Clark, Smith & Sizemore LLC

Bios

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  Chris Clark

  Chris represents severely injured individuals, or the families of persons killed through negligence. He has handled numerous cases against commercial trucking companies, nursing homes, product manufacturers, hospitals, insurance companies and other businesses. A large portion of his work is referred by other lawyers and law firms seeking assistance with substantial and complex personal injury matters. A former officer in the United States Army, Chris graduated summa cum laude from The Citadel where he was the beneficiary of two scholarships: a full ROTC scholarship and a Citadel Development Foundation Scholarship. He received a degree in Business Administration with a minor in English. Following service in the United States Army, Chris was accepted to Mercer Law School where he was the first recipient of the Hank O’Neal Scholarship. He was a Mercer Law Review editor, member of the Brainerd Currie Honor Society, and graduated with high honors. Immediately following law school, Chris clerked for the Honorable Jack T. Camp, United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia. After completing his clerkship with Judge Camp, he practiced law in Atlanta before returning to Macon to work alongside Manley F. Brown and Judge Lamar Sizemore. Chris credits Mr. Brown and Judge Sizemore with sharing their invaluable training and experience. Chris is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the Georgia Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals. He has received the highest rating (AV) from Peer Rating service Martindale Hubbell, a ranking based primarily upon professional and ethical conduct. Chris received “Best Lawyers in America” designation each year since 2009 and is listed as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in the field of personal injury. He has been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer each year since 2007. In September 2009, the Atlanta Business Chronicle selected Chris as one of “The 100 Most Influential Individuals Who Help Shape & Guide Atlanta’s Legal Industries.” Chris was a Governor for the State Bar of Georgia from 2011-2017. Chris was president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, President of the Macon Bar Association from 2008-2009, and President of the Middle Georgia Trial Lawyers Association from 1999-2000. The Traditions of Excellence and Service Award was presented to Chris at the Annual State Bar Meeting in June of 2018. Chris is a member of the American Associate of Justice. Additional memberships include the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American and Federal Bar Associations, the State Bar of Georgia, Macon, Georgia Bar and the Executive Committee of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. Chris is a Master in the William A. Bootle Inn of Court, an organization of esteemed lawyers in the Macon area. Chris was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in September 2019 in Vancouver BC. The American College of Trial Lawyers is recognized as the preeminent organization of trial lawyers in North America, dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics and the administration of justice. Chris has been an adjunct professor at Mercer Law School for seventeen years teaching Advanced Legal Writing / Trial practice to third-year students. Chris is a native of Moultrie, GA. In his spare time, he enjoys time with his wife, Lizzie, and their two sons, John and Robert.

  Link: Chris Clark

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  Mike Smith

  Attorney Mike Smith practiced in the insurance defense litigation section of the Macon law firm Martin Snow for 20+ years prior to joining Chris to form Clark, Smith & Sizemore LLC. While at Martin Snow he handled a heavy case load and tried close to one hundred cases in the Federal, Superior, State and Civil Courts throughout Georgia. These jury trials covered a broad spectrum of cases ranging from wrongful death and catastrophic injury, to will contests and contractual matters, to soft-tissue whiplash cases. Outside of trial, Mike has resolved hundreds of cases through alternative dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration. Due to the nature of his practice, he handled a wide variety of cases including those related to industrial and agricultural products liability, premises liability, false imprisonment, trespass, battery, automotive and tractor-trailer negligence, probate matters, condemnations, land-line disputes and others. Mike’s insurance defense experience gives him an important understanding and familiarity with insurance companies and how they handle personal injury lawsuits. This experience ensures that injured persons are able to resolve their claim quickly, efficiently and successfully. Mike’s upbringing in rural middle Georgia and early work in saw mills, seed mills and on logging crews give him the ability to understand and relate to hard-working Georgians. His insights and wealth of experience dovetail well with Chris’ many years of plaintiff’s work. As an attorney, Mike is involved in several professional organizations. Memberships include: State Bar of Georgia, Macon Bar Association, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, William A. Bootle Inn of Court, an organization comprised of well respected Macon attorneys. Mike grew up in Sandersville, Georgia and is a graduate of Brentwood School. He received an AA from Oxford College and a BA in History and a minor in Political Science from Emory University and the University of Georgia in 1986. Mike entered Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in fall of 1986. Based on his academic performance he was asked to be a member of the Mercer Law Review and received the AJUR award for environmental law while in school. Mike graduated in 1989. When Mike is away from the office, he enjoys hunting, fishing and reading. Mike is involved in a number of environmental and conservation organizations including Ducks Unlimited, where he has held leadership positions at the local and state levels, the Nature Conservancy, and a current board member for the Flint River Keepers. Mike has also served as a youth mentor in Macon.

