Bill is an Assistant General Counsel at the State Bar. He graduated from Duke University in 1970 with a B.A. in Zoology, and earned his law degree from Emory University in 1973. At the Office of the General Counsel, he screens and prosecutes ethics complaints, is part of the Ethics Hot-Line service rotation (404-527-8741), and is a frequent CLE speaker, with a focus on the intersection of technology and ethics.
Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Bill’s practice was principally civil litigation, with an emphasis on complex cases but no subject matter specialty. He represented both sides, but more plaintiffs than defendants. For his first 11 years as a lawyer, Bill worked for Georgia Legal Service Program in various capacities, the last 4 years as its Director of Litigation. In addition to law practice, supervision and management, in the early 1980s he implemented GLSP’s first computer network.
After GLSP, Bill practiced exclusively in small firms with no more than 4 or 5 lawyers. In 2000, he and his wife, Ayres Gardner, formed Cobb & Gardner LLP in Decatur, and Bill took the firm “virtual” in 2010. He joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2012.
Welcome, Bill!
Georgia Practice Advisor 