Community associations operate under declarations, bylaws, and statutes that most owners encounter only when a dispute arises. Representing owners and residents exclusively allows the firm to develop that side of the practice with focus — and avoids the divided loyalties of firms that represent boards one day and owners the next.
The firm's approach
- The governing documents come first. Many association disputes are resolved by careful reading of the declaration and bylaws. Where the documents answer the question, the client is shown the controlling provision at the consultation stage — often avoiding litigation entirely.
- A candid valuation of the dispute. Association litigation can cost more than the interest at stake. Before any engagement, the firm provides a realistic assessment of the likely cost against the likely benefit.
- Fee-shifting analysis at intake. Many Georgia declarations and statutes permit the prevailing party to recover attorney's fees. Whether such a provision applies is among the first questions examined, because it materially changes the economics of the case.
- Mediation where appropriate. Some association disputes are better mediated than litigated. The firm offers neutral mediation as a separate service — see Mediation.
Georgia's new Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act
Senate Bill 406 materially changes Georgia community-association practice, but its provisions do not all begin at the same time. The attorney-fee protections in Section 7 apply to actions filed on or after July 1, 2026. Except for emergencies involving public safety or preservation of property, an association seeking attorney's fees must first send qualifying written notice identifying outstanding fines or delinquent fees, allow 30 days for payment, and provide an itemized list of the reasonable attorney's fees claimed. In a bench trial to recover association sums, the judge must review the claimed attorney's fees for reasonableness and state that determination in an order.
Most of the broader Act is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. Those provisions establish Secretary of State registration and complaint procedures, owner record and insurance-access rights, payment-priority rules, restrictions on accelerated assessments, revised foreclosure notice and threshold requirements, and additional governance protections. The effective date and the governing documents must be analyzed before relying on any particular remedy.