Thomas O. Lawton III***

Tom Lawton’s journey to becoming an attorney at GA Eminent Domain Law Firm is unusual and weaves through diverse experiences that shaped his perspective and honed his desire to serve the public.

Tom grew up in a small town on the edge of the South Carolina Low Country in a family dedicated to the legal profession – at last count, 13 of his relatives were lawyers! Tom’s own path to the practice of law was shaped by his altruism and his enthusiasm for telling stories about people and their communities.

Upon graduating from Brown University, he first chose to work in journalism, beginning as editor of a weekly North Carolina newspaper before moving on to report for successively larger daily newspapers in the state. Tom enjoyed the challenge of chronicling events that could make a difference in people’s lives and communities.

After six years, he left journalism but continued refining his communications skills on Capitol Hill as press secretary for U.S. Senator Terry Sanford. In 1988, Tom decided it was time to follow in the footsteps of family members and pursue the practice of law.

Tom attended Georgetown University Law Center, where he was research editor of The American Criminal Law Review, served as a Law Fellow teaching legal research and writing, and was a research assistant to a professor. In 1993, after a brief time in private practice, he joined the Education Section of the NC Department of Justice (NC DOJ) and spent the next decade representing North Carolina’s education agencies, litigating cases involving civil rights, employment, discrimination, contracts, and constitutional law, among other topics.

“I view legal work as another form of storytelling, this time to juries, judges, and mediators.”

In 2003, Tom became the first General Counsel of the University of North Carolina Asheville, advising and counseling the University and its agents and officers on topics as varied as contracts, employment, risk management, student conduct and discipline, privacy, public records, conflicts of interest, and governance.

Tom returned to the NC DOJ in 2010 as an Assistant Attorney General to represent the NC Department of Transportation (DOT) in eminent domain matters in the state’s westernmost counties. Over the next 13 years, he resolved numerous cases, by negotiation, mediation, and often by trial to jury verdict.¹ In 2019, he became the Special Deputy Attorney General in charge of NC DOJ’s western office, supervising three other attorneys as well as two support staff, while continuing with a caseload of his own.

“Having represented the public at large for much of my career, I am excited to be representing individual members of the public.”

At the GA Eminent Domain Law Firm, Tom draws on his 13 years of representing a state DOT in eminent domain cases to help protect property owners facing eminent domain. He understands the DOT’s processes and strategies, and he leverages this knowledge to seek the highest possible compensation for landowners. He is adept at identifying potential weaknesses in the government’s case and is an effective negotiator and litigator who cares deeply for his clients.

“It’s an awesome responsibility and honor to be able to use my legal experience to help property owners in Georgia.”

Tom is licensed to practice in both Georgia and North Carolina, as well as admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of NC. He has shared his legal knowledge and experience with other attorneys on a wide variety of legal topics in Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs.

Beyond the courtroom, Tom is deeply engaged in his community and has served on the boards of several schools and non-profits. Tom has drawn on his legal skills outside of the office to write bylaws for a community marching band, serve on the board of a public radio station, and play a lawyer on stage in community theater.

When not protecting the rights of property owners, Tom enjoys spending time on Lake Hartwell with his wife and their rescue dog, Cora. He has also been known to play instruments ranging from fiddle and guitar to tuba and sousaphone.