PETERS - Key Persons
Douglas N. Peters has been recognized each year as a Super Lawyer in Georgia for the past 15 years, and has been named "Georgia Lawyer of the Year" for Criminal Defense for 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2022 by The Best Lawyers in America.
Doug graduated from the University of Georgia (B.A.) in 1971 and the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D.) in 1974. After law school, he served as Assistant District Attorney in the Clayton Judicial Circuit and Judge of the Municipal Court for the City of Lithonia before founding what is now Peters, Rubin, Sheffield & Hodges, P.A. Doug is a past President of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and past Chairman of the Association's Research Services Committee. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American College of Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers TOP 100 Trial Lawyers, and has attained the highest rating of AV by Martindale Hubble.
Originally from Rome, Georgia, Erin received her Bachelor's Degree in History and Secondary Education from Berry College, where she graduated with honors in 2012. Erin has always had a passion for helping others in her community who were less fortunate than herself and those who found themselves in troubling situations. After graduation, Erin chose to work as a teacher with "at-risk" high school students in a rural Georgia town, where she witnessed firsthand how unjust the criminal justice system could be. Erin was determined to be the voice for those without a voice, those falsely accused, and to hold the Government accountable by protecting the United States Constitution. This motivated Erin to pursue her law degree at Atlanta's John Marshall School of Law and focus on criminal justice. She graduated from John Marshall with honors in 2016.
During law school, Erin interned with the Metro Conflict Defender's Office in Fulton County, handling complex felony cases in the Metro Atlanta area. She also was the student director of the Street Law Program at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School. This program brought criminal law into the classrooms of Booker T. Washington High School, educating and encouraging high school students to compete in mock trial competitions performed at the Richard B. Russell Federal Courthouse downtown.
Since joining Peters, Rubin, Sheffield & Hodges, P.A., Erin has continued to develop her passion for those falsely accused and those who need help in overcoming their mistakes. She has assisted clients in complex trials and appeals dealing with allegations of sexual assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, felony drugs, DUI's, and various traffic offenses in Georgia. Erin also does post-conviction work, helping incarcerated clients get adequate representation, as well as mental health and medical treatment.
In September 2019, Erin graduated from the Bill Daniel Trial Advocacy Program, an intensive four-day workshop offered by the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ("GACDL"). Erin is an active sustaining member of GACDL and is on the Education Committee. She continues to mentor high school, undergraduate, and law school students and volunteers at Atlanta's John Marshall often.
Erin takes an aggressive, proactive approach to her cases, fighting for her clients' rights and presumption of innocence while maintaining the respect and integrity due to the criminal justice system as an Officer of the Court. Her eagerness to learn and succeed, her organization, and her zealous advocacy not only makes Erin more informed and prepared than her opponents but also helps her bring about fair and just results for her clients.
Practice Areas
Criminal Jury Trials
If you're facing allegations of Child Abuse, Cruelty to Children, Shaken Baby Syndrome, Abusive Head Trauma, Unexplained Fractures, Child Sexual Abuse, Child Molestation, Sex Crimes, or other serious offenses in Georgia, contact criminal defense attorney, Foss Hodges, immediately.
If you think you're under investigation or have been accused of Child Abuse, Cruelty to Children, Shaken Baby Syndrome, Abusive Head Trauma, Unexplained Fractures, Child Sexual Abuse, Child Molestation, Sex Crimes, or other serious offenses, don't "wait and see what happens." Things usually don't get better on their own; and the consequences of arrest and conviction for these offenses are staggering. Getting an experienced criminal defense lawyer involved in your case as early as possible (before talking to police, before arrest, before you are brought to court on formal charges) is the best way to protect yourself, fight back, and try to avoid the serious problems you may be facing.
As a criminal trial and appellate attorney, Jason feels a great responsibility to each client accused of or found guilty of committing a crime. He is known for his dedication and for his unwavering advocacy for each client and has investigated, prepared, and defended cases in state and federal courtrooms across the country, including in Georgia, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Jason has argued appellate cases in the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court, and the 3rd and 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Jason is a graduate of Georgia State University College of Law and The National Criminal Defense College. His honors include being invited to serve as a member of the Law Review at Georgia State University College of Law, where he authored, edited and published legal writings, and being named by Georgia Superlawyers as a Rising Star in 2013-2015 and now a Super Lawyer for 2018-2020.
Jason recently served as the President of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a non-profit organization that facilitates and promotes all legal education and resources for its 1600 criminal defense attorneys statewide. Jason is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and recently had two articles published in their nationally circulated Champion Magazine, the most recent being entitled "Winning Despite DNA: The Truth You Must Reveal." He is often invited to speak at and serve as a panel participant at seminars. Jason also lectures for the Institute of Continued Legal Education and teaches trial skills and techniques to trial lawyers at the nationally acclaimed Bill Daniel Trial Advocacy Program hosted yearly by GACDL at the University of Georgia. In 2015, Jason was invited to teach jury trial techniques internationally through The United States States Department in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia to fellow criminal defense attorneys there once their constitution had been amended to allow its citizens jury trials. In 2012, Jason joined Emory University's School of Law as an adjunct professor where he teaches students about the use of experts in criminal and civil trials.
Prior to his admission to the Georgia Bar, Jason earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in Biology / Pre-Medicine, focusing on Biology, Chemistry, and Bio-Chemistry. Jason also worked in emergency medicine for five years at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish-Rite, as an Emergency Medical Technician, where he gained extensive knowledge in emergency medicine and protocol, an experience that has enhanced his analytical and defense abilities in death and assault cases.
Robert G. (Bob) Rubin graduated from Emory University in 1982 and from Emory University School of Law in 1986. For more than 30 years, Bob has defended people accused of crimes in State and Federal Court and both prosecuted and defended licensed professionals before the State Licensing Boards.
Bob began his career as a Fulton County Public Defender before moving to the Georgia Attorney General's Office where he represented the State Licensing Boards and prosecuted licensed professionals accused of unprofessional conduct. In 1991 Bob entered private practice emphasizing criminal defense while also working as a Special Assistant Attorney General prosecuting cases before the State Medical Board.
Bob has represented defendants in a wide variety of criminal cases, including high-profile clients in the "Dunwoody Daycare Murder" case, and the RICO prosecution of a principal in the Atlanta Public Schools ("APS") cheating scandal. The APS case resulted in a 7-month trial-the longest criminal trial in Georgia history.
Bob shares his experience with the legal community as a longtime adjunct professor of Advanced Criminal Trial Advocacy and Examination of Expert Witnesses at Emory University School of Law, a position he has held since 1993. He is also on faculty at the Bill Daniel Trial Advocacy Program and a frequent lecturer at seminars both nationally and throughout the State of Georgia. Currently, Bob is leading a team of seven other lawyers working with the U.S. State Department in the Republic of Georgia to help teach trial lawyers in the Republic of Georgia how to try cases before a jury.