BIO

From captain of her collegiate swim team to serving as President of Bar Associations, Laurie has consistently held leadership roles in her community. She was President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (GTLA) in 2018-2019 and served on the Emory University Alumni Board from 2015-2021. In 2020, Laurie was accepted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA dedicates itself to the preservation and promotion of the Seventh Amendment, which guarantees the right to civil jury trials. Members in this prestigious invitation-only group must have tried a minimum of 10 jury trials to conclusion. 

In 2004-2005, Laurie was the 76th President of Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL). In 2016, she was honored with the Kathleen Kessler Award, GAWL’s most important award, given annually to a female attorney who exhibits the highest degree of professionalism and dedication to service in the legal community by someone who is held in high esteem by subordinates, peers and superiors.

 

She is consistently recognized as one of the state’s top trial lawyers. Laurie has tried cases throughout Georgia and was part of the team that secured an $11,000,000.00 verdict against Philip Morris in 2015. Due to Laurie’s extensive litigation and trial experience, Laurie has been recognized as a top 100 Super Lawyer and top 50 Female Super Lawyer, as well as one of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite. 

 

Laurie Speed is a double graduate of Emory University and an All-American collegiate swimmer and scholar. After law school, Laurie practiced law at Chambers, Mabry, McClelland & Brooks (now Mabry & McClelland), an insurance defense firm. In 2000, Laurie left with several other colleagues to form Chambers, Aholt & Rickard, LLP where she became a partner in 2003. In 2010 Laurie began her solo practice as the Speed Firm, where she continued to litigate complex medical malpractice and personal injury cases. In 2015 Laurie ended her days as a solo practitioner and along with three other trial attorneys created Shamp, Speed, Jordan, Woodward, LLC. In 2017 Laurie opened Speed & King, a boutique litigation firm specializing in personal injury and medical malpractice.