Education
- Georgia State University College of Law, J.D.
- University of Georgia, B.A.
Admissions
- All Georgia state and superior courts
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- Supreme Court of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. Supreme Court
Memberships
- State Bar of Georgia
- Community Association Institute - Georgia Chapter
- Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA)
Hillary Shawkat is a Georgia native who earned a B.A. in criminal justice from the University of Georgia in 2001. She earned her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law in 2004 and was admitted to the Georgia Bar the same year. Hillary is a partner in the Alpharetta office, practicing entirely in insurance defense. Prior to joining the firm, Hillary worked for one of the largest insurance defense firms in the region as well as at a small firm in Decatur. Her practice focuses on defending personal and commercial line automobile claims, premises liability claims and other general liability claims. Within that, she specializes in suits and claims that involve complexities to resolution such as obtaining Probate Court approval for minors and wards, wrongful death and Estate claims, statutory hospital lien protection, or other third-party subrogation claims such as Medicare, Medicaid, ERISA, workers’ compensation and others.
Hillary is admitted to practice in all Georgia state and superior courts, the Northern and Middle Federal Districts in Georgia, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Georgia, and the United State Supreme Court.
She is a member of the Defense Research Institute and the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. She makes several presentations each year, covering a multitude of topics that adjusters will face during the life of a claim, and provides advice in particular on complex non-suit settlements. She has presented seminars to insurers and claims staff at some of the nation’s largest carriers.
Hillary spends her free time with her husband and their two sons on their 35+ acre hobby farm, tending their chickens, bees, gardens and fields; practicing self-sustaining and organic farming techniques, attending local homestead club meetings, and always finding time to follow the Georgia Bulldogs.
In one jury trial in Pike County, Georgia, Mrs. Shawkat tried a case with her partner, defending an electrician against a subrogation case filed by another insurance carrier. The carrier alleged that the electrician negligently installed the wiring in its insured's home, which later burned to the ground, resulting in a total loss. Prior to trial, Mrs. Shawkat successfully argued to have Plaintiff's expert forensic electrical engineer's opinion almost entirely excluded. They obtained a defense verdict on behalf of their electrician client.
In another jury trial, Mrs. Shawkat and her partner defended an insured commercial driver in a personal injury case with allegations of DUI. The Plaintiff's settlement demand as well as their request from the jury was well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Again, prior to trial, Mrs. Shawkat successfully moved and argued to have Plaintiff's so-called DUI expert's testimony almost entirely excluded, frankly limiting the witness's testimony to generally explaining the dangers of DUI and how DUI tests were conducted, but restricting him to relating any of that to this particular case. The verdict returned by the jury in Clayton County was for $217.00. This verdict was upheld on appeal.
In 2008, Mrs. Shawkat and her partner tried a jury trial in the U.S. Middle District of Georgia in Macon, Georgia, and again obtained a defense verdict after a state prisoner brought an action against prison officials alleging First Amendment retaliation. The prisoner sought hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. Mrs. Shawkat defended this verdict on appeal and it was upheld. Hicks v. Ferrero, 285 Fed. Appx. 585 (11th Cir. 2008).
Mrs. Shawkat has other successful appellate decisions. Some of the more notable decisions include: Turner v.
Williamson, 738 S.E.2d 712 (2013) (Court of Appeals overturned the trial court's denial of defendant's Motion to Enforce a Settlement Agreement, thereby overturning a verdict of $5.7 million against the defendant); Stone Mountain Collision Center v. General Casualty Company of Wisconsin, 307 Ga. App. 394 (2010) (Georgia Court of Appeals upheld trial court's grant of motion for summary judgment for defendant, holding that insurer's settlement negotiations with the insured did not amount to a waiver of its contractual limitations defense); McCullers v. Harrell, 298 Ga. App. 798 (2009) (personal injury action for damages arising out of motor vehicle accident, trial court granted defendant's motion to dismiss for insufficiency of service of process and Georgia Court of Appeals upheld this ruling).
Education
- Georgia State University College of Law, J.D.
- University of Georgia, B.A.
Admissions
- All Georgia state and superior courts
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- Supreme Court of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. Supreme Court
Memberships
- State Bar of Georgia
- Community Association Institute - Georgia Chapter
- Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA)
