Ray S. Smith, III

Mr. Smith is a commercial, real estate, and probate litigation attorney with a national practice in areas including real estate law, land use matters, commercial law, probate law, business and employment litigation, election law, and creditor bankruptcy. Mr. Smith represents a variety of clients, including publicly and privately-held business entities, commercial real estate developers and builders, multi-million dollar estates, as well as private individuals.

Mr. Smith has served as special assistant to the attorney general of the State of Georgia. He was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to the Governor’s Committee for Sandy Springs, where he served as a commissioner and vice-chair. He was also appointed by the Governor to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, where he is currently serving his second four year term on its Governing Board, and chairs the Development Committee. Also, Governor Perdue has appointed Mr. Smith to the Judicial Nominating Commission. Mr. Smith previously served on the Fulton County Board of Elections and Registration. He is also the President of the Atlanta Chapter of the University of North Carolina Educational Foundation, and in the past served 2 1/2 terms as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Atlanta Academy. Also, Mr. Smith served on the Board of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to joining Joyce, Thrasher, Kaiser & Liss, LLC, Mr. Smith was a partner in an Atlanta based boutique firm specializing in real estate and civil litigation. Mr. Smith has an AV Rating with Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register, which is the highest attainable rating as to skill level and integrity. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science and speech communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from Mercer University School of Law. He is a member of the Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Cobb County Bar Associations, the State Bar of Georgia, the State Bar of South Carolina, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Council for Quality Growth, and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. He has litigated in 17 states and is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Georgia and South Carolina, the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS

• Obtained a multi-million dollar judgment for a national bank against a development company. (2009)
• Obtained a million dollar plus settlement in a construction litigation case (2008)
• Obtained the largest jury verdict ever, at the time, in a commercial litigation case, in the State Court of Baldwin County, Georgia. (2006)
• Obtained a six-figure Arbitration verdict against a large Insurance Company;
• Obtained a six-figure verdict in an International Commercial Arbitration Case involving fraud (2004)
• Obtained a six-figure verdict against the U.S Department of Homeland Security/FEMA in an employment discrimination case, in Orlando, Florida; (2008)
• Obtained rezoning and variances for a developer of a multi-family project on Roswell road in Sandy Springs (2007)
• Obtained rezoning and variance for a developer of a high end residential subdivision in Sandy Springs (2007)
• Appointed the attorney for the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee, in a multi-million dollar pyramid scheme, which resulted in the recovery of millions of dollars for the benefit of the Bankruptcy Estate and Creditors. (2003)
• Responsible for the commercial eviction of a large Drug Ring from a large shopping center, on behalf of the client and the U.S. Justice Department
• Appointed Special Master in condemnation cases;
• Teaches numerous continuing Legal Education Courses on numerous real estate topics;
• Litigated cases either through direct admission or on a pro hac basis in 17 different states.
• Reported Appellate decisions:
1. Fagbemi, et al. v. JDN Realty Corporation, 275 Ga. App. 540; 621 S.E.2d 765(2005);
2. Douglas v. Knox, 232 Ga. App. 551; 502 S.E.2d 490 (1998)
3. Goshayeshi v. Mehrabian, 232 Ga. App. 81, 501 S.E.2d 265 (1998)
4. Tauber, et al. v. Community Centers Two, LLC, 235 Ga. App 705 (1998)
5. West 80 Investors, et al. v. Chequers Investment Associates, 214 Ga. App. 673 (1994)
• A number of other trial court victories were affirmed without opinion, by the Appellate Courts of Georgia, including:
• Buckhead Beverage, Inc., et al v. Community Centers II, LLC, et al;
(2002)
City of College Park v. Bloom, et al (1989); and
City of Alpharetta, et al. v. Ruby Tuesday 1996)