Best Lawyers Near You in Savannah, Georgia
When you’re facing a significant legal issue, securing trusted representation can make the difference between a favorable outcome and costly complications. Savannah’s unique blend of historic charm, bustling port activity and vibrant tourism industry create some unique legal challenges. Securing the assistance of an attorney who understands these nuances is often critical to achieving a successful outcome.
Best Lawyers provides a peer-reviewed, credible resource to help you connect with the top attorneys in Savannah, GA for your specific needs. With lawyers recognized across dozens of practice areas — personal injury, family law, real estate, employment law, estate planning and more — finding qualified legal counsel in Savannah couldn’t be more straightforward.
Why Local Experience in Savannah Matters
While state law remains consistent across Georgia’s various jurisdictions, local ordinances and procedures can vary significantly from place to place. Hiring local Savannah attorneys familiar with these distinctions offers several advantages that can profoundly influence both the efficiency and outcome of your case.
Familiarity with Chatham County courts and personnel
Lawyers in Savannah practice within the Chatham County legal system, including the Chatham County State Court, which handles misdemeanor cases and civil matters.
Over time, they build working relationships with judges, court staff and opposing counsel. Understanding individual judicial preferences, procedural expectations and local court culture can help streamline processes and avoid unnecessary delays.
The best Savannah lawyers will also know how to use local systems like eFile Georgia, the mandatory electronic filing system for civil cases. They stay current on operational changes, such as appointment-only services in Probate Court and evolving court calendars.
Specialized knowledge of regional laws and regulations
Experienced attorneys in Savannah, GA., have a nuanced understanding of community-specific regulations that may be critical to achieving a satisfactory outcome.
For instance, attorneys specializing in real estate law understand the strict preservation ordinances governing Savannah’s historic districts, which dictate specific requirements for roofing materials, windows and structural modifications. They leverage this expertise to help property owners navigate complex permitting processes and avoid costly compliance issues.
Savannah's maritime attorneys leverage extensive expertise in federal and international maritime law, along with strong connections within the local port community, to resolve shipping disputes, cargo claims and maritime injury cases.
Common Legal Needs in Savannah
While Savannah residents and businesses seek legal counsel for many reasons, the region’s demographics and unique characteristics help drive demand for certain specific services.
Property disputes in historic districts
Savannah's historic districts, while culturally important and valuable, pose challenges for property owners. These areas are protected by local ordinances that enforce strict restrictions on renovations and additions. Common challenges include meeting requirements for specific roofing materials and windows, obtaining permits for structural changes and addressing insurance complications related to historic home classifications.
Maritime and port-related business law
As one of the busiest ports on the East Coast, Savannah generates substantial demand for maritime legal services. Businesses and individuals in this sector must often navigate shipping and cargo disputes, vessel financing transactions, maritime liens, marine insurance claims and environmental compliance issues. Personal injury cases involving offshore workers are also common.
The maritime law community in Savannah has in-depth knowledge of federal and international maritime regulations, which differ significantly from general business law. Their local presence ensures availability for urgent port-related issues and strong connections within the maritime community.
Divorce and custody matters
Family law issues like divorce and child custody tend to be emotionally challenging and require sensitive handling. A family law attorney in Savannah, GA will understand specific judicial interpretations and procedural nuances within Chatham County courts and be well-positioned to provide the personalized guidance and staunch advocacy needed to protect their clients' interests.
Employment issues in hospitality and tourism sectors
Savannah's economy relies heavily on hospitality and tourism, creating unique employment law considerations. Common issues include discrimination claims, wrongful termination disputes, wage and hour violations, non-compete agreement enforcement and retaliation claims. Local employment attorneys stay current with Georgia-specific employment laws and human resources trends, offering both proactive advice for employers and advocacy for employees who have experienced workplace violations.
Estate planning for families and retirees
For Savannah's established families and growing retiree population, comprehensive estate planning ensures asset protection and legacy preservation. Local attorneys in Savannah draft personalized state-specific documents and provide planning assistance tailored to individual family needs. They emphasize regular plan reviews recognizing that outdated estate plans can create more problems than no plan at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking for lawyers in Savannah, you probably have many questions. Some of the most common inquiries raised by legal consumers in the Chester County region include:
What is the difference between a lawyer and an attorney in Georgia?
