Hall Booth Smith, PC (HBS) is pleased to announce expansion of the HBS Columbus office with the addition of 10 attorneys from the law firm of Hatcher Stubbs, Columbus, GA. This expansion will result in the total of 16 attorneys in the HBS Columbus office and over 150 attorneys firmwide in 11 offices.

"The addition of this talented group of attorneys and staff adds to the HBS mission of giving excellent service to our clients," said John Hall, Chairman of HBS. "These additions in Columbus further solidify the firm as the only state wide firm available to meet client needs."   

Hatcher Stubbs is among Georgia’s oldest and most respected law firms, tracing its roots back to 1872. HBS' new office will be the Corporate Center,  233 12th Street, Suite 500, Columbus, GA  31901. The Corporate Center is a nine-story building located in the heart of Uptown Columbus. 

• Bradley R. Coppedge,  Partner
• Gregory S. Ellington, Partner
• William B. Hardegree, Of Counsel
• Robert C. Martin, Jr., Partner
• Tyler Pritchard, Associate
• Carl A. Rhodes, Jr., Associate
• John M. Sheftall, Partner
• Melanie V. Slaton, Partner
• Charles T. Staples, Of Counsel
• Elizabeth Wise, Associate 

Brad Coppedge joins HBS as a Partner. Mr. Coppedge  has devoted his practice to business, tax and personal planning, particularly in the areas of entity selection/formation, estate planning and probate, and tax controversies.  Mr. Coppedge provides estate and tax planning advice for individuals, including the preparation of wills, trusts, family partnerships and other  planning techniques.  On the corporate and business side, Mr. Coppedge works with clients in the creation and operation of businesses, to include the best choice of entity, its creation, and its operation thereafter.  Mr. Coppedge’s practice is also committed to helping clients with NFA  Gun Trusts. He has been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers, Rising Stars each year from 2005 to 2011, and is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Greg Ellington joins HBS as a Partner. Mr. Ellington concentrates his practice in the areas of medical malpractice defense, education law, business litigation, and consumer class action litigation in State and Federal Courts.  Mr. Ellington’s civil litigation experience includes bench trials, jury trials, and appellate court practice. He was selected by peers and colleagues for inclusion in the Georgia Super Lawyers, Rising Stars from 2007 to 2009.  He is a Past President of the Columbus Bar Association.

Bill Hardegree joins HBS as of Counsel. For forty years, Mr. Hardegree has practiced exclusively in the area of civil litigation. He has litigated more than 200 jury trials and handled over 100 appeals as lead counsel. Mr. Hardegree’s litigation and appellate practice is concentrated in the areas of commercial and business, insurance and personal injury, and employment. In 2010 he was recognized in Best Lawyers in America in Commercial and Personal Injury.  He also serves as a mediator in all of those practice areas as a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.

Tyler Pritchard joins HBS as an Associate. Mr. Pritchard's areas of practice include general liability, governmental liability, and employment. He earned his J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law and his undergraduate degree in History from the University of Alabama. During law school, Mr. Pritchard was a member of the Student Bar Association, and a member of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.

Cal Martin joins HBS as a Partner. Mr. Martin has practiced in the area of civil litigation for over thirty-five years. He is one of 150 Georgia members of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and one of only five Columbus members. Mr. Martin’s practice is wide ranging involving medical malpractice, products liability and commercial litigation in State and Federal Courts.  He also serves as a certified arbitrator. Mr. Martin serves on the boards of various charitable organizations, such as the United Way, as well as the local independent school Brookstone School.

Carl Rhodes joins HBS as an Associate. Mr. Rhodes specializes in business & taxation, estate planning & administration and real estate areas.  A native of Columbus, Georgia, he was educated in its public schools. Mr. Rhodes obtained his B.B.A in Finance, summa cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 2008 and his Juris Doctor, cum laude from the University Georgia School of Law in 2011. 

John Sheftall joins HBS as a Partner. Mr. Sheftall has focused his thirty years of practice in both Atlanta and Columbus in the area of trusts and estates and fiduciary law, including estate planning, estate administration, and fiduciary litigation.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, serves as a Director of SunTrust Bank in Columbus, and is a former Trustee of the St. Francis Hospital Foundation.  He has served on a number of local and regional non-profit boards, currently including Historic Columbus Foundation, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Georgia Legal History Foundation.   Mr. Sheftall has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for 20 years  and has also been named as a Super Lawyer in Georgia for the past 10 years.  

Melanie Slaton joins HBS as a Partner. For over twenty-five years Ms. Slaton has practiced in general civil litigation with an emphasis on labor and employment law, including employment discrimination and employment harassment. Her litigation experience includes complex class actions in both state and federal court. She has extensive experience defending employers in individual and class action wage and hour, discrimination and harassment claims, as well as in arbitrations and mediations. Ms. Slaton was recognized in 2008, 2013 and 2014 by Georgia Trend Magazine as a Legal Elite in Labor and Employment law. 

Charles Staples joins HBS as Of Counsel. Mr. Staples areas of practice include corporate and business organizations and related areas, entity selection/formation, estate planning and probate. He provides estate and tax planning advice for individuals, including the preparation of wills, trusts, family partnerships and various charitable planning techniques. Mr. Staples was recognized in  2008 through 2016 as The Best Lawyers in America. 

Elizabeth Wise joins HBS as an Associate. Ms. Wise born and raised in Columbus, graduated from the University of Georgia, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in 2011 and from Vanderbilt Law School in 2014. While in law school, Elizabeth developed a strong interest in employment litigation.  She sought opportunities to grow in the employment law practice area, interning with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and serving as the vice president of the Vanderbilt Labor and Employment Law Society.