Business of the Week: Ballard Law Wins Three Citizen’s Choice Awards

When Fayette County residents were asked whom they trusted to help navigate some of life’s biggest and most complicated decisions, one name kept coming up: Ballard Law.

David Ballard, managing partner of Ballard Law Office in downtown Fayetteville, won three categories in The Citizen’s Choice Awards, powered by the Fayette Chamber of Commerce. He won Who Do You Trust to Guide You Through Life’s Biggest Decisions?, Who Makes Complicated Processes Feel Simple and Manageable?, and Who Do You Call to Handle the Legal Details?

In fact, Ballard nearly swept The Citizen’s “Trusted Guidance” category. The only award he didn’t win was the one involving buying or selling a home — something his law practice doesn’t do.

For Ballard, the recognition carried particular weight because it came from the community where he grew up and where generations of his family have practiced law.

“I was so honored to even be nominated,” Ballard said. “To actually win it was to just — I can’t even find the words for it. It really just made my whole week.”

He said the award for guiding people through major life decisions may have meant the most.

“I think the best lawyers are those that provide good, solid guidance to people and help them resolve their problems and try to come up with solutions that are tailored to the problem and not just some sort of one-size-fits-all approach,” Ballard said.

Three generations on the square

Ballard Law Office has served Fayette County for three generations. David Ballard’s grandfather, Charles T. Ballard, established the firm in 1961 at the same downtown Fayetteville location it occupies today.

Charles Ballard built a broad general practice, handling criminal, domestic, civil, property, and condemnation cases. According to David Ballard, his grandfather also served as attorney for several local governments and organizations and helped establish the Fayette County Bar Association.

David’s father, Scott Ballard, followed Charles into the practice and spent about 20 years doing criminal defense work before leaving the firm. He later served as district attorney and is now a Superior Court judge in the Griffin Judicial Circuit.

David Ballard graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law and initially practiced bankruptcy law in Albany. He returned home and joined his grandfather at Ballard Law Office in 2014.

“I very much have stood on the shoulders of giants in that respect,” Ballard said.

Today, Ballard’s primary practice areas include criminal defense, juvenile defense, family law, and bankruptcy matters. He said those areas have formed the core of his practice since returning to Fayette County.

Finding the right solution

Ballard said one of his strengths is recognizing that the right strategy depends on the person and the problem in front of him.

“I tend to think versatility is a strength of mine and an ability to take the problem and see it as a puzzle that needs to be solved, as opposed to something that has a one-size solution to fix the issue,” he said.

Sometimes that means fighting aggressively in court. Other times, it may mean finding a way to resolve a dispute quickly, slowing a case down so a client has time to recover financially, or pairing a strong legal defense with evidence that a client is proactively addressing problems in his or her life.

Ballard recalled one recent criminal case involving a client facing the possibility of roughly 200 years in prison. The prosecution viewed the case as strong, he said, but the defense ultimately secured not-guilty verdicts on 10 counts, while another count was reduced to a misdemeanor. Because the defendant had already served substantial time in jail, he was released.

Ballard credited the result not just to himself, but to an associate who worked on the case, expert testimony, and careful examination of inconsistencies in the evidence.

“I’m not afraid of going into court and fighting if that’s what the client needs,” Ballard said.

Yet he said some of the most important work happens outside dramatic courtroom moments.

His goal, he said, is to keep asking how the firm can provide better service, communicate more clearly, resolve problems efficiently, and make sure clients understand what is happening in their cases.

That made the Citizen’s Choice results particularly meaningful.

“For those who voted for me, I just appreciate the trust and confidence,” Ballard said, “and I’ll try to prove worthy of it every day.”

Ballard Law Office is located in downtown Fayetteville. To make an appointment, call 770-461-4222 or visit BallardLaw.us.