A lawyer is someone who has completed law school and earned a law degree. An attorney (or "attorney-at-law") is a lawyer who has also passed Georgia’s bar examination and been admitted to that state bar association. While the terms "lawyer" and "attorney" are often used interchangeably, there is a technical distinction.
Is it better to use a local attorney in Savannah?
Lawyers based in Savannah are familiar with Chatham County courts, including specific judges, their preferences and procedural expectations. They understand local filing requirements and ordinances governing areas such as historic districts. Local lawyers offer greater accessibility for in-person consultations and court appearances, allowing for more personalized service and stronger attorney-client relationships.
How much does it cost to hire a lawyer in Georgia?
Legal fees in Georgia vary significantly based on case complexity, practice area, attorney experience and geographic location. Some typical fee structures include:
- Personal injury: Often uses contingency fees, typically 30% to 40% of the settlement, meaning clients only pay if they win.
- Criminal defense, family law, civil cases: Frequently charge hourly rates ranging from $103 to $557, with the Georgia average around $340 per hour.
- Estate planning, uncontested divorce, real estate closings: Often use flat fees for predictable costs.
It’s important to discuss a particular attorney’s fee structure during your initial consultation so you know what to expect and can plan for expenses accordingly.
Do lawyers charge for asking questions?
Many Savannah lawyers offer initial consultations—dedicated meetings where you can discuss your legal issue and receive a preliminary assessment. Some attorneys provide free consultations, particularly for certain practice areas like personal injury. Others may charge consultation fees ranging from $50 to $500. Whether lawyers charge for initial questions depends on the individual attorney and the nature of the inquiry. Always confirm whether a consultation is free or involves a fee before scheduling your appointment.
How to Use the Best Lawyers Directory
As the oldest and most trusted peer-reviewed publication in the legal industry, the Best Lawyers directory provides access to hundreds of highly qualified Savannah attorneys. Each lawyer is fully vetted by their peers across Georgia and recognized for their expertise in specific practice areas, as well as their deep knowledge of state law and local court procedures.
Our proprietary methodology ensures that only Savannah lawyers who consistently earn positive evaluations from their peers are included in the directory and continued ranking depends on a lawyer maintaining those votes year after year. Best Lawyers doesn’t accept any paid listings, ensuring that each annual list is credible and completely unbiased.
To make browsing easier, Best Lawyers provides search and filter functions, so you can narrow results by practice area, location within Savannah or specific legal needs. Comprehensive attorney profiles provide an in-depth view of each lawyer’s experience, specializations and approach to legal representation.
Find Trusted Attorneys in Savannah, GA
Whether you're dealing with historic property regulations, maritime business disputes, family matters or estate planning, Best Lawyers makes it easy to connect with top attorneys in Savannah, GA. and across the Peach State. Take the first step toward securing the high-quality legal representation you need. Start your search today.
Select a practice area from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Practice Areas
Saunders Aldridge is a partner in the Savannah office where he has advised clients in the transportation and logistics industries for over thirty years. He has also enjoyed success in the areas of complex civil litigation and occupational safety and health representing both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation, catastrophic injury, and mass tort litigation. Saunders is admitted to the State Bars of Georgia and South Carolina and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court,...
Tom Cullen is a partner in the Savannah office, practicing in the areas of general corporate and corporate governance. His practice focuses on all aspects of general corporate representation, including the formation and organization of business entities, capitalization of such entities through debt or equity offerings, securities issues, commercial transactions, commercial loans, mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, restructurings and other reorganizations, shareholder rights issues, and...
Mills Fleming chairs HunterMaclean’s health care practice group . Mills is a past president of the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys and a member of the American Health Lawyers Association. His practice concentrates on the general representation of health care systems, specialized regulatory support to health care entities and specialized projects involving compliance planning, qui tam/FCA investigations, health care industry restructuring, tax-exempt entities and intermediate san...
