TISINGER VANCE P.C. - Key Persons
Andrew Lovvorn is a native of Bowdon, Georgia. He earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Georgia in 2004 before obtaining his Juris Doctor from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2008.
Mr. Lovvorn began practicing law in 2008 and joined Tisinger Vance, P.C. in 2015. His practice areas include residential/commercial real estate, estate planning, probate, and business transactions.
In 2014, the Carroll County Probate Court named Andrew as the County Administrator, a position that requires extensive knowledge of Georgia's probate laws. Through that continued appointment, Andrew has successfully navigated numerous unrepresented estates through the probate process. Additionally, he is a frequent speaker to various community groups and civic organizations regarding topics such as real estate, wills, trusts, VA benefits, and Medicaid planning.
Ashleigh B. Smith joined the Tisinger Vance, P.C. law firm in the fall of 2023. She earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2022. During law school she externed for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the General Counsel; Corporate Counsel of a large hospital system; and multiple Federal and State Court Judges. She has a passion for legal writing and served as Executive Articles Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property from 2020 to 2022.
Prior to law school Ashleigh earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Georgia, graduating magna cum laude from each, and also held a position at the Rockdale County District Attorney's Office.
During her legal career Ashleigh has assisted in the counsel and defense of large corporations, hospitals, and healthcare providers. Ashleigh is from the small town of Jersey, GA. In her spare time, Ashleigh enjoys spending her time being a dog mom, gardening, and being with her family.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Member of the Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotary Club
Avery Jackson joined the firm in 2008. His principal areas of practice include commercial transactions, business law, local government law, banking and finance law, and commercial real estate. He has extensive experience with a variety of workout issues, including collection suits, foreclosures, receiverships, forbearance agreements, participation agreements, cash collateral agreements, confirmations, and guarantor claims and defenses. He is licensed to practice law in both Georgia and Alabama.
Avery, a native of Carrollton, graduated from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business in 2004 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. While at the University of Georgia, he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity, holding the office of Vice President. He served as a finance intern with General Electric and as an accounting intern with Athens-Clarke County Government. Mr. Jackson graduated from Georgia State University College of Law in 2008.
Avery is a member of the Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotary Club and the Tabernacle Baptist Church. He is active in the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network. Avery also participated in the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Academy in 2009. He and his wife, Becky, reside in Carrollton.
Bob Tisinger was born in 1908. He was the last of nine children.
In elementary school, he was taught in a one-room community schoolhouse by his older sister. Later he attended elementary school in the small town of Bowdon, Georgia. He rode a horse to and from school and often said that his "first school bus had four legs." His secondary education continued at the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School in Carrollton, Georgia. The motto of the school was, "To Learn By Doing." "Doing" for Bob included helping to raise food that helped supply the cafeteria.
As was the case with all his siblings, some form of higher education was given; his coincided with the Great Depression. During that time, while working at the Southern Railroad, he attended night school-first at Georgia Tech, and then at the Atlanta Law School.
In 1932 he returned to the family farm. The Depression-era economy was such that there was not enough business to sustain both he and Harvey in the practice of law. He farmed for a year before joining his brother in the practice in 1933.
Having been raised on the farm, however, farming was in his blood and he continued to manage the family farm, as well as practice law, until his death in 1991.
Brianna Sullivan Maxwell joined the firm in 2017. Her principal areas of practice include litigation and insurance defense. She is licensed to practice law in Georgia and Alabama.
Brianna was born and raised in Carrollton, Georgia, graduating from Carrollton High School. After high school, Brianna attended Auburn University where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Italian Studies. She then received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law.
While in law school, Brianna served as an Articles Editor and Editorial Board Member for the Georgia Law Review and was a member of the Family Law Society and Student Bar Association. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies.
Caitlin W. Harris joined the firm in 2021. Her principal areas of practice include commercial litigation, residential/commercial real estate, estate planning, probate, and general regulatory compliance. Caitlin graduated summa cum laude and number one in her class from Mercer University School of Law in May of 2019. Caitlin received the John William Barnett Prize for Academic Excellence, which honors the student who graduated number one in the law school class.
In addition to receiving the Barnett Prize for Academic Excellence, Caitlin was also recognized by The Brainerd Curie Honor Society for maintaining superior scholastic records and making significant contributions in such areas as research and writing, law review, and moot court. Furthermore, Caitlin was inducted into the Order of Scribes. During Caitlin's law school career, she received the CALI Award (award given for the highest grade in the class) in seven of her classes and made the Dean's List all six semesters of law school.
