Johnson, Spence

Spence Johnson is a trial attorney with broad-based litigation experience at all levels of the state and federal trial and appellate courts. Spence has been recognized for his ability to settle disputes both inside of the courtroom and out. Spence has been selected by Super Lawyer's magazine as a Georgia Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2009 and 2011. This honor recognizes lawyers under 40 years of age and is awarded to no more than 2.5% of the lawyers in Georgia in that age group. In 2010, Spence received a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of "AV® Preeminent™" from his fellow attorneys and judges. This rating was Spence's first from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell service and is the highest that an attorney can receive. The rating denotes "Preeminent" legal abilities and very high ethical standards.

Since the first day of his practice, Spence has represented individuals who suffer physical, mental, and economic harm due to the wrongful acts of others. In addition to his focus on automobile and trucking collisions, he has obtained favorable five, six and seven figure results for clients in cases of hazardous premises conditions, defective products, invasions of privacy, defamation, and a wide range of other wrongs.

Spence also employs his business background in representing companies and individuals in a wide range of commercial disputes and litigation. He has substantial experience in matters of commercial loan disputes, breach of contract, non-competition agreements, landlord-tenant disputes, franchisee-franchisor relations, government purchasing disputes, Uniform Commercial Code disputes, debt collections, employee relations, and a other business matters. Spence has extensive experience representing real estate developers in efforts to resolve commercial loan disputes through litigation, arbitration, and voluntary resolution processes such as mediation. As of December 2010, Spence represented developers in such disputes with an aggregate indebtedness of approximately $30 million.

Spence is also an experienced probate and estate litigator, including the representation of clients in will contests, years support issues, accounting, inventory, annual returns, intestate proceedings, and all other aspects of the estate administration process.

Spence also has substantial experience in the field of employment law. He has litigated on behalf of clients in matters arising under Title VII, the False Claims Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Georgia law. As part of his employment law practice, Spence frequently counsels clients on separation of employment issues and severance packages.

After receiving a B.B.A., with honors, from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia in 1998, Spence went on to earn a J.D. and M.B.A. in 2002 from the Georgia State University College of Law and J. Mack Robinson College of Business. He has experience starting and running a small business, including real estate ventures in the Athens, Georgia area. From 2007 through 2010, he sat on the Board of Managers of the Terrapin Beer Company, a regional microbrewery headquartered in Athens. During Spence's tenure on that board, Terrapin opened a 48,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Athens, expanded its geographic footprint beyond the southeast, and increased sales at an industry-leading rate.

While at Georgia State University, Spence served as an intern at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Atlanta Divisional Office and as a research assistant to noted tax professor Ronald Blasi. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, and the State Bar of Georgia.

In 2011, Spence will serve as the President of the Chattahoochee American Inn of Court. He also serves as the District 9 Vice President for the Georgia Trial Lawyer's Association. He sits on the Board of Trustees for the Athens Twilight Foundation, Inc. and the board of directors for the alumni corporation of the Delta Beta chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity and sat on the first Board of Trustees of the Oak Grove Assembly Homeowner's Association, Inc. He lives in Athens, Georgia with his wife, Cress and his daughters, Read and Wells. He attends the First United Methodist Church in Athens, where he serves as an usher. He has been an amateur newspaper columnist on a wide range of issues. Spence is also a lover of the outdoors and enjoys cycling, backpacking, jogging, and paddling.

Spence joined Orr Brown Johnson LLP as an associate in 2002 and was named partner in 2007.

Sample of reported decisions:

• Lipscomb v. Young, 284 Ga. 835, 672 S.E.2d 649 (2009) (grant of summary judgment in favor of client affirmed on appeal in a will contest alleging undue influence and lack of capacity)
• Johnson v. Allen, 272 Ga.App. 861, 861, 613 S.E.2d 657, 659 (2005)
• (denial of summary judgment against clients in case of invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress affirmed on appeal)
• Anderson v. Westmoreland, 286 Ga. App. 561, 649 S.E.2d 820, 821 (2007) (obtained reversal of erroneous award of year's support in estate matter).
• Benefit Support, Inc. v. Hall County, 281 Ga.App. 825, 825, 637 S.E.2d 763, 766 (2006) (government bidding dispute)