Michael Pruett is a native of Bethlehem, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law
summa cum laude in 1991 and has engaged in private practice in Georgia since that time.
He serves as County Attorney for Madison County, Georgia, General Counsel for the Madison County Industrial Development and Building Authority, General Counsel for the Nicholson Water Authority, General Counsel for the Clarke County School District, and Co-General Counsel for the Walton County School District. He has also represented numerous other governmental entities throughout his career including counties, cities, and public school districts. Michael also practices in the area of wills, trusts, and estates.
Experience
Education
Since graduating law school, Michael has devoted much of his practice to the representation of school boards and other governmental entities. He has worked with the well-known and respected education attorney Terrell W. Benton, Jr., for almost twenty years. He has represented school district clients including the Athens-Clarke County School District (General Counsel since January 2013), the Walton County School District (General Counsel since January 2013), and the Oconee County School District.
Governmental Liability
Michael has served as County Attorney of Madison County, Georgia, since 2001 and has represented numerous other governmental entities through his career including counties, cities, and public school districts. He also frequently handles matters as outside counsel for Oconee County and Athens-Clarke County, particularly in the areas of land use and ad valorem taxation.
Wills, Trusts, & Estate Administration
Michael is a member of the HBS Wills, Trusts, & Estate Administration practice group.. He was formerly a partner in the venerable Athens firm of McLeod, Benton, Begnaud & Marshall, which dissolved in 2003 after a history dating back to its formation in 1867 as the firm of Cobb & Cobb.
As part of the estate planning practice there, he gained experience working with Athens’ various banks and trust officers and benefitted from his association with some of Georgia’s finest trust and estate attorneys, including the late Larry V. McLeod, who was a member of the committee that drafted Georgia’s Revised 1998 Probate Code. Michael represents individuals as well as institutional fiduciaries and provides counsel in both planning and administration.
Recognition
•Distinguished Peer Rating for High Professional Achievement, Martindale-Hubbell, 2024
Publications
•The Probate Process from Start to Finish in Georgia
National Business Institute Annual Seminar
•Lawyers are from Mars, Judges are from Venus
Georgia Probate Notes, February 2006
In the Press
HBS attorneys make Georgia Trend’s 8th annual listing of Georgia’s top attorneys
December 7, 2010
Georgia Trend has officially announced their 8th annual list of Georgia’s top attorneys which includes seven of our very own here at Hall Booth Smith. Selected by their peers, the votes were compiled and categorized by nine practice areas: business law; personal injury litigation; criminal law; labor and employment; taxes; estates and trusts; bankruptcy and creditors’
Read Full Article
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
