Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog

The family at Good Georgia Lawyer, Williams Oinonen LLC, wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season.

We are very thankful for all our many blessings this year. God has been good and it is only through Him that we derive our strength and being.

We wish all our clients and fellow neighbors of the Georgia community a safe and happy holiday. Enjoy the turkey, your loved ones-- family, and friends.

Good Georgia Lawyer is very sad to report that another child has tragically lost their life due to suicide as a result of bullying. The Illinois family of a 10-year-old honor student named Ashlynn Conner who committed suicide last week stated that their daughter had been a victim of bullying at her elementary school and in her community.

Ashlynn, a student at Georgetown Ridge Farm Elementary School, told her mother two weeks before her death that she was being bullied for years and did not know how to react to the bullies.

Last week, Ashlynn asked her parents if she could be home-schooled. Shortly thereafter, her sibling found her hanging in her closet. The Police are now investigating the bullying claims through Twitter and emails.

Good Georgia Lawyer has written extensively about bullying in Georgia. For more information, we encourage you to read our article entitled "Resolving Bullying Problems for Your Child Part One."

To understand what legal rights your child has regarding bullying, please read Bullying Part Two, Legal Implications. Georgia Bullying Law is codified in O.C.G.A. 20-2-751.4 however there are additional civil rights laws that also can protect students from harm.

Additionally, "Pressing Criminal Charges Against A Bully" discusses some of the options you have when your son or daughter is the victim of a violent crime of physical or sexual assault by a bully.

To read the Georgia Department of Education Policy on preventing bullying, harassment and intimidation, please click here.

If your son or daughter is experiencing a problem with bullying, we encourage you to schedule an appointment to discuss your legal rights and options. You can contact us at 404-654-0288.

At the request of Georgia State Bar President-Elect Robin Frazer Clark, President Ken Shigley appointed Julie Oinonen, partner at Williams Oinonen LLC to serve on the Georgia Fair Market Practices Committee.

The Fair Market Practices Committee will have two tasks:

First, this committee will review over potential amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct 7.2 on legal advertising and a nonbinding Statement on Professionalism in Lawyer Advertising that will address practices that the federal courts do not let us prohibit.

The scope of what can be done about lawyer advertising rules under federal court decisions on commercial speech is pretty much limited to adding a finite list of disclosure and disclaimer requirements. There have been recent federal court decisions arising in New York, Florida and Louisiana. Any proposal approved by this committee will be subject to approval by the Disciplinary Rules Committee, Board of Governors and Supreme Court of Georgia.

Second, this committee will develop a program for more effective enforcement of Rule 7.3, which prohibits direct solicitation of clients, particularly injury victims. For years some lawyers have systematically used "runners" to solicit personal injury cases in direct contravention of Rule 7.3 and OCGA 15-19-55. President Ken Shigley's opinion is that lawyers who conduct themselves in this manner poorly serve the consumers of legal services, unfairly compete against law-abiding attorneys who follow the rules, and degrade both the legal profession and the justice system. Stated President Shigley: "It is time to clean our own house. Thus, I am including both prosecutors and former FBI agents to serve on this committee."

Julie Oinonen is honored to accept appointment to the Fair Market Practices Committee and looks forward to serving.