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Michael J. Bowers: Partner at Balch & Bingham, LLP [By Charisse Dengler] Michael J. Bowers is a true Southern gentleman, complete with the accent and the good manners. He is also a partner at Balch & Bingham, LLP, the former Attorney General of Georgia, and chairman of the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission. In addition, Bowers was named by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Georgians” for eight consecutive years (from 1990 to 1997) and received the honor again in 2003.
When asked what made him want to become
As attorney general, Bowers worked with
Bowers’ advice to law students reflects his
an attorney, Bowers took a trip down
hundreds of other full-time and part-time
Southern values.
memory lane to the dusty bases and sticky
attorneys to provide legal representation to
concession stands of a Georgia baseball
the state’s executive branch. He also headed
“This will sound hokey to you, I’m sure, but
field.
up investigations concerning misconduct
rule one on being a successful lawyer, I
within the state government, in addition to
believe, is ‘live within your means.’ That’s
managing other duties.
so critical, and it’s violated so often,”
“I had a baseball coach when I was a boy,
he said. “Be willing to tell clients ‘no.’
50-something years ago, who was a court of appeals judge here in Atlanta for the state
Currently, Bower is a partner at Balch &
Remember that law is a business as well
of Georgia, and he has always been one of
Bingham. He started working at the firm in
as a profession. You’ve got to make money.
my heroes,” he said. “I guess that was my
1998 and was named partner in 2000. He
You’ve got to take care of the business end.
first contact with the law, and I thought that
works primarily in the area of general civil
And always tell the truth-in court, to your
what Judge Townsend did just seemed so
litigation, and his favorite part of going to
clients, to the other side, always tell the
interesting to me, and that was where I first
work every day is getting ready for and going
truth.”
had the thought of becoming a lawyer.”
to court.
Bowers earned his J.D. from the University
“It’s a wonderful way to make a living,”
of Georgia in 1974, and upon graduation, he
he said. “I’m 65 years old, and if I had the
interviewed for a job as an assistant attorney
chance, I’d do it all over again.”
On the Net
the job were getting to go to court frequently
In addition to serving as a partner at Balch
and working on a wide variety of interesting
& Bingham, Bowers is the chairman of the
Georgia Trend Magazine www.georgiatrend.com
litigation. He worked as an assistant
Judicial Nominating Committee, a committee
attorney general for seven years until he
appointed by the governor to advise him on
Balch & Bingham, LLP
was appointed attorney general, a job he
how to best fill judicial vacancies for the
www.balch.com
described as “extraordinarily interesting.”
state court, superior court, court of appeals,
He was reelected four times and served as
and Supreme Court.
Bowers is married, has three grown children, and currently lives in Commerce, GA.
general and was hired. His favorite parts of
attorney general from 1981 to 1997.
PAGE
University of Georgia www.uga.edu