Who needs lawyers? We do.

Imagine being an excited new mother of a 4-day old baby boy and being accused of child abuse and having your child taken away from you. At 4 days old! That is the surreal situation which confronted Queenyona Boyd, already a mother to a healthy happy young daughter. "It was like having your child kidnapped." Queenyona said. There was no abuse, but abuse is extremely difficult to disprove. Though well-intentioned, 'Guilty until proven innocent' seems to be the unspoken guideline. Ironically, Queenyona has been active for years in Georgia's Child Welfare community fighting for children's rights in foster care.

Queenyona’s eagerly awaited baby boy A.J. was born with a broken femur, which was not detected at the hospital. The circumstances were unusual but by no means unprecedented, as both mother and newborn were Vitamin D deficient, a known cause of weaker bone strength. After taking her child home, the concerned new parents realized something was wrong and brought their son in immediately for a medical examination. Assuming the worst, the doctors alerted the Division of Family and Children Services who immediately took the child away from his parents for suspected abuse. The parents were devastated and frantic with worry. Where was their child? Who was feeding him? When would they see him again? To make matters worse, these cases typically take months and even years to make their way through an overloaded court system.

Fortunately, Queenyona and her husband found an experienced attorney, Diana Rugh Johnson, who took a personal interest in their case. Johnson said of Queenyona, “Her devotion to her child and the strength of her marriage amazed me. I had to fight this fight with her.” Another piece of luck was a photograph a relative took in the birthing suite that clearly shows a lump on the boy’s thigh where the bone break occurred. With this, and other evidence, Johnson was able to prove Queenyona’s innocence and return her child to her in just 27 days, an eternity to the parents but near record-time for such cases. "My lawyer put a lot of time into making sure I got my baby back," a relieved Queenyona states. "I credit my lawyer for that." AJ is a healthy, happy thriving 5-year old now living with his parents and his sister in their Lithonia home.

Learn More about Lawyer Diana Rugh Johnson

There is an old Chinese saying, meant as an ominous warning, “May you live in interesting times.” Murray English has certainly lived those words to the fullest. As a member of the US Navy’s Construction Battalion in the 1950s, his unit provided logistical support for the scientists conducting tests of the Hydrogen Bomb at Bikini Atoll, making Murray an eye witness to the birth of the Atomic Age. In the 1960s, he volunteered for service in Vietnam, knowingly putting himself in harm’s way, because he had friends fighting there, and “They needed my help.” He was awarded chest ribbons for valor.

In all, Murray served three tours spanning 18 years in the military, and spent the rest of his working life in the construction business mostly in Texas. Eventually, it was time to come home to Georgia, but in many ways, this is when Murray’s real battles began. Murray’s modest savings were stolen and his belongings pilfered. There were bureaucratic red tape issues. Murray’s service records were lost and he could not prove his identity. He found himself alone with no money, no benefits, no home and no name. For 5 years Murray lived on the streets of Atlanta, ultimately finding refuge in a homeless shelter at night, and at a sympathetic bar during the day.

Until one day, Jeff Nix, an Atlanta attorney stopping by to visit with his friend, the bar’s owner, took an interest in Murray. The two men talked. Nix listened and wanted to help. But hearing Murray’s story and getting Murray to accept help were two different things. Even though Murray had compelling needs like undiagnosed TB and nothing to live for, he was still a proud man. It wasn’t easy to get him to allow Nix to help him. But the lawyer persevered and in a short period of time was able to restore Murray’s identity, his benefits and more importantly, Murray’s self esteem and will to live. Now Murray lives in a place of his own in an assisted living facility in Downtown Atlanta. As Murray puts it, “My lawyer got everything back for me. Got me my name back. Things I had spent years trying to accomplish, he was able to accomplish in less than a week. I was homeless, but now I have a home--thanks to my lawyer."

Learn More about Lawyer Jeff Nix

Jarryd Wallace has been a competitive athlete all his life. In Georgia high school competition, he won the State Championship in not one, but two, middle distance track events. While training, he developed a pain in his right shin, and was diagnosed with Exertional Compartment Syndrome, a condition that while not common, is routinely relieved through surgery. Things did not go as planned. There were complications stemming from the surgery. After multiple attempts at correction, Jarryd was told that it was not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ his leg would require amputation. How could this have happened? Jarryd grew depressed and looked to drugs and alcohol for answers. Jim Matthews, an attorney who knew the family, felt something about Jarryd’s story was not being told, and after consulting with experts in the field was able to get to the heart of the case and realize a settlement that would give Jarryd back his life as a competitive athlete. Perhaps equally important, he put Jarryd with the best possible doctors. “My dreams were over. He gave me a chance at a new dream,” Jarryd says of his attorney. Literally the day after the amputation of his right leg from the knee down, Jarryd wrote a letter to the head of the U.S. Paralympic team and said, “I will be with the team in London in 2012.” He was. And also in 2016 in Rio. In 2013, Jarryd set two world sprint records at the World Paralympic Championships. As Jarryd puts it, “My lawyer made my second run at life possible.” Jarryd’s not slowing down. Recently married, Jarryd is a very hard man to keep up with.

Learn More about Lawyer Jim Matthews