While in law school, Caitlin served as a student editor on Mercer Law Review and had an article published in the 69th edition of Mercer Law Review Leads. Caitlin was a competitor in the Intrastate Moot Court Competition her second year of law school and went on to be a student coach for the Intrastate Moot Court team her last year of law school. Furthermore, Caitlin was a member of the Association of Women Law Students, where she served as the Fall Philanthropy Chair for the 2018 school year, and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi. In addition, Caitlin served as an academic mentor and a Legal Research Assistant.
Caitlin is a graduate of Carrollton High School. She and her husband, Dan Harris, reside in Carrollton, Georgia with their two dogs. When not working, Caitlin enjoys running outside, reading a good book, hiking, and spending time with her family.
Clint Kelly joined Tisinger Vance, P.C. in the fall of 2023. His principal areas of practice include residential real estate, commercial real estate, estate planning, probate, and business transactions.
Mr. Kelly graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2023 with his Juris Doctor degree. While in law school, he served on the executive committee of the Negotiation Board. Prior to law school, Mr. Kelly earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mississippi State University in 2019. Mr. Kelly was a summer law clerk with Tisinger Vance during his time at the University of Mississippi in 2021 and 2022.
He and his wife, Meredith Sammon Kelly, reside in Carrollton.
David Tisinger is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. After graduation from Georgia Tech, he served as an Officer in the United States Navy and upon discharge, attended law school at the University of Georgia where he was an honor graduate. Tisinger devoted his entire career to trial work, has tried more than 285 cases in a jury trial setting and has evaluated more than 2000 cases. Those cases involved a wide variety of issues including personal injury, auto, medical malpractice, commercial litigation, products liability, estate issues, and condemnation. In recognition of his experience in trials, Mr. Tisinger was elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1982 and has been a member of that organization since that time.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Board Member and Secretary for Friends of Spirit, Inc
Joel Tisinger comes to Tisinger Vance from one of the country's leading healthcare information technology companies where he served as Deputy General Counsel. Prior to serving as in-house counsel, Mr. Tisinger had a wide range of experience representing small and large size companies in numerous industries focusing on commercial transactional matters, intellectual property, and acting as "outsourced in-house counsel." His experience also includes vendor side and customer side technology transactions, SaaS Agreements, complex commercial transactions, commercial and technology dispute resolution, HIPAA compliance matters, cybersecurity and privacy matters, licensing agreements, and entertainment law matters.
Mr. Tisinger attended the University of West Georgia and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Afterwards, he continued his studies in the post-baccalaureate program at Georgia State University in music business. He earned his law degree in 2003 from Mercer University and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he ultimately opened his own firm on Music Row.
Joel is originally from Carrollton and returned here in 2010 after practicing in Nashville for seven years. He is married to Erica and has two children; the family attends and is actively involved in Carrollton First Baptist Church. He also volunteers for a number of organizations including committee volunteer and sponsor for Tanner Medical Foundation's Magnolia Ball, benefitting Tanner Medical Center; orchestra member for Carrollton First Baptist Church and Carrollton First United Methodist Church; previous legal counsel for T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS Research (Nashville); and coach for the Carrollton Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department.
Joel is a board member and secretary for Friends of Spirit, Inc., a Georgia non-profit committed to youth athletic and art programs including Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps.
John specializes in insurance defense, representing people in connection with injury claims. He became a Partner in 1998. When he joined the firm in 1993, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) was in its infant stages. Accordingly, John gained significant trial experience in his early years. Since the early 2000s, however, ADR has made its way onto the legal scene. It's now widely used. While in law school, John received the Faculty Award for ADR. Consequently, his coursework prepared him well for ADR-related resolution options and, since 2000, John has gained significant experience with both mediation and arbitration. For example, John mediates about three to four cases per month.
In addition, he is frequently asked to serve as a mediator. Of course, if settlement negotiations break-down or if mediation fails to resolve the dispute, John is a very capable trial lawyer. He has the experience needed to try your case. To help punctuate his trial skills, John has been a presenter at Continuing Legal Education seminars.
