Pierce, Matthew J.

James T. Fordham was born in Griffin, Georgia, on March 13, 1942.  Following graduation from Griffin High School in 1960, he attended Furman University and the University of Georgia where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964, and the University of Georgia School of Law where he received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1969.  While at Georgia, he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity and the Phi Kappa Phi Legal Fraternity.  Following his graduation from the University of Georgia, he was with the United States Marine Corps.

Jim joined the firm in 1969 and  has engaged in the General Practice of Law in the  North Georgia area with emphasis on Workers' Compensation, personal injury, commercial litigation, corporate, personnel law, Wills and Estate planning. Throughout his career he has secured many six and seven figure verdicts and settlements for his clients who have been injured by the negligence of others. He also engages in insurer and self-insured defense work, is past counsel for The Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority, and is present counsel for the Whitfield County Merit Board. Jim's general practice of law includes representative clients such as Brown Industries, Inc., Governmental agencies, Carpet Crafts, Inc., Dalton, Georgia Wholesale Floor Covering, Inc., Georgia Carpet Industries, Home Mart Builders, Inc., Textile Industrial Welding, Inc., Healthier Choice Flooring, LLC, Shel-Marc Carpets, Inc., Fortune Contract, Inc. and other carpet companies and related support companies.

He is a member of the Conasauga Bar Association and The State Bar of Georgia. He is licenced to practice in all Courts of the State of Georgia, the Federal District Courts of Georgia, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and The United States Supreme Court.

Jim has chaired various charitable fund raising drives including the Cancer Drive, the Heart Fund Drive, Joint Tech Georgia Development Fund Drive, various sections of United Way campaigns and has held membership roles in various committees of the Workers' Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce.