EDITORIAL: City attorney: An excellent pick
September 20, 2012
SAVANNAH CITY Council changes attorneys only slightly less often than it refurbishes the gold dome atop City Hall.
But in just 30 days, a rare changing of the legal guard will take place: Longtime City Attorney James B. Blackburn will step down, and W. Brooks Stillwell will step up.
On Thursday, the mayor and City Council unanimously named Mr. Stillwell city attorney, one of just three positions that elected officials are allowed to fill under Savannah’s council-manager form of government (the other two posts are city manager and clerk of council).
He’s an excellent hire.
28 HunterMaclean Attorneys Among ‘Best’
August 30, 2012
HunterMaclean, a business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick, has announced that 28 lawyers from the firm were selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2013.
“We’re delighted to have so many attorneys from our firm included in the 2013 Best Lawyers in America list,” said Frank S. Macgill, HunterMaclean’s managing partner. “This honor reflects the hard work of HunterMaclean’s attorneys on behalf of our clients.”
Mr. Hutchinson Island
July 23, 2012
by Tom Barton, Savannah Morning News
Some people are natural born optimists. They possess glowing dispositions that require onlookers to wear sunglasses. Then there’s John McCleskey. He’s the guy who hatched a crazy dream in the mid-1980s to turn Hutchinson Island from a vast urban wasteland into an asset that would put people to work, put money in their pockets and add to Savannah’s quality of life.
McCleskey, now 73, doesn’t just exude positive vibes. The guy could have taught positive thinking to John the Baptist, Norman Vincent Peale and Barney the Dinosaur. But what’s remarkable isn’t McCleskey’s ability to keep his chin up. Instead, it’s that he kept it up for almost 30 years in the case of Hutchinson — while getting the stuffing kicked out of him in the process. He survived the bankruptcy of an Australian company that almost sank the project. He endured a gauntlet of make-or-break political battles. He slogged through deluges that ruined half-finished buildings.
10 HunterMaclean Attorneys Honored as Georgia Super Lawyers
February 17, 2012
Ten HunterMaclean attorneys have been selected as 2012 Georgia Super Lawyers. Atlanta Magazine will honor the firm’s attorneys in the March 2012 issue.
The prestigious Georgia Super Lawyer honor is awarded annually to the top five percent of attorneys in the state, as chosen by their peers and through independent research.
HunterMaclean Partner W. Brooks Stillwell Named Secretary and Treasurer for Savannah Economic Development Authority
February 14, 2012
HunterMaclean partner W. Brooks Stillwell was recently named the secretary and treasurer for the Savannah Economic Development Authority, an organization dedicated to expanding the region’s existing economic base by growing, attracting and developing new business opportunities.
Stillwell was officially installed as an executive committee officer at the SEDA meeting on January 6, 2012. He has served on the SEDA board of directors since 2008.
Record Number of HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected for The Best Lawyers in America for 2012
November 8, 2011
HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick, is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, recently honored a record 23 HunterMaclean attorneys by including them on this prestigious list of leading lawyers.
“We are delighted to have a record number of attorneys from our firm featured on this year’s Best Lawyers in America list,” said Frank S. Macgill, HunterMaclean’s managing partner. “This honor reflects hard work on the part of the firm’s partners and associates.”
10 HunterMaclean Attorneys Honored as Georgia Super Lawyers for 2011
February 25, 2011
Atlanta Magazine recently recognized 10 HunterMaclean attorneys as Georgia Super Lawyers in its March 2011 issue.
The prestigious Georgia Super Lawyers honor is given annually to the top five percent of attorneys in the state, as chosen by their peers and through independent research by Law & Politics, a magazine which published the first list of Super Lawyers 20 years ago.
Record Number of HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected for The Best Lawyers in America for 2011
January 12, 2011
The Best Lawyers in America® for 2011, a confidential peer-review survey, recently honored a record 28 HunterMaclean attorneys by including them on this prestigious list of leading lawyers. Last year, 20 attorneys at HunterMaclean earned this top honor.
“We’re delighted to have a record number of attorneys from our firm featured on this year’s Best Lawyers in America list,” said Frank S. Macgill, HunterMaclean’s managing partner. “Our attorneys work hard for our clients and it shows.”
Bankruptcy vs. Workouts
January 12, 2011
By W. Brooks Stillwell, published on January 12, 2011, in Business in Savannah.
Many businesses and business owners are in financial trouble during the current “Great Recession.”
Real estate related companies such as developers, community banks, mortgage brokers, realtors and contractors are particularly at risk. The reasons are simple: the bubble has burst, the value of commercial real estate has declined by 30% or more, the borrowers are required to continue to pay interest, the banks are required by the regulators to “clean up” their books by dumping real estate loans and demanding higher interest and earlier pay-downs of principal, and the borrowers have run out of cash at a time when their incomes are severely depressed.
Atlanta Magazine recently named nine HunterMaclean attorneys as Georgia Super Lawyers in its March 2010 issue. The prestigious Georgia Super Lawyers honor is given annually to the top five percent of attorneys in the state, as chosen by their peers and through independent research by Law & Politics, a magazine which published the first list of Super Lawyers 19 years ago.