  Link: Mike Smith

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  Rick Sizemore

  Richard Lamar Sizemore, known as Rick to his colleagues and clients, is a civil litigator with extensive experience representing individuals and companies in complex tort and business litigation. He has recovered millions in settlements for his clients in cases involving catastrophic injuries, equipment failure, insurance subrogation, defective products and medical negligence. Rick began his career defending corporations in cases involving personal injury and defective products. He uses this experience to help create solid case strategies for the clients he represents today—those who have been injured or harmed through no fault of their own. Before Clark, Smith & Sizemore LLC, Rick practiced for Gautreaux & Sizemore, King & Spalding, L.L.P., and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Cirisi, L.L.P., all of which are located in Georgia. He was also a partner with Logan, Jolly & Smith, L.L.P. in Anderson, South Carolina, before returning to his home town of Macon. Rick is admitted to practice in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, and routinely handles cases in all three states. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

  Link: Rick Sizemore

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  Lamar Sizemore

  Judge

  Lamar W. Sizemore, Jr. is an “of counsel” attorney at Clark, Smith & Sizemore LLC where he devotes his time to serving as a mediator and representing litigants in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Upon his admission to the Bar in 1974, Mr. Sizemore practiced with the law firm of O’Neal, Brown & Sizemore, P.C. and its predecessor firms, limiting his practice almost exclusively to tort and insurance litigation, including motor vehicle, products liability, medical malpractice, motor carrier (trucking), railroad, and general insurance litigation. He is the founder of South Georgia Mediation Service, now South Georgia ADR, and has served as a mediator in hundreds of cases since 1988. He is registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution as a “Veteran Mediator” (Registration No. 32). Mr. Sizemore was appointed by Governor Roy Barnes to the Superior Courts of the Macon Judicial Circuit where he served by appointment and election from January 3, 2001, through December 31, 2010. Mr. Sizemore has been an adjunct faculty member at Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law where he has taught the course entitled “Problems in Insurance Litigation” since 1981. He has also served as the co-editor of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association’s Trial Practice Manual, © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007. Mr. Sizemore was a member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia from 1985 to 2005, serving as a member of sixteen committees, including the Executive Committee, and as chairman of ten committees. Mr. Sizemore has served as president of the Macon Bar Association, the Bootle Inn of Court, and the Middle Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, having also served as a regional vice president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. He has been honored with the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award (2008) and the Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award (2010) by the State Bar of Georgia, Lawyer of the Year Award (1997) by the Macon Bar Association, and the Guardian of Justice Award (2008) by the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Sizemore has actively participated in service to Vineville United Methodist Church, Mt. de Sales Academy, Mercer University, the Walter F. George School of Law, Boy Scouts of America, Vine-Ingle Little League, and the Georgia Legal Services Program. He is the recipient of the St. Francis de Sales Award (2005) from Mt. de Sales Academy, induction into the Mt. de Sales Academy Sports Hall of Fame (2010), the Outstanding Alumnus Award (2008) from the Walter F. George School of Law, and the Meritorious Service Award from Mercer University, as well as the Silver Beaver Award (1993) and the God and Service Award (1991) from the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Sizemore is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of tort law, insurance law, alternative dispute resolution/ mediation, ethics, and professionalism.

  Link: Lamar Sizemore