Law Experience

Clark & Towne, P.C.
January 1991 to present

Judge, Gwinnett County Magistrate Court
September 2007 - October 2008
Served with Distinction as a judge in criminal and civil trials as part of the busiest magistrate court system in Georgia. Created an online e-book describing in detail the duties of a magistrate judge.

Associate Attorney, Boyce, Thompson, & O’Brien, P.C.
June 1998 – December 1999
Worked for legendary civil lawyer Peter Boyce as an associate with the largest firm in Gwinnett County.  Specialized in legal research, court hearings on behalf of large corporate and financial concerns; assisted with complex divorce and bankruptcy cases.

Education

University of Georgia School of Law
Juris Doctor, 1989  Cum Laude
Member, Editorial Board, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law; Outstanding Achievement Award, 1988 Mock Trial Competition

State University of New York at Fredonia
B.A., Cum Laude, 1981

Special Qualifications

• Elected to Who’s Who in American Law, 2001.
• Member in good standing of Georgia Bar since admitted in 1989 with no disciplinary actions or valid bar complaints, highest possible ethics rating from Martindale-Hubble National Directory.
• Member, American Trial Lawyers Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Member, Gwinnett County Bar Association
• Member, Criminal Defense Section of Gwinnett County Bar Association
• Admitted to practice, Georgia Supreme Court
• Admitted to practice, Georgia Court of Appeals
• Admitted to practice, United States District Court, Northern District Georgia
• Admitted to practice, United States District Court, Middle District Georgia
• Admitted to practice, United States District Court, Southern District Georgia
• Lecturer, ICJE continuing legal education seminars for Georgia lawyers 1998 - present
• Lecturer, Georgia Indigent Defense Council continuing legal education seminars for Georgia lawyers 1999 - present
• Lecturer, National College for DUI Defense, Miami and Las Vegas
• Author of several published articles on Constitutional Law
• Columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gwinnett Section 1997-2000
• Appeared on NBC “Trialwatch” program and live on Court TV, 1991.

Significant Appeals and Famous Cases

• 2007: Suddeth v State, 288 Ga.App. 541, meth possession conviction reversed.  This ruling expanded restrictions on the police "plain feel" doctrine for warrantless searches.
• 2006:Appeared on WSBTV, WXIA, and WAGA television, CourTV online and nationwide on talk radio as lead attorney in Bradley v. Covenant Christian Academy, a nationally publicized case filed by a high school student expelled from a private school for off-campus homosexual conduct.
• 2006: Lindsey v. State, 282Ga.App. 644, meth possession conviction reversed.  This ruling established for the first time that apprehension of a citizen under a probate court psychological commitment order is not an arrest.
• 2005: Wilson v State, 272 Ga.App. 291, marijuana possession conviction reversed. This ruling reaffirmed that the police practice of patting down anyone who exits a stopped car is unlawful.
• 1999: Love v State, 271 Ga. 398, DUI conviction reversed.  This ruling struck down a DUI statute OCGA 40-6-391(a)(6) as unconstitutional on equal protection grounds. Clark & Towne were made famous for this case in High Times, The National Law Journal, and local media.
• 1999: Izer v State, 236 Ga. App. 282, speeding conviction reversed.  This ruling forced the state patrol to throw out hundreds of tickets based on laser speed detection equipment.  Clark & Towne received acclaim in the local press and TV media and the National Law Journal.
• 1997: Holt v. State, 227 Ga. App. 46, obstruction conviction reversed. This ruling established important precedent allowing lawyers to attack racial profiling in Georgia.
• 1991: Vogel v. Friends of Children, adoption dispute. A baby wrongfully withheld by an adoption agency was returned to its parents live on CourtTV and CNN in Atlanta, thanks to aggressive litigation by Mr. Clark.