John was a Distinguished Military Graduate from Wake Forest University in 1985, whereupon he was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer (Regular Army.) He served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer in a NATO unit in West Germany. John was an Honor Graduate of his Officer Basic Course and was the Distinguished Honor Graduate of his Air Defense Artillery weapons course. He completed the Army Airborne Course and the Army Ranger Course. After graduating from law school, John transferred into the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG Corps,) where he served from 1994-2012. In 2015, John was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on Georgia's Court-Martial Review Panel. He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Member of the Carrollton Rotary Club
Kevin Drummond earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from West Georgia College. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1994. Kevin served as corporate counsel prior to serving as Assistant District Attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit. Since leaving the District Attorney's office, Kevin has focused on civil and criminal litigation. His practice areas include insurance defense, local government law, and civil and criminal litigation. He has extreme experience in trying cases before juries, bench trials, and appeals.
Kevin is admitted and has argued cases in Georgia State and Superior Courts, Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court. He has litigated numerous criminal cases ranging from minor traffic citations to death penalty cases.
Kevin is a member of the Carrollton Rotary Club and is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Carrollton. He has also been appointed by the Governor to the Georgia Public Defender Supervisory Panel for the Coweta Judicial Circuit. Kevin lives in Carrollton with his wife, Alison, and three children.
Job Titles:
- President of the Estate Planning and Wealth Management Law Society / Vice President of Communications for Georgia State Law, Moot Court
Nicole Smith is a native of Carrollton Georgia, graduating from Central High School. Mrs. Smith joined Tisinger Vance, P.C. in the summer of 2024. Her principal areas of practice are Commercial Litigation and Electric Membership Co-ops. Mrs. Smith graduated magna cum laude from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2024 with her Juris Doctor degree. While in law school, she was President of the Estate Planning and Wealth Management Law Society; Vice President of Communications for Georgia State Law, Moot Court; and a semifinalist in the Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition Oral Argument, receiving Second Place Best Brief. In 2023, Mrs. Smith was inducted into the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates recognizing academic excellence. Prior to law school, she earned her BA in Philosophy and graduated magna cum laude from the University of West Georgia. Mrs. Smith was Honored in Who's Who Among American College Students; recipient of the Gordon Watson Award in Philosophy; and a founding member of Honor's Fraternity, Phi Sigma Tau. Mrs. Smith was a summer law clerk with Tisinger Vance in 2023. She and her husband, Steven, and their three children reside in Carrollton. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys reading, live concerts, and spending time with her active family.
Steve is a partner at Tisinger Vance, P.C. Steve graduated from Vanderbilt University and the University of Georgia School of Law with honors. While in law school, he was the Managing Editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, received a School of Law scholarship, and was a member of The Order of the Coif, an honor society for those graduating in the top ten percent of their class at select law schools.
Phil is a native of Carrollton, Georgia, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree cum laude in Political Science from West Georgia College in 1982. He continued his education at the University of Georgia School of Law and received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1985.
Phil entered the practice of law in Carrollton in 1985 and began practicing with the Tisinger Vance firm in 1990. Phil's practice centers on residential real estate. He represents a variety of lenders, builders, investors, buyers, and sellers.
Phil is a past President of the Georgia Real Estate Closing Attorneys Association and a past Chair of the Real Property Section of the State Bar of Georgia.
Richard G. (Dick) Tisinger, Sr. joined the firm in 1969. During his more than 40 years at the firm, his practice has focused on representation of rural electric cooperatives and commercial and residential real estate transactions.
In his representation of rural electric cooperatives, Dick served as general counsel for Georgia EMC, Carroll EMC, Altamaha EMC, and Excelsior EMC. He has been extensively involved in the revision, updating, interpretation and defense of EMC corporate documents, including bylaws, articles of incorporation, services rules and regulations, and policies. He has been called on many times to serve as special counsel for other distribution EMCs in Georgia who are confronted with contested board elections and "member unrest." He has litigated territory cases before the Public Service Commission and has provided general advice and counsel regarding territorial matters and has represented the interests of the state's EMCs before the PSC in other procedures affecting EMCs.
In 2009 Mr. Tisinger was awarded the Georgia Distinguished Cooperator Award by the Georgia Cooperative Council, and in 2010, the Electric Cooperative Bar Association awarded Mr. Tisinger its Lifetime Achievement Award, an award to recognize those who have advanced the electric cooperative program among attorneys, cooperatives, and their boards of directors.
