Legislative
The Gold Dome Track:
Answering the Call to the Capitol
The Governmental Affairs Department, the Young Lawyers Division and the Law Practice Management Program have partnered to launch this first-of-its-kind program. We envision this as an ongoing effort to educate, prepare and support lawyers who are interested in public service, particularly service in the Georgia General Assembly.
What makes The Gold Dome Track different is its focus on being realistic and practical. This is not a theoretical discussion about civic engagement. It is a candid look at what it actually means to run for office as a lawyer, while maintaining a law practice, managing family and financial responsibilities, and navigating the political realities of public life.
Speakers and Panelists
Justice Charlie Bethel was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia on Sep. 4, 2018, by Gov. Nathan Deal and was elected to a full, six-year term on the Court in 2020. He previously served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
Following his formal education, Justice Bethel served as a law clerk on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for Hon. Charles A. Pannell Jr. before returning home to northwest Georgia. He practiced law in Dalton with Minor Bell & Neal (now The Minor Firm) and spent more than a decade in the flooring industry in executive and legal capacities working for J&J Industries.
Rep. Stacey Evans is a wife, mother, lawyer and legislator. She currently represents District 57 in the Georgia House. From 2011 to 2017, Evans represented House District 42 in Cobb County. During her legislative service, she has passed legislation to expand the HOPE Grant for technical colleges and fought for civil rights legislation. She also previously served as chair of the Democratic House Caucus.
Evans practices law at a firm she founded, Evans Bowers. She takes on health care giants in Medicare fraud cases in addition to representing individuals in toxic tort and defamation cases.
Rep. Soo Hong was elected to Georgia House District 103 in November 2022. She has proudly served the people of Buford, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, unincorporated Gwinnett County and southern Hall County since Jan. 8, 2023. Hong currently is the vice chair of the Reapportionment & Redistricting Committee, serves on the Judiciary and Ways & Means committees, and is chair of the Subcommittee for Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.
Hong has been a practicing attorney for more than 17 years and owns her own law practice, Blevins & Hong, PC, in Gwinnett and Cobb counties. She practices in the areas of personal injury, bankruptcy and criminal defense.
Jen Jordan is often described as a lawyers’ lawyer. Her consistent and tireless advocacy for the rights of others have not only defined her legal career—spanning more than two decades—but also the years she spent in the Georgia Senate. In 2022, Jordan was the Democratic nominee for Georgia Attorney General.
Jordan practices law at The Summerville Firm in Atlanta where she focuses mainly on complex civil cases involving the victimization of consumers or involving catastrophic injury to an individual.
Edward H. Lindsey Jr. has more than 32 years of legal, political and leadership experience, including 10 years as a Georgia state representative and three terms as the House Majority Whip. He also served on the House Appropriations, Judiciary, Education, Ways & Means and Rules committees.
Lindsey is a partner in Dentons US LLP's Regulatory, Public Policy and Government Affairs practice and serves as the head of the firm’s Georgia State Government Affairs team. His focus is on advancing the public policy interests and objectives of clients in the transportation, infrastructure, health care and education sectors. Immediately prior to joining Dentons in 2016, Lindsey was a partner and head of the litigation practice at Goodman McGuffey Lindsey & Johnson LLP, an Atlanta-based firm he co-founded in 1990.
Justice Harold Melton served for 16 years as a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and resigned as chief justice in 2021 following his appointment in 2018. Prior to leading Georgia’s judicial branch, Justice Melton served as executive counsel to Gov. Sonny Perdue and as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General in the Georgia Department of Law where he also led the Consumer Protection Section for four years.
Justice Melton is a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP in Atlanta where he provides actionable insights for clients involved in appellate, state attorneys general and commercial litigation matters.
Rep. Tremaine “Teddy” Reese has represented Georgia House District 140 and the citizens of Columbus, Georgia, since Jan. 11, 2023. He currently serves on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, the Economic Development & Tourism, the Public and Community Health, and the Special Committee on Resource Management.
Reese is the principal owner and managing attorney of The Reese Firm, LLC. Some of his previous employers include GEICO Corporate, Wilkinson County, Georgia, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and The Wright Legal Group.
Rep. Tyler Paul Smith was elected in 2020 to represent Georgia House District 18, which encompasses Haralson, rural north and west Carroll, and Southwest Paulding counties. He serves as chair of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. He is also a member of the Insurance, Judiciary and Small Business Development committees.
Smith is a litigator at Parian Lawyers. His practice areas include, among others, personal injury, criminal defense and landlord-tenant law.