Gerald M. Edenfield
Gerald M. Edenfield, managing partner for the firm, is an experienced litigation attorney. Mr. Edenfield was born and raised in Bulloch County. Lessons on the value of hard work and the privilege of helping others were instilled in him from an early age as he was growing up on a tobacco farm in rural Stilson, Georgia. He has translated these early lessons into a successful, thriving law practice which has spanned nearly 40 years. After graduating from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 1970, Gerald practiced law in Atlanta for nine years. While in Atlanta, he had the distinction of learning to practice law in the trenches with real trial lawyers. Before returning to practice law in Statesboro in 1979 with the law firm of Allen, Brown & Edenfield, he was a partner in the firms of Heyman & Sizemore and then Edenfield & Dailey.
In 1988, along with Susan Cox, Gerald formed the present law firm, Edenfield, Cox, Bruce & Edenfield. While he has enjoyed great success on the plaintiff’s side of cases, Gerald has also handled numerous cases for the defense, ranging from personal injury defense to business litigation defense. He has appeared in courtrooms around the state and country on cases ranging from complex business litigation, catastrophic personal injury, and education law issues. He regularly argues cases before the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court on issues ranging from insurance law to estate law. Despite his success in the courtroom, Gerald has also been very successful in negotiating settlements in excess of several million dollars. Additionally, he also serves as counsel for numerous businesses and public school boards.
Gerald is very dedicated to serving as a litigation attorney. He has served as president of The State Bar of Georgia, the unified professional association that governs the practice of law throughout the state. The State Bar’s membership includes more than 39,000 lawyers and judges. As president in 2007-2008, Gerald dedicated his term to increasing the public’s awareness of the judicial system, the importance of the roles that judges and attorneys fill in upholding justice, and seeking judicial pay raises for the state and federal judiciary. Prior to serving as president, Gerald served as the State Bar secretary (two terms), Chairman of the Legislative Advisory Committee, member of the Executive Committee, and as a member of the Board of Governors for nearly 20 years. Additionally, Gerald is a member of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the American Bar Association, and a “Super Lawyer” in Atlanta Magazine in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Statesboro is Gerald’s home, and he has served Statesboro/Bulloch County as president of the Statesboro Rotary Club, president of the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce, and as a director of the Statesboro chapter of the American Lung Association. He is a director of Farmers & Merchants Bank and has taught courses at Dekalb College and Georgia Southern University and for the State Bar.
Gerald and his wife, Sharon, have been married since 1968 and they have two daughters, Sharri and Kristie, both of whom are lawyers. They also have a son, Gerry, who is a senior at the University of Georgia.
PRACTICE AREAS
- Business Litigation
- Corporate Law, Finance and Banking
- Education Law
- Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice
- Real Estate
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- State Bar of Georgia, (President, Secretary and Board of Governors)
- State Bar Advisory Committee on Legislation, Chair
- State Bar Long Range Planning Committee, Chair
- Reapportionment of the State Bar of Georgia, Co-Chair
- American Bar Association, Fellow
- Atlanta Bar Association
- Ogeechee Bar Association
- Atlanta Lawyers Club
- American Judicature Society
- American Trial Lawyers Association
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
- Georgia School Boards Association
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Statesboro Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce, President
- Chairman of the Board of Statesboro Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce, Director
- Bulloch 2000 Executive Committee
- Chamber of Commerce Committee, Chairman to Establish a New Post Office in Statesboro, Georgia
- Statesboro Rotary Club, President
- Statesboro Rotary Club, Board of Directors
- Paul Harris Fellow
- Will Watt Fellow
- Downtown Statesboro Rotary Club, Co-Founder
- Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Award, Co-Founder
- Leadership Georgia 1990
- United Way
- American Cancer Society
- American Lung Association, Board of Directors
- A Day for Southern
- Hospice Steering Committee
- Bulloch County Heart Association
REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS
- Bryan County Board of Education
- Farmers and Merchants Bank
- Rozier Ford Lincoln Mercury, Inc.
- Bulloch County Board of Education
- Candler County Board of Education
- Blount, Burke, Wimberly and Hendrix, Insurers
- Sorin, Inc.
- Forest City Gun Club
- Lee, Hill & Johnston Insurers
- Bryan Fishermen’s Cooperative
- Bulloch Gin
AWARDS
- Named a “Super Lawyer” in Litigation by Atlanta Magazine, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Founders Award for Deen Day Smith, Outstanding Service to the Community
- Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Award, 1995
- Georgia Business Person of the Year, 1995, Selected by Georgia Future Business Leaders of America
- Ranked Among Top Ten National Business Leaders, 1995, National Future Business Leaders of America
Phone: 912-764-8600
Fax: 912-764-8862
EDUCATION
- Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, J.D., 1970
- University of Georgia, A.B. Political Science and Philosophy, 1967
BAR ADMISSIONS
- All Georgia Courts
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- Georgia Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, 1970
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1970
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1970
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 1980
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1980
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1980
