of the Cobb Bar
Association, said the strong
presence of Cobb attorneys
“confirms what a lot of us
already know — that Cobb
County is home to some of the
best lawyers in the state.”
Moore said he was unsure
of how many times he had
received the Rising Star dis-
tinction, but said he has
reviewed other nominees and
that the list is often recognized
as a “Who’s Who” type of list
for attorneys.
“It’s an important recogni-
tion from your peers and one
that that’s taken as an honor,”
Moore said. “It’s considered
important, but overall your
success is probably best mea-
sured by your clients’ happi-
ness with your work.”
Marietta attorney Mazi
Mazloom, who was selected
to the Rising Stars list for the
third year in a row, said that
of the thousands of attorneys
in the state, 2 percent are
selected as Rising Stars and 6
percent receive Super Lawyer
status.
“It’s huge. It’s recognition
of your work from your peers
in the legal community, which
is awesome and really impor-
tant,” Mazloom said.
Mazloom said attorneys are
told in December if they made
the list but are asked to keep
the distinction under wraps
until the names are published
in March.
Other Cobb attorneys rec-
ognized as Super Lawyers
include: Jimmy D. Berry, R.
Scott Berryman, Michael R.
Braun, Thomas J. Browning,
Evelyn H. Coats, Lance A.
Cooper, Charles M. Dalziel,
Jr., Richard Paul Decker, Hyl-
ton B. Dupree, Jr., Deborah
Ebel, Arthur Glaser, Mark D.
Gropp, Alexandra O. Haden,
Philip A. Holloway, William
W. Hopson, Anne H. Jarrett,
Andrew W. Jones, Daryl
Kidd, Jeffrey R. Kuester,
Ronald Arthur Lowry, Joseph
M. Murphey, Leo E. Reichert,
George C. Reid, Howard D.
Rothbloom, Garvis L. Sams,
Jr., Robert F. Schnatmeier, Jr.,
Yehuda Smolar, F. Marian
Weeks, Frederick L. Wright,
II and J. Diane Woods.
Other Rising Stars in Cobb
include: Neera A. Bahl,
Damon S. Bivek, Tyler J.
Browning, Ophelia W. Chan,
Valeria R. Cometto, Shane C.
O’Connor, Ellen Angel Cor-
dle, Jonathan D. Crumly,
Layli Eskandari Deal, Randall
Carleton Farmer, Michael S.
Goode, Ryan Grelecki, John
Gunn, Robert C. Harrison,
Sean L. Hynes, E. Jewelle
Johnson, M. Boyd Jones,
Robert D. Leonard, II, John B.
Merchant, III, Erica L. Mor-
ton, Benjamin S. Persons, IV,
William L. Phalen, III, Ryan
G. Prescott, Keri Mason Roth,
John F. Salter, Jr., William B.
Shearer, III, Aaron L. Strim-
ban, Amy K. Sullivan and
Richard A. Wingate.
— Editor’s note: This list was
compiled using the data provided
by Super Lawyers’ website, which
lists thousands of Super Lawyers
and Rising Stars by the type of
law they practice, because
Gustafson said she could not pro-
vide a public list; thus, some attor-
neys in the Atlanta portion of Cobb
may have been unintentionally left
out of this report.
THEBRIEFCASE
We welcome your
business news
The Marietta Daily Journal wants your
business news for our expanded two
pages of coverage on Wednesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with an
emphasis on Cobb news.
Send all news to Business Editor Katy
Ruth Camp at krcamp@mdjonline.com.
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COBBBUSINESSMARIETTA DAILY JOURNALWEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012
PAGE 4B
EDITOR: KATY RUTH CAMP krcamp@mdjonline.com (770) 428-9411, ext. 219
From staff and wire reports
HIRAM — WellStar Paulding Hos-
pital has earned The Joint Commis-
sion’s Gold Seal of
Approval for its Knee
and Hip Joint
Surgery Program by demonstrating
compliance with The Joint Commis-
sion’s national standards for health care
quality and safety in disease-specific
care, spokesman Keith Bowermaster
announced this week.
The designation means all WellStar
hospitals offering knee and hip joint
surgery, including WellStar Paulding,
WellStar Kennestone, WellStar Cobb
and WellStar Douglas, are now certi-
fied in joint surgery by The Joint Com-
mission, Bowermaster said.
A rigorous on-site survey conducted
by the Joint Commission in late 2011
evaluated the Hip and Knee Program
for compliance with standards of care
specific to the needs of patients and
families, including infection prevention
and control, leadership and medication
management.
