Adam Hames | Atlanta Criminal Defense Lawyer

Mr. Hames has been recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer in appellate practice.  A central skill to being a good appellate attorney is the ability to spot legal issues and the facts that support or undercut an argument.  Mr. Hames enjoys appellate litigation because it plays into his strengths as a lawyer.  He is a persuasive writer and thrives on the novel and complex legal issues. His ability to recognize his audience allows Mr. Hames to tailor the argument. Writing a brief to an appellate court is a fundamentally different exercise than making an argument to a jury. After years of writing briefs to the appellate courts, he knows what arguments work there and what arguments are better left to a jury.

His ability to spot the important issues has come from years of trying cases and litigating appeals.  He knows what is important to judges and what is important to a jury.  That gives his clients the best chance of success.

Mr. Hames is always aware of what his client’s goals are in their case. He will give honest, objective, and candid legal advice.  One of his favorites sayings is that “I will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.”  Mr. Hames will zealously advocate for his clients in a manner consistent with their wishes and the law.

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Owner	The Hames Law Firm LLC	Atlanta, GA	Present

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
Tulane University School of Law	J.D.	Law School	1998
Universita di Sienna	Summer Law Program	American Constitutional History	1997
American University	Bachelors	Literature	1991

State / Court	Date
Georgia	1998

• American Bar Association | Member | 2008 - Present
  Lamar Inn of Court | Barrister | 2008 - Present
  Federal Bar Association (Atlanta Chapter) | Member | 2007 - Present
  Atlanta Legal Aid Society | Advisory Committee | 2007 - Present
  Eleventh Circuit Appellate Practice Institute | Organizing Committee | 2005 - Present
  Lawyers Club of Atlanta | Co-chair of the Membership Committee | 2005 - Present
  State Bar of Georgia | Member | 1998 - Present

• Client's Choice | Avvo
  AV Preeminent | Martindale-Hubbell | 2020
  Top Rated Appellate Attorney in Atlanta, GA | Super Lawyers | 2012 - 2018
  Gary Lawton Fretwell- Outstanding Leadership | Tulane University | 1998

• Trial
  State of Georgia v. J.J | Newton County, client acquitted of stalking charge. United States v. SK | U.S. District Court Gainesville, GA, client acquitted of all charges by the judge because Mr. Hames argued there was not sufficient evidence as a matter of law. Lamar Willis v. Georgia Secretary of State | Fulton County successfully defended former city councilman Lamar Willis of claims of fraud, misappropriation, and self-dealing by the Georgia Secretary of State. After a bench trial, the judge found only that Councilman Willis had failed to properly register his charity and that there was no evidence of wrongdoing by him or the charity. United States v. DT | U.S. District Court Atlanta GA, client acquitted of all substantive counts of mortgage and bank fraud and several counts of money laundering. Even though the client was convicted of a conspiracy count his sentence was five years less than the Government’s best offer prior to trial.

• Pre-Trial and Investigation
  In the matter of CW | The Client avoided computer hacking and trespass charges in favor of an administrative settlement. In the matter of SP | The US Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute Mr. Hames’ client with criminal charges in the face of allegations of theft of trade secrets, computer trespass, and corporate espionage. In the matter of WS | After a thorough investigation of the facts and a presentation to the District Attorney’s Office, the client avoided potential charges of rape and kidnapping. In the matter of XX | The Client involved in a nasty divorce was alleged to have committed child molestation. After investigating the facts and making a presentation to the District Attorney’s Office the other spouse was charged with making a false report.

• Appellate
  Cosmo v. State, 320 Ga.App. 397, 739 S.E.2d 828 (2013). | Successfully overturned a conviction for a violation of the "Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act." Although a portion of the opinion was later overturned, this case caused the Georgia General Assembly to rewrite O.C.G.A. §16-12-100.2. Rutter v. Rutter, 294 Ga. 1, 749 S.E.2d 657 (2013) | Mr. Hames successfully argued on certiorari that the Georgia Court of Appeals was incorrect on their interpretation and application of OCGA § 16–11–62(2) involving videotaping surveillance. Lejeune v. McLaughlin, 299 Ga. 546, 789 S.E.2d 191 (2016) | Mr. Hames successfully overturned the habeas court’s ruling and the Georgia Supreme Court agreed that the murder conviction could not stand. Mr. Hames fought for seven years to have this result. Tesler v. State, 295 Ga. App. 569, 672 S.E.2d 522(2009) | State conviction for making a false statement set aside in the infamous Kathryn Johnston shooting case. Whipkey v. State, A19A2388, (GA. App. Feb. 2, 2020) | Reversed a trial court’s denial of the right to amend the motion for a new trial. State v. Thackston, 289 Ga. 412, 716 S.E.2d 517 (2011) | The Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers asked me to file an amicus brief on the issue of whether the exclusionary rule applies in probation revocation proceedings.

• Professionalism on Appeal as Reflected in the Rules of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Written Materials forECAPI, October 2008.
  
  Raising Claims of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel on Appeal in Georgia, The Appellate Review, Vol. 4, Number 1 (November 2004).
  
  Review of the Georgia Supreme Court’s Appellate Practice Decisions for 2002 through 2003Article for ICLE’s Georgia Appellate Practice Seminar 2003.

Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.
	8:00 am - 6:00 pm	8:00 am - 6:00 pm	8:00 am - 6:00 pm	8:00 am - 6:00 pm	8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Adam M. Hames has been a Premium Member since July 16, 2020.
Lawyers with longer memberships tend to have more experience so we use the Membership date to help prioritize lawyer listings on search pages.

Verified Credentials	Date Verified
(1998) Licensed as Attorney in Georgia License. Verified with State Bar of Georgia.	July 17, 2020

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• Adam Hames
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