Emily Macheski-Preston

Emily is a member of Coleman Talley’s litigation department, focusing on zoning and land use, employment law, and professional property management of affordable housing.

Emily regularly advises developers and local governments on matters involving land use, ordinances, and the constitution.  In this capacity, Emily also provides training to her clients and has served as a speaker at seminars on land use matters, including most recently for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.  Emily has had the opportunity to work with both established and newly formed cities and is aware of the challenges unique to both types of local governments.

Emily is also familiar with the distinctive issues that arise in property management for affordable housing.  When called upon by clients, Emily has defended property management companies in fair housing matters, mold litigation, and difficult evictions involving federal regulations.  Emily is also prepared to provide compliance advice to her clients on affordable housing matters and Georgia landlord tenant law.

Emily attended Oglethorpe University and Mercer University on full scholarships.  While at Oglethorpe, she interned for Governor Sonny Perdue’s Governor’s Intern Program.  In 2010, Emily was awarded the Ruth T. West Award for Advocacy and Leadership by Mercer University.  In 2012, she was named the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional of the Year.  Emily is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Lowndes, a 2016 graduate of Georgia Forward’s Young Gamechanger Class, and a 2017 graduate of the State Bar of Georgia’s Leadership Academy.  In 2014, Emily moved to the firm’s Atlanta office and currently resides with her husband in Roswell, Georgia.

Emily is admitted to practice in Georgia’s State and Federal Courts, including Magistrate Court, Superior Court, State Court, the Middle District of Georgia, the Northern District of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Georgia. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Local Government Division, the Young Lawyers Division, and Oglethorpe University’s Stormy Petrel Bar Association. Emily also serves on the State Bar of Georgia’s iCivics committee.