Dick is a former President of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and a past member of the Board of Directors of Tanner Medical Foundation. He was awarded the Stanley Parkman Rotary Ethics Award by the Carrollton Rotary Club in 2009. He is Chairman of the Board of Advisors of KidsPeace, Bowdon, and a member of the Board of Directors of KidsPeace, USA, an umbrella, non-profit headquartered in Pennsylvania, serving children in crises through residential, community, and foster care in 11 states. He also serves as Chairman of the Audit and Advancement Committee of KidsPeace, USA. He is an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Carrollton, Georgia, where he teaches the Agape Sunday School Class. Also, he is an associate member of Victory United Methodist Church in Bowdon, Georgia.
Richard has practiced at Tisinger Vance since 1995. He practices in the areas of medical malpractice defense, insurance defense and commercial litigation. Richard has been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer annually since 2008. Only five percent of Georgia lawyers are selected each year. He represents hospitals, nurses, doctors, and businesses around the State.
Richard has tried numerous cases to verdict and published several articles concerning litigation issues. Richard has represented doctors, nurses and hospitals, including Tanner Health System, WellStar Health System, and Piedmont Healthcare. Richard works with several insurance carriers, including MAGMutual, The Doctor's Company, Hudson Insurance Companies, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Brit Global, and Cincinnati Insurance Company.
Richard Tisinger, Jr. leads Tisinger Vance's Professional Malpractice section. With more than 20 years of experience, Richard represents doctors, nurses and hospitals, including Tanner Health System and WellStar Health System. Richard works with several insurance carriers, including MAGMutual, The Doctor's Company, Hudson Insurance Companies, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and Cincinnati Insurance Company.
Richard graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law with honors. He clerked for the Honorable Harold L. Murphy, United District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. He is active in the Carroll County community. He is on the board of the Tanner Medical Foundation. He is the former Board Chairman for the Rapha Clinic, which provides healthcare for those in need in our community. He is an active member and former President of the Carrollton Lions Club. He also helps coach the Bremen High School Mock Trial Team. Richard and his wife Susan have three children. Richard enjoys reading, travel, gardening, and cheering on the Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs.
Stacey Leaming Blackmon joined the firm in 1991. Her practice areas include local government law, school law, business and finance, and commercial real estate. She has represented development authorities and government, institutional, and non-profit organizations in commercial real estate and bond financing transactions. She has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating documents for complex transactions, with the goal of solving problems to get the deal closed. She represents clients in acquisitions and mergers, business formations, buy-sell agreements, and general contract review and negotiation. She has represented developers in the assemblage, leasing, sale, and financing of shopping centers and industrial and office parks.
Ms. Blackmon is a native of Carrollton. She graduated with honors from West Georgia College with a B.A. in English. She attended Oklahoma City University School of Law and graduated first in her class. During law school, she served as the Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review and received the Outstanding Case Comment Award. She was the Magister (president) of the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity and was awarded the Outstanding Senior Student Award by the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Faculty Outstanding Academic Performance Award.
Steve represented a hospital system in the first hospital acquisition in Georgia required to follow the procedures described in the Hospital Acquisition Act. He has assisted healthcare providers with peer review matters, general regulatory compliance, the design of legal compliance programs, hospital mergers and joint ventures, physician recruiting and retention, Certificate of Need and Letter of Non-reviewability applications and opposition, tax, and other matters. Steve has spoken at a number of educational seminars, covering matters such as the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), malpractice liability and tort reform, and tax law.
J. Thomas ("Tommy") is a graduate of the University of Georgia, having received his BBA, with a major in accounting, in 1968. After graduation from undergraduate school, he attended and graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1971. Tommy began practicing law in 1971 and continues to practice with the law firm of Tisinger Vance, P.C. During the initial years of Tommy's practice of law, he specialized in the area of commercial transactions, commercial litigation, healthcare, municipal law, corporations, estate planning and probate law. During the latter portion of Tommy's career, he began practicing in the area of domestic relations. During the course of Tommy's career, he has tried numerous jury and bench trials in the areas of domestic relations, commercial litigation and probate law.
Zack Thompson has practiced at Tisinger Vance since 2016. He is licensed to practice law in Georgia and Alabama. His principal areas of practice include commercial litigation, insurance defense, professional malpractice, and cooperatives and utilities. Zack regularly represents clients in courts in both Georgia and Alabama.
Zack joined Tisinger Vance after graduating from the Georgia State University College of Law, cum laude, in 2016. In law school, Zack was an Associate Legislation Editor of the Georgia State University Law Review, was an extern in the Georgia Supreme Court with the Honorable Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines, and graduated with highest pro bono distinction.