J. Converse Bright is a Partner in Coleman Talley’s Valdosta office. Mr. Bright has practiced law since 1965. During a legal career spanning more than 50 years, Mr. Bright has served as lead counsel on many complex litigation matters.

A native of Valdosta, Georgia, Mr. Bright received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Virginia in 1962 and his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Georgia in 1965. Mr. Bright was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1964.

He is a member of the bar of the Court of Appeals of Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and the Supreme Court of the United States. His practice includes over 140 reported cases in the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court and over 30 cases in United States courts. Mr. Bright was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1976 and is a member of the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida.

Mr. Bright was appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia to the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners for 1999-2004. He is a past president of the Valdosta Bar Association and former member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Bright served on the Advisory Board of the United States District Court, Middle District of Georgia and as an Arbitrator in that court. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.

Since 1985, Mr. Bright taught on the faculty of the Georgia Institute of Trial Advocacy at the University of Georgia Law School. He has taught at Valdosta State University as adjunct professor of American History and Political Science. Mr. Bright coached the Lowndes High School mock trial team, which has won several region titles.

He has been rated “AV” lawyer by Martindale-Hubble since 1980, listed in “Best Lawyers of America” since 1987, and “Super Lawyer” since its inception.

Bart Davis is a Partner who concentrates his practice on residential and commercial real estate transactions. Since concentrating on real estate in 2010, Bart has extensive experience conducting residential and commercial real estate transactions, overseeing all aspects of the transaction, including title examination, document preparation and approval, and consummation of the transaction. Bart also has experience in preparation of residential and commercial leases, as well as preparation of estate and probate filings essential to real estate transactions such as petitions to probate wills, petitions to appoint administrators, and petitions for leave to sell property. Bart is additionally licensed, and is an experienced real estate practitioner, in the State of Florida.

Bart graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2004. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2007. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2009 and the State Bar of Florida in 2013.

Bart is a member of State Bar of Georgia’s Real Property Law Section and the Valdosta Bar Association. He is an affiliate member of the Valdosta Board of Realtors, the Home Builders Association of South Georgia, and the Valdosta Chapter of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia, on which he currently serves on the Board of Directors.

Bart is a native of Valdosta. He is a former Board Chair of the Greater Valdosta United Way. He is a graduate of the 2018 class of Leadership Lowndes. Bart is also actively involved in volunteer coaching youth sports at the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta and the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority. Bart has served in various leadership roles in his Church, First United Methodist Church of Valdosta, including past Church Council President, and he has been an active volunteer for Valdosta Prison Ministry, Inc. since 2011.

Bart is married to the former Angie Byrum. They have two children – Buck and Birdie.

Ryan Spell is a Partner in the Atlanta office whose law practice focuses on the areas of commercial real estate and secured real estate lending. Pursuant to this practice, Ryan assists clients in the financing, acquisition, development, and disposition of commercial real estate, with an emphasis in multi-family, and assists financial institutions in closing secured loan transactions.

A native of Hahira, Georgia, Ryan graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2006. Ryan obtained his Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Georgia in 2008 and his Juris Doctor (JD) degree in 2011 from Mercer University. Ryan is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the American Bar Association.

Mary Margaret Williams is a Partner practicing in the areas of affordable housing, commercial real estate, and commercial transactions.  A native of Valdosta, Georgia, Mary Margaret graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 2005.  Mary Margaret graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2010 and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2010. Mary Margaret is a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Real Property Law Section, the Women’s Affordable Housing Network, the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers Valdosta Chapter, and the American Bar Association’s Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law.

C. Hansell Watt, IV focuses his practice on civil litigation, including insurance defense, tort liability, premises liability, employment litigation, personal injury, professional negligence and malpractice, construction litigation, local government and municipal law, commercial and business litigation, and appellate litigation. Hansell also is a certified mediator specializing in mediating personal injury cases. He also serves as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Valdosta’s Municipal Court.

Hansell is a native of Thomasville, Georgia. He received his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in 2000 from Rhodes College. He received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree (cum laude) from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 2004. While at Mercer, Hansell was a member of the Law Review and Moot Court Board. After graduating from law school, Hansell was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2004 and practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia with Troutman Sanders, LLP until 2006. Hansell also serves on the board of directors for a number of local non-profit organizations. In his free time, Hansell enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.

Hansell is Martindale-Hubbell Rated AV® Preeminent™.

Hansell was named as a “Rising Star” in 2013, 2014, and 2015 by Georgia’s Super Lawyers magazine, an honor achieved each year by less than three percent of Georgia attorneys under the age of forty.

