HBS Welcomes New Associates Sam Crochet, Ashley Gowder, and Steve Harkins to the Atlanta Office

HBS is pleased to welcome Sam Crochet, Ashley Gowder, and Steve Harkins, as new associates in the Atlanta office. Sam Crochet’s practice includes the representation of clients in general and professional liability litigation. His focus area is in the defense of doctors, nurses, and healthcare facilities. Sam earned his J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2013. While in law school, Sam participated in the Student Trial Litigation Association and received honors in Litigation and Advanced Litigation courses. Also during law school, Sam clerked for the Honorable Judge T. Jackson Bedford Jr., for whom he did extensive research on evidentiary motions within capital punishment criminal cases. Sam also externed with the United States Department of Labor, where he assisted in the investigation of civil claims under federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) law.

Ashley Gowder was born and raised in Homer, Georgia. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors from the University of Georgia in 2007, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Ashley earned her J.D. from The University of Georgia School of Law in 2010. She was the recipient of the E.J. Grassman Scholarship for academic achievement, a Dean’s Ambassador, and a judge on the University of Georgia School of Law’s Honor Court. Ashley also was an Articles Editor for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and received the University of Georgia Public Interest Fellowship award.

Steve Harkins graduated Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Economics. He received his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2012. During his time in law school, Steve served as the Senior Articles Editor for the Washington and Lee Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He also received numerous moot court awards for oral advocacy and brief writing. Steve previously served as a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta. While there, he worked on a wide variety of federal appeals, including cases involving employment discrimination, mortgage foreclosure actions, civil rights claims, criminal appeals, and petitions for review from decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals and U.S. Tax Court. During law school, he also worked at the Washington and Lee University Criminal Justice Clinic, the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.

“We warmly welcome Ms. Crochet, Ms. Gowder and Mr. Harkins to our HBS family and are excited to have them representing our clients,” said Alex Booth, managing partner of HBS.

Hall Booth Smith, P.C. is a full-service law firm with eleven regional offices in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For more than thirty years, HBS has delivered quality legal services with a mission “to ethically and professionally serve our clients by providing the highest quality legal representation in a personally satisfying firm environment.” Our promise – “Serving to Achieve Excellence.”