Clean Air plans lunch seminar
KENNESAW — The regional pro-
grams and services previously provided
by LocalZoom are transitioning to The
Clean Air Campaign, campaign
spokesman Mike Rieman announced this
week. Both organizations are hosting a
joint event in April to help Cobb County
residents learn about the opportunities
The Clean Air Campaign provides and
how they may differ from those previ-
ously offered by LocalZoom.
The seminar is open to any employers
or employees in the Town Center area of
Cobb with an interest in the benefits of
commute alternatives. The event will be
from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 25 from
at the Homewood Suites’ Harlequin
Ballroom, located at 905 Cobb Place
Blvd. in Kennesaw. The event is free to
attend and lunch will be provided. To
RSVP, contact Brigitte Graham at bgra-
ham@cleanaircampaign.org or call (678)
244-7701.
Survey: Career luck matters
ATLANTA — In celebration of St.
Patrick’s Day, the social media outlet for
business profession-
als LinkedIn sur-
veyed more than
7,000 people on the role luck plays in a
successful career. Globally, 84 percent of
professionals believe in career luck, the
survey showed.
Of the 15 countries surveyed, Japan
was luckiest (73 percent of participants
considered themselves luckier than others),
while the U.S. came in at No. 7 and just
ahead of the global average with 49 per-
cent considering themselves lucky. The
Netherlands finished last, at 31 percent.
Group raises tablet forecast
NEW YORK — Research group IDC
increased its forecast for tablet computer
shipments this year after 2011 ended
stronger than it had anticipated.
IDC said Tuesday that it now expects
worldwide shipments of 106 million in
2012, up from the previous forecast of
nearly 88 million. The new figure repre-
sents 54 percent growth from nearly 69
million shipments in 2011.
Retail sales up 1.1 percent
WASHINGTON — Americans
stepped up spending on retail goods in
February, evidence that a stronger job
market is boosting the economy.
Consumers bought more vehicles,
clothes and appliances. They also paid
higher prices for gas.
Retail sales increased 1.1 percent last
month, the Commerce Department said
Tuesday. It was the biggest gain since
September. The government also revised
upward the sales figures for the previous
two months.
WellStar hospital
gets certification
COBB
NATION
Home to the bestHome to the best
List: Georgia’s top attorneys can be found in Cobb County
By Errin Haines
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA — Georgia
Labor Commissioner Mark
Butler urged legislators Tues-
day to salvage a plan to repay
$730 million it owes federal
government for help covering
unemployment benefits in the
economic downturn.
Butler sent an open letter
asking the General Assembly
to pass the proposal. If the
money isn’t repaid, the unem-
ployment trust fund’s debt
could grow rapidly, putting it
“in peril,” Butler said.
“I cannot do this alone,”
Butler wrote.
“The General
Assembly
must approve
these changes
for our Unem-
ployment
Insurance
Trust Fund to
become fis-
cally sound once again.”
A version of the plan has
already cleared the Senate.
State Sen. Fran Millar, the
bill’s sponsor, said the cham-
ber had no choice but to act.
Butler and others have raised
concerns that the bill could
face a court challenge because
it should have originated in the
House, where most revenue-
related legislation is generated.
“My question is, where has
the labor commissioner
been?” Millar said Tuesday in
response to Butler’s letter.
“Would he have taken any
action at all if we hadn’t
passed the bill?”
The commissioner’s agency
is set to shrink by about half in
next year’s budget as the state
consolidates departments.
Gov. Nathan Deal set trim-
ming state government as one
of his priorities for this year’s
legislative agenda.
Butler said the issues are a
difference of opinion and that
there is no animosity between
him and Deal, who sets the
fiscal agenda for the Legisla-
ture to approve.
“I think it’s just a differ-
ence in policy,” Butler said.
“That’s part of politics, I sup-
pose. I like him and he likes
me. Sometimes we agree,
sometimes we disagree. But
we talk. There is a relation-
ship there, and it’s positive.”
Deal spokesman Brian
Robinson said that while the
most substantial changes
among state agencies affect
the Labor Department, it is
not being singled out.
Labor commissioner looks to lawmakers for help
Mark Butler
Staff/File
J. Kevin Moore, Cobb County Bar Association president, speaks during the monthly
luncheon on Jan. 19 at the Mansour Center. Cobb County is home to 70 of the state’s
top attorneys, according to a recent publication called Super Lawyers, which vets nom-
inated attorneys throughout the U.S. for the distinction. Cobb has 37 Rising Stars and
33 Super Lawyers, according to the list. Moore is among them.