Michael D. McRae
Location: Cedartown, Georgia
Phone: (770) 749-6723
Direct: (470) 296-2406
Fax: (770) 749-6729
Email: E-mail Me
Mike is a native of Rockmart, Georgia and practices in the firm’s Cedartown office. He has been lead counsel on numerous matters of complex litigation in federal and state courts, including successful appeals. He served as lead counsel in a precedent setting case involving litigation over governmental finance in Regions Bank vs. City of Bremen, [City of Bremen, et al. vs. Regions Bank, et al., 274 Ga. 733, 559 S.E. 2d 440, 02 FCDR 343 (2002)]. Most recently, after years of litigation, Mike was successful in a precedent setting case involving noise nuisance in the State of Georgia. [Oglethorpe Power Corp., et al. v. Forrister, et al., 289 Ga. 331, 711 S.E.2d 641 (2011)]. He has served as City Attorney for the City of Cedartown, Rockmart, and other cities in Northwest Georgia for over forty years. In addition, he serves as legal counsel for the Haralson County Water Authority and several area development authorities. He has been a frequent lecturer and guest speaker in the area of municipal law, especially ethics in government. He authored and co-founded the Georgia Municipal Association’s Model Code of Ethics. Mike has been designated as a Georgia “Super Lawyer” and “Top Attorneys in Georgia”, along with several other recognitions. Mike is a certified mediator with the State of Georgia. Mike has presided over numerous arbitrations and has served as a special master. He has participated in, mediated or arbitrated over 150 cases or disputes to a successful conclusion. Mike’s current primary area of practice is mediation and alternative dispute resolution.
Mike was the first Chairman of Cedartown’s Community Relations Commission and is a Permanent Life Member and Secretary of the W. D. Trippe Optimist Youth Foundation. He has provided pro bono legal services to the United Methodist Church throughout his career and serves as legal counsel for numerous Methodist organizations. He has served his local Methodist Church in many capacities including Chairman of the Administrative Board, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Chairman of the Staff Parish Relations Committee and in numerous other roles. He and his wife Beverly have three children and ten grandchildren.
Areas of Practice
- Mediation & Arbitration
- Government Law
Bar Admissions
Georgia, 1975
U.S. Supreme Court
Georgia Supreme Court
Georgia Court of Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia
U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia
Education
Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, Macon, Georgia
J.D – 1975
University of Georgia
A.B – 1972
Professional Associations and Memberships
Polk County and Tallapoosa Circuit Bar Associations
State Bar of Georgia
Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
City Attorney – Cities of Cedartown and Rockmart
Georgia Hazardous Waste Trust Fund Advisory Committee, 1994 – 1999
Georgia State Ethics Commission, 1995 – 2002
Georgia State Ethics Commission, Chairman, 2001 – 2002
Board of Governors, State Bar of Georgia, 2003 – Present