Lester Tate is a trial lawyer and shareholder in, Akin and Tate, P.C., a Cartersville, GA law firm, and one of the oldest continuing law firms in the United States. The firm was founded in 1836 by the ancestors of Lester's partner, Morgan Akin. Lester is a veteran trial lawyer, having tried around 100 jury trials and countless other matters to the court sitting without a jury throughout the State of Georgia. Although he predominantly represents injured workers and plaintiffs in personal injury, product liability and medical malpractice cases, Lester has utilized his trial skills in a wide range of eases, including the following notable ones:
Lester successfully defended the nation's largest rural electric cooperative in an eight year long, six million dollar personal injury case, winning a defense verdict in U.S. District Court and preserving it on appeal to the Eleventh Circuit US. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
While representing a young woman who was wrongfully accused of shoplifting, Lester won a six figure punitive damage award against the nation's largest retailer in US. District Court.
Lester served as special counsel to the City of Adairsville where he prosecuted the city Police Chief in disciplinary hearings that resulted in the Chiefs termination. When the Chief later sued in U.S. District Court, Lester again represented the city and obtained a directed verdict in its favor.
In the criminal arena, Lester has successfully defended two murder cases and a host of other felony charges in both state and federal court. The wide range of cases in which he has won acquittals include federal drug conspiracy charges, telecommunications fraud, rape, aggravated assault and child molestation.
As a commercial litigator, Lester represented a nationally known, publicly traded corporation in a dispute with one of its suppliers. The supplier sued Lester's client for over a hundred thousand dollars and not only lost on that claim at trial, but also suffered a counter claim verdict. He has also been involved in and argued several trade secret and intellectual property cases.
These cases are in addition to the millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements which Lester has helped win over the years for those injured by the negligence of others. Not only does Lester have a busy trial practice, but he has argued more than a dozen times in Georgia's state and federal appellate courts. Three of those appearances have been before the Georgia Supreme Court, twice arguing against former Justices.
A leader at the bar, Lester has served as Chair of the State Bar's Trial Section and as a member of the State Bar's Board of Governors since 1996. In 2005, Lester's peers on the Board of Governors elected him to the Executive Committee of the Georgia Bar which, along with the Bar's officers, oversees the day to day operations of the State Bar. He is a Fellow of the Lawyer's Foundation of Georgia and a member of both the Georgia Trial Lawyer's Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
The Judges of the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia elected Lester to the Board of the Federal Defender Program where he served two terms, ultimately becoming President of the Board.
The Georgia Supreme Court appointed Lester to the State Disciplinary Board Investigative Panel where he served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman, He is also a member of the Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency.
Lester was born on September 13, 1961 in Cedartown, Ga. where his father worked in the Goodyear Mill for over 35 years. Lester graduated from Cedartown High School in 1979 where he was a six time letterman and a starting defensive back for the Cedartown Bulldogs, who were ranked as the state's number one football team, While in high school, Lester participated in the Future Business Leaders of America's Extemporaneous Speaking contest and placed first in the state of Georgia and fourth in the organization's national competition in New Orleans. He was the first person in his family to go to college and received his undergraduate degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982 and his Juris Doctorate from The University of South Carolina in 1987. While in law school, he was selected for the South Carolina Law Review. Following graduation from Georgia Tech, Lester spent almost three years working in Washington on Capitol Hill. He served on the staff of then U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and as Press Secretary to former U.S. Congressman George (Buddy) Darden.
Today, he is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education programs, particularly on Trial Practice issues and authored an article on cross examination, "Finding the Bottom of a Bottomless Pit," which was published in The Georgia Bar Journal.
A long time participant in Democratic politics, Lester is Chairman of the Bartow County Democratic Party and a member of the Democratic State Committee. He currently writes a weekly opinion column in the Cartersville Daily Tribune newspaper and has offered "on air" political and legal commentary for local television and radio stations.
Lester has also served his community in a variety of ways. He was Chairman of the Bartow United Way campaign and, throughout the years, he has devoted many, many hours to coaching baseball and soccer in Cartersville's youth sports programs. He has also coached the Woodland High School Mock Trial Program.
A devoted father, Lester has two children, Sam, a sophomore at Cartersville High School, and Grace, a seventh grader at Cartersville Middle School. The Tate's attend Heritage Baptist Church in Cartersville, where Lester has been both Sunday School Superintendent and a Deacon.
On the Job Injuries
Personal Injury
Product Liability
Workers' Compensation Injuries