HBS Attorneys Recognized as 2020 Georgia Super Lawyers

In the 2020 edition of the Georgia Super Lawyers magazine, the law firm of Hall Booth Smith (HBS) will once again be recognized for its outstanding legal work as eight of its attorneys are on the list of Super Lawyers: John E. Hall, Jr., Michael Hannan, C. Michael Johnson, Thomas Mazziotti, Rush S. Smith, Jr. and Terrance Sullivan of the Atlanta office; John M. Sheftall and Robert C. Martin of the Columbus office; and James B. Durham of the Brunswick office. The list seeks to recognize outstanding Georgia attorneys from a variety of practice areas. HBS attorneys have been recognized on this list since the award’s inception in 2004.

Mr. Hall was honored for his work in personal injury medical malpractice defense. This is the sixteenth time that Mr. Hall has been recognized as a Super Lawyer in this field. Mr. Hall is one of the founding partners of HBS and specializes in the defense of high exposure cases and also serves as National Counsel for several major insurance carriers throughout the United States. He has represented hospital entities and health care systems directly and has he has tried more than 100 cases to resolution in his legal career.

Michael Hannan was recognized by Super Lawyers for his work in general liability. He is a seasoned litigator who specializes defending clients in an extensive array of medical malpractice, health care, insurance coverage, business litigation and appellate matters. With three decades of experience, Michael brings extensive knowledge and trial expertise to his clients in the health care industry and beyond. He has tried more than 20 medical malpractice and insurance cases to verdict, and he has litigated numerous products liability lawsuits, matters under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and other commercial actions including class action cases.

Michael Johnson, partner in the Atlanta office, whose work in insurance coverage is being honored. He is an AV rated trial lawyer. In the past 35 years Mike has developed a national practice involving complex insurance litigation. He has represented clients involving their insurance coverage disputes in over 26 states, he frequently litigates in the state and federal courts and has successfully taken cases before the Second Circuit, Fourth Circuit, Fifth Circuit, Eighth Circuit, Ninth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Atlanta partner Tom Mazziotti’s work in health care has been recognized for the tenth year by the Super Lawyers list. He concentrates his practice on product liability, health care, fire cause and origin, and transportation matters. Mr. Mazziotti has a wide range of experience defending products liability matters in state and federal courts, and he has served as national, regional, and local counsel.

Mr. Smith, named partner in the Atlanta office, earned this award with his work in professional liability defense. This is the fifteenth time Mr. Smith has been honored with the Super Lawyer award. Mr. Smith’s practice includes the representation of attorneys in legal malpractice claims ranging from securities issues to alleged attorney fraud. He has specialized experience in representing attorneys in cases brought by bankruptcy trustees as they attempt to marshal debtors’ assets. Additionally, he represents professionals sued for negligence, fraud and fiduciary breaches in nearly every other area of professional practice. He is currently the chair of the firm’s Professional Malpractice and Ethics Practice Group.

Terrance Sullivan, Of Counsel in the Atlanta office, has a career that spans four decades and is being recognized by Super Lawyers for his work in personal injury medical malpractice defense. Mr. Sullivan has tried more than 175 jury trials to verdict and has conducted more than 50 mediations. He has been admitted by pro hac vice into 29 states. He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers whose membership is limited to less than one percent of the lawyer population of any state.

Columbus partner Mr. Sheftall, was recognized for his work in estate planning & probate by Super Lawyers. For over thirty years, his area of concentration has been fiduciary law, including estate planning, estate administration, and fiduciary litigation. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, serves as a Director of SunTrust Bank in Columbus, and is a former Trustee of the St. Francis Hospital Foundation.

Robert C. Martin, partner in the Columbus office, received this designation for his work in personal injury medical malpractice defense. His practice is wide ranging involving medical malpractice, products liability and commercial litigation in State and Federal Courts. Mr. Martin has practiced in the area of civil litigation for over thirty-five years.

Georgia Super Lawyers also recognized James Durham, Brunswick, for his work in business litigation. Throughout his career, Mr. Durham has been involved in complex civil litigation including commercial litigation, construction litigation, industrial accidents, products liability defense, professional negligence, medical malpractice defense, shareholder derivative actions, and mining law and mineral resource litigation. He is a Past President of the State Bar of Georgia and a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

HBS would like to congratulate the recipients of this year’s Super Lawyer awards. These honors recognize the outstanding legal work performed by HBS attorneys and bolster the firm’s reputation as one of the leading law firms in the Southeast.

Established in 1989, Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) is a full-service law firm with six regional offices strategically located throughout Georgia, as well as offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, North Palm Beach and Tallahassee, Florida; and Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; and Saddle Brook, New Jersey; and New York City. Experienced across a wide range of legal disciplines, HBS attorneys pride themselves on providing knowledgeable, proactive, client-specific counsel to individuals, domestic and international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s promise: “Serving to Achieve Excellence.”