Behind act to Governor Perdue's Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) package, the Firm's members possess a wealth of prior experience working on education issues at both the state and federal levels. As former General Counsel at the Georgia Department of Education, Jud Turner provided general oversight and advice regarding a variety of contractual and litigation matters. He also possesses a unique knowledge and understanding of the department's testing and technology divisions and oversaw the successful design and procurement of several sophisticated assessment and technology contracts. In addition, the Firm's lawyers have provided sound counsel to the state and federal Departments of Education during the implementation and application of No Child Left Behind, including the development of a single statewide accountability system for all Georgia public schools. This vast experience uniquely positions the Firm to advise school districts and school system superintendents throughout Georgia, as well as charter schools, non-profits and other educational service providers.
Turner Bachman & Garrett's contacts and substantive knowledge of environmental law, particularly in the arena of water rights, uniquely qualify the Firm to serve public and private sector clients in intricate natural resource matters. Presently, Jud Turner serves as Special Counsel to Governor Perdue on the Tri-State Water Wars and negotiates with each of Georgia's neighbors over shared river systems. During his time as Executive Counsel, Jud served as the Governor's legal representative in negotiations with the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Fish & Wildlife Service regarding drought operations at the federal reservoirs of the ACF and ACT river basins. Jud was also heavily involved in negotiations between Governor Perdue and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford regarding the creation of a joint maritime terminal port to be located on Georgia Department of Transportation land in Jasper County, South Carolina.
Turner Bachman & Garrett's lawyers have litigated cases on behalf of both public and private sector clients in various forums, including the Sixth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court. Because all of the Firm's attorneys started their careers at major national and international law firms, Turner Bachman & Garrett is able to provide its clients with a wealth of practical experience in various arenas of civil litigation. The Firm represents clients in state and federal courts, before the American Arbitration Association, and before administrative agencies. The Firm's lawyers have experience defending corporate and individual clients in a variety of civil matters, including:
- employment discrimination
- tortious interference
- civil rights
- professional negligence
- breach of contract
- conversion
- nuisance
- negligent hiring and retention
- real estate contracts
- trespass
- adverse possession
- fraud and misrepresentation
- breach of fiduciary duty
- intentional infliction of emotional distress
- negligence
- promissory estoppel
Led by Chuck Bachman, a former Partner at Seyfarth Shaw, Turner Bachman & Garrett offers a full array of services in the area of Labor & Employment. This includes defense of both large and small businesses in federal and state courts and in arbitration; representation of companies against charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, and other similar federal and state agencies; and drafting of employment policies and handbooks, as well as employee contracts, non-disclosure, and non-compete agreements. The Firm counsels clients on Employment Practices Liability Insurance carriers, the Family and Medical Leave Act, OSHA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, sexual harassment, and other federal and state employment laws. Our client list includes Walgreen Co., Kaiser Permanente, Omni Hotels, Airgas, Inc., WellStar Health System, YKK Corp., and Beaulieu Group LLC.
Equipped with a wealth of knowledge, contacts, and substantive experience, Turner Bachman & Garrett is well-suited to help navigate any public policy or regulatory issue our clients might face. The Firm's lawyers have recently served in high level positions at both the state and federal level, including Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Executive Counsel to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, and General Counsel to the Georgia Department of Education. The Firm is also aligned with a dynamic public affairs firm, Georgia360, which offers a vast array of services including direct lobbying, corporate advertising, public relations, grassroots organizing and business development. Georgia360's members have advised top elected officials, managed numerous multi-million dollar campaigns, guided investors and businesses to commercial success, and written significant state and federal legislation. Combining the resources of Georgia360 with its own unique legal skill set, the Firm is able to offer our clients content-specific knowledge and comprehensive solutions to address any public sector concern.
With extensive experience related to the public procurement of goods and services for various state agencies, Jud Turner leads Turner Bachman & Garrett's Public Contracts and Procurements practice area. Jud served as General Counsel to the Georgia Department of Education during the overhaul and reform of its contracting and procurements practices and led the Department in the design, award and defense of several sophisticated testing and technology RFP's during his tenure there. As Executive Counsel to Governor Perdue, Jud worked closely with the Department of Administrative Services on several, substantial procurements of statewide importance. The Firm thus possesses unique relationships within Georgia's centralized procurement agency and within most of the state's large agency budget and procurement divisions. Given the breadth of experience and relationships in the state procurement arena, Turner Bachman & Garrett is well positioned to provide both front-end counsel to prospective bidders in preparation of responsive bid proposals and advice during and after the award of such public contracts. Should irregularities in the award of a public procurement warrant the legal protest of that award, the Firm is uniquely positioned to handle the legal challenge of those awards, having guided the successful defense of several awards of complex procurements. In addition to advice regarding a traditional Request for Proposal, the Firm understands the various nuances of the State Purchasing Act and its rules and regulations enabling it to guide prospective clients in the evaluation of further business development opportunities in the governmental sector.
