Lawyers’ Group Asks High Court to Allow Lawsuit Over Solicitation

The Georgia Trial Lawyers Association is backing a petition asking the Georgia Supreme Court to revive a first-of-its-kind suit by a Gainesville personal injury attorney against competing firms he accuses of using non-lawyer “runners” to solicit accident victims. The Georgia Court of Appeals held in November that the plaintiff’s claims were too attenuated and speculative to proceed, reasoning that an expectation of being retained by accident victims who were contacted by others does not state a cause of action, and that the remedy lies with the General Assembly and the State Bar. The reporting canvasses a broader disagreement within the Georgia bar over whether existing enforcement against improper solicitation is adequate, with the State Bar’s leadership defending its efforts. A companion suit by the same plaintiff remains pending in Gwinnett County.

Firm involvement: Craig Kunkes represents Guardian Law Group, a defendant in the companion action, which denies the allegations and has cautioned that allowing firms to sue competitors on this theory could produce a wave of litigation driven by competitive advantage rather than client harm.

Summarized from reporting by Rosie Manins, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 29, 2025. Read the full article