Timothy M. Tanner is a Partner in the litigation section concentrating in the areas of commercial litigation, insurance defense, civil rights, and employment law. In addition to litigation, Tim’s practice also focuses on local government law. He serves as the attorney for the cities of Valdosta, Adel, and Lakeland, Georgia. Tim also serves as the solicitor for the cities of Valdosta, Adel, and Hahira, Georgia, and attorney for the Berrien County Industrial Authority and Hahira Downtown Development Authority.

Tim, a native of Nicholls, Georgia, received his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in 1997 from the University of Georgia. In 2001, he received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

He is a member of the State Bars of Georgia and Alabama where he is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts. Tim is also a member of the Valdosta Bar Association, Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, and Defense Research Institute.

Tim is Martindale-Hubbell Rated AV® Preeminent™.

Greg Talley practices primarily in the area of civil trial practice. He represents individuals and businesses in all areas of civil trial litigation with an emphasis on medical malpractice and healthcare liability defense.

Greg is a native of Valdosta, Georgia. He received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in speech communications in 1991 from the University of Georgia and his Juris Doctor (JD) Degree (cum laude) in 1995 from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the Brainerd Currie Honor Society, the Moot Court Board, and the Mercer Law Review. Greg formerly served on the State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors, serving Post 3 for the Southern Judicial Circuit.

Greg is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and Board Certified in the area of medical malpractice by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), the only organization accredited by the American Bar Association to certify attorneys in the practice areas of medical and legal professional liability. Since 2000, Greg has served as lead counsel in over 40 medical malpractice cases tried to jury verdict.

He practices in all State and Federal Courts in South Georgia and its surrounding area and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Lawyer’s Foundation of Georgia. He is former President of the Valdosta Bar Association and is a member of the Georgia Defense Lawyer’s Association and the Defense Research Institute.

Greg is admitted to practice in the Superior and State Courts of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the United States District Court for the Middle and Northern District of Georgia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Greg is Martindale-Hubbell Rated AV® Preeminent™.

Lake Jordan concentrates his practice in real estate and corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, business planning, entity formations, corporate governance, agriculture, solar energy, and state and federal trademark matters. Lake has experience representing landowners throughout Georgia in condemnation proceedings initiated by government agencies and contesting the valuations presented to the landowner by the government. He has also represented clients in the negotiation of sales and leases of their land for solar power purposes. Lake is experienced in the practice of advising individual clients on systematic planning for the eventual exit from their business, which includes planning and strategies for conveying such business to family members, employees, or third party buyers. He has lectured on numerous topics, including intellectual property rights of small business owners and lease drafting. In 2004, Lake was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia and is a member of the Valdosta Bar Association.

A native of Florence, South Carolina, Lake received his B.S. in Management and Marketing from the University of South Carolina in 1999 and his J.D. from Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law in 2004.

Lake is a graduate of Leadership Lowndes, Class of 2012, and currently serves on boards and committees for his church and local organizations and enjoys coaching youth sports.

Lake is Martindale-Hubbell Rated AV® Preeminent™.

George T. Talley is a Partner who concentrates his practice in municipal law, workers’ compensation, litigation, and insurance defense.

George is a native of Adel, Georgia. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in 1965. He received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree in 1968, also from the University of South Carolina. He was admitted to both the State Bar of Georgia and the South Carolina Bar in 1968.

George has registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution as a Mediator and Neutral. He serves as a Mediator on litigation and other matters in the fields of workers’ compensation, municipal and local government law, and general insurance defense matters, including automobile liability, product liability, and construction.

George has served as President of the Valdosta Bar Association and is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Georgia Municipal Association, and the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. He served as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia from 1993-1994.

In addition, he was Solicitor of the State Court of Lowndes County from 1972 to 1976 and served as Valdosta City Attorney for 40 years. He has served two terms on the Board of Directors of Valdosta Country Club and was President for the calendar year 1986.

George is Martindale-Hubbell Rated AV® Preeminent™.

William S. Steinberg is a Partner concentrating in residential and commercial real estate and corporate law.

Billy received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1996 from Valdosta State University, where he majored in Political Science and minored in Criminal Justice.  In 1999, he received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree (cum laude) from the John Marshall Law School. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2000 and to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia in 2001. Billy is also admitted to practice before the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

A native of Valdosta, Georgia, Billy is currently a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association, and previously served as President to the Valdosta Bar Association. In addition, he is a graduate of Leadership Lowndes, Class of 2002.