Hiring a Slip and Fall Lawyer in Georgia
Who is responsible for a fall in Georgia, the deadline to sue and the shorter deadline for falls on city property, how lawyers usually charge (contingency fees), how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Georgia: fee rules
| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The State Bar of Georgia's Fee Arbitration Program handles fee disputes between lawyers and clients (and between lawyers). It is free to clients and lawyers in attorney/client disputes. Participation is a choice, but the program offers only binding arbitration, so both sides agree to be bound by the award. Most hearings use a panel of two lawyers and one non-lawyer. Start with a Petition for Fee Arbitration. Phone: 404-527-8750. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The State Bar of Georgia Clients' Security Fund, created in 1968, can reimburse eligible clients who lost money through a Georgia lawyer's dishonest conduct in a lawyer-client relationship. The lawyer must have been disbarred, indefinitely suspended or voluntarily surrendered the license (unless deceased). Malpractice and insured or bonded losses are excluded. There is no fixed cap on the page: the Board of Trustees sets amounts based on available funds, number of claims and work the lawyer actually did, and claims are typically not paid in full. Apply no later than two years after the Supreme Court of Georgia's final disciplinary action; no filing fee is listed. |
Georgia rules to know first
| Property owner's duty | Georgia sets the property owner's duty by the visitor's status. An owner or occupier who invites people onto the premises for a lawful purpose (an invitee, such as a customer) is liable for injuries caused by failing to exercise ordinary care in keeping the premises and approaches safe. A licensee (someone allowed on the property only for their own interest or convenience, with no business or contractual relationship) can recover only for willful or wanton injury. A lawful possessor of land owes a trespasser no duty except to refrain from causing willful or wanton injury. Read on codes.findlaw.com (a public copy of the official code); check against the official code. |
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| Claims against a city or county | Cities: before suing a city for injury to person or property, the injured person must present a written claim to the city's governing authority within six months of the event, stating the time, place and extent of the injury as nearly as practicable, the negligence that caused it, and the specific amount of money damages sought; it must be served on the mayor or the chair of the city council or commission by personal delivery, certified mail or statutory overnight delivery. The city must consider and act on the claim within 30 days, and the statute of limitations is suspended while the claim is pending without action. Counties: all claims against a county must be presented within 12 months after they accrue (persons under a disability get 12 months after it ends). These sections do not set a damage cap. Read on codes.findlaw.com (a public copy of the official code); check against the official code. Claims against the State are under the Georgia Tort Claims Act (see injury/government_claims). Any separate local-government damage cap (e.g. for motor vehicle claims) was not read. Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 36-33-5, 36-11-1 |
| Fault rule | Modified comparative fault (50% bar). An injured person's damages are reduced by his or her percentage of fault, but a person who is 50% or more responsible for the injury recovers nothing. Fault is apportioned among all responsible persons, including non-parties in some cases, and each defendant generally pays only its own share. Read on a FindLaw mirror of the Official Code of Georgia. Source: O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 |
| Deadline to sue | A lawsuit for injuries to the person must be filed within two years after the right of action accrues. Injuries to reputation have one year, and loss-of-consortium claims have four years. Read on a FindLaw mirror of the Official Code of Georgia (page marked current as of March 28, 2024). Source: O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The State Bar of Georgia says it "is not able to directly refer clients to lawyers." It offers the ReliaGuide Enhanced Directory to search for lawyers by type of law, and points people to the referral services run by many local and voluntary bar associations (it links a list of referral services that comply with Bar Rule 7.3(c)(2)). |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The State Bar of Georgia offers an online Member Directory with basic and advanced search for looking up Georgia lawyers. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Grievances about Georgia lawyers are filed online with the State Bar of Georgia's Office of the General Counsel (OGC). An OGC attorney reviews each grievance to see whether it shows a possible violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct; grievances outside its jurisdiction or without sufficient evidence or merit are dismissed. If a possible violation appears, the grievance is sent to the lawyer for a response, and those that appear to involve a violation go to the State Disciplinary Board for investigation. The lawyer will likely see what you submit. State Bar: 104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30303; 404-527-8700 or 800-334-6865. Online grievance portal: https://portals.georgiabar.org/ogc/grievance |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Georgia's LSC-funded legal aid organizations are Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Georgia Legal Services Program, which give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. The State Bar of Georgia points people to GeorgiaLegalAid.org for a complete directory of civil legal assistance programs, and to the Pro Bono Resource Center (co-sponsored by Georgia Legal Services Program and the State Bar) at 404-527-8763. The Bar warns that many businesses advertise "legal aid" online, so ask whether a service is free. Bar page: https://www.gabar.org/public/legal-aid---pro-bono-resource-center |
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.