Ted Henneman is a partner in the Savannah office of HunterMaclean and practices in the area of real estate development , with a focus on affordable housing and financing through the use of I.R.C. § 42 Tax Credits. Ted has over seventeen years experience in the field of affordable housing financing through the use of federal and state tax credits. In addition, Ted has specific experience closing HUD supported mixed financed projects, including projects financed in part though HUD’s ...
Wade Herring is a partner in the Savannah office. Representing businesses and management, Wade’s practice focuses on all aspects of employment problems and issues, including internal employment practices, wage/hour issues, drug testing, sexual harassment, equal employment opportunity, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and employee benefits. Wade is admitted to practice in the Georgia Supreme Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for t...
From Chambers USA: “Shawn Kachmar stands out for both his in-depth knowledge of labor and employment law and excellent client service skills. As one interviewee comments: ‘Your problems always seem to be his priority – no matter how small you are, you always feel like you are his most important customer.’” Shawn Kachmar is a partner at HunterMaclean and practices in the areas of employment law , employee benefits , and business litigation . Shawn counsels employe...
Sarah Lamar is a partner in the Firm’s Savannah office and practices in the area of employment law . Sarah has experience representing employers in employment litigation in state and federal courts regarding discrimination and employment laws such as Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Fair Labor Standards Act, among others. She also represents employers in breach of contract actions, including non-compe...
Kirby Mason is a partner in HunterMaclean’s litigation practice group , contributing over twenty years of experience to the Firm. A tough litigator, Kirby is at home in the courtroom where she presents the facts and law in a straightforward manner. She is equally effective in front of a jury as in a bench trial or in mediation/arbitration proceedings. Over the years, Kirby has litigated a variety of cases. Her breadth of training and knowledge permits her to represent businesses in cont...
Diana McKenzie is a partner and chair of HunterMaclean’s information technology and outsourcing practice group . She is internationally recognized for her work in information technology and outsourcing matters and is best known for her ability to provide practical, efficient, and strategic legal counsel. For over twenty-five years, Diana has practiced exclusively in information technology and outsourcing law. This experience makes her uniquely qualified to offer unparalleled perspective...
Colin McRae is a partner in the Savannah office. His practice areas include admiralty , business litigation , real estate litigation , transportation , and construction . Colin’s maritime experience includes defense of personal injury claims, collisions, bill of lading and charter party disputes, oil spill and other environmental pollution cases, Coast Guard penalties, and customs matters. Colin also has experience in disputes involving real estate, commercial transactions, premise liab...
Chris Phillips is a partner in the Savannah office of the Firm. His practice areas include medical malpractice defense , construction law , products liability , insurance law, and general litigation . Chris focuses his practice on defense of hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other health care related professionals in medical malpractice matters. He has successfully defended numerous wrongful death and permanent injury cases for various health care providers. Chris also concentrates in the ar...
David Sipple is a partner in the Savannah office and practices in the areas of admiralty law and insurance law. David is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Georgia. He is a member of the Savannah Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Georgia. David also belongs to the Maritime Law Association of the United States, in which he se...
Ron Talley is a partner in the Savannah office and concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate , environmental law, and commercial finance . Ron is experienced in the areas of commercial finance, land development, brownfield development, and environmental compliance and permitting. He has assisted clients throughout the United States on a broad range of matters, such as remediation and redevelopment of properties impacted by releases of regulated substances, acquisition and sale of ...
Harold Yellin is a partner in the Savannah office, practicing in the areas of commercial real estate , zoning/land use , and commercial leasing . Harold has broad experience in commercial real estate matters, including the purchase, sale, and refinance of retail shopping centers and office, industrial, and mixed-use developments. He is actively involved in the negotiation and drafting of commercial leases on behalf of owners of shopping centers and office and industrial parks. Harold also has...
Arnold Young is a partner in the Savannah office and has a general trial practice . Arnold has experience in major defense cases involving products liability, medical malpractice, pharmaceuticals, and truck and crane casualties. He also has extensive experience in insurance law. Arnold is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia and a former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He is general counsel to HunterMaclean. Arnold is admitted t...
