Legal Services & Lawyers

I enjoy practicing law at The Goolsby Law Firm, LLC with my oldest son in Augusta and Martinez, Georgia. We deal with divorce cases, personal injury, criminal defense and other litigation on a daily basis. As a former federal prosecutor in Augusta, Georgia for over 20 years, I have tried some of the largest fraud and public corruption cases in Georgia and U.S. history.

I am a full-time mediator with a backround in general and commercial litigation, as well as administrative law. I genuinely believe that litigation is a form of war, and as W.T. Sherman said, "War is hell." All litigators know that litigation is expensive, brutal, and almost always a waste of the parties time and energies. I help litigators help their clients find their way out -- if there is a way to settle a case or controversy without litigating, with my help the parties will find it.

Since becoming a full-time mediator in 2008, I have mediated more than one hundred (100) cases and have a sucess rate of roughly seventy-five percent (75%) to date.

My practice focuses on the following areas: commerical and business; debtor/creditor; employment law; personal injuries; landlord/tenant and real estate disputes; elder care; inheritance; education; and domestic cases.

*Please note that I am a registered neutral in Georgia, not a member of the Georgia Bar.*

Mr. Gilliard is experienced in representing clients in the areas of criminal law, personal injury and family law.

Mr. Gilliard is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law where he was named the 1992 University of Georgia Mock Trial Champion. He is also a graduate of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. He served as Vice President of Phi Kappa Theta and was a member of Phi Delta Phi.

Mr. Gilliard is licensed to practice in the Supreme Court of Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals, United States District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Georgia, and all Superior and State Courts throughout the State of Georgia.

Mr. Gilliard is the regional Vice President of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has served on the State Bar Young Lawyers Division Ethics and Criminal Law Committees. He served as Treasurer of the Augusta Criminal Defense Lawyers and Treasurer of the Young Lawyers of Augusta. He is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Gilliard has completed the Trial Practice Institute of the National Criminal Defense College. He has served as a guest seminar lecturer on various topics in criminal and civil law.
Mr. Gilliard is a member of the Columbia County Rotary Club.

Mr. Garrett is experienced in representing clients in the areas of general criminal and white collar defense in both state and federal courts.

Mr. Garrett founded the law practice which became Garrett, Gilliard & Saul in the early 1970s. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law where he served as Articles Editor while a member of the University of Georgia Law Review. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated with Honors in Psychology

Mr. Garrett is licensed to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals, United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and all Superior and State Courts throughout the State of Georgia.

He is a former President of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense lawyers and also has served two terms as the Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Georgia State Bar. He is also a frequent lecturer on topics in criminal law to various legal organizations, seminars and judiciary conferences.

Mr. Garrett is one of eleven Georgia lawyers who are listed annually in “The Best Lawyers in America” for his work as a criminal lawyer. He is AV rated (the highest rating possible) by Martindale-Hubbell. He is widely recognized as an expert in the area of death penalty cases. In 1993 the results of a confidential survey of local bar members and judges determined that Mr. Garrett is considered the top-rated criminal defense attorney in the Augusta, Georgia area.