Mr. Payne has provided legal services to the community since 1977, developing an excellent reputation for attentive representation of his clients.

The firm is a full service law firm, representing and advising clients in the areas of probate and estate administration. The firm offers a professional, while friendly, environment and uses cost effective methods to provide services in a timely, client-oriented manner. Mr. Payne’s approach is to focus on each client’s background, needs, and goals. He and his staff are committed to responding promptly to telephone calls, to reporting on cases regularly, and to minimizing and eliminating risks by informing clients of significant changes in the law. Especially Probate Law matters, Mr. Payne and his staff recognize the severe anxiety and sometimes even trauma which clients experience. They strive to be supportive through this process as well as attentive to the challenging legal tasks.

Mr. Payne possesses high academic credentials, maintains strong community ties and is committed to the pursuit of excellence. Mr. Payne’s education and training in Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy, as well as his work with juvenile offenders and offender counseling, uniquely equip him for practice in dealing with and assisting individuals and families in the area of probate. This background provides him with skills of listening and understanding which complement his legal knowledge and expertise. Having experienced divorce himself, Mr. Payne has gained additional understanding and empathy for clients. He has been trained to communicate effectively and operates with the strictest and highest personal and professional ethics. The focus and goal of Mr. Payne’s practice is to provide individualized services to each client. As a solo firm, the staff and Mr. Payne are easily accessible and available to each client. Having been in the practice of law since 1977, Mr. Payne has learned the importance of personal attention and a prompt response to clients.

Mr. Payne’s dedication to quality, trust, honesty, respect and understanding of the law is the foundation of his long-standing relationships with clients, the legal community and the community at large. Mr. Payne believes that his training in Chaplaincy and the regular practicing of his Christian faith contribute much to his sensitivity and empathy for clients who are going through very difficult times, including the loss of a loved one and caring for a parent or relative who is suffering from dementia or other disease.

Areas of Practice

• Administration of Estates
• Probate of Estates
• Wills
• Guardianships
• Conservatorships

Bar Admissions

• Georgia, 1977

Education

• Woodrow Wilson College of Law, Atlanta, Georgia – 1977
  • Honors: cum laude
• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Master of Divinity
• Samford University
  • Bachelor of Arts

Honors and Awards

• President’s Award for Outstanding Service, Cobb County Bar Association, 1999
• President’s Award for Outstanding Service, Cobb County Bar Association, 2001

Professional Associations and Memberships

• State Bar of Georgia, Family Law Section, Member
• Cobb County Bar Association, Member, 1984 – Present
• Cobb County Bar Association, Family Law Section, Vice-President, 2000 – 2001
• Cobb County Bar Association, Trustee at Large, 2002 – 2003
• Cobb County Bar Association, Chaplain, 1988 – 1991
• Cobb County Bar Association, Elder Law Section, President, 2003 – 2005
• Cobb County Bar Association, Treasurer, 2004 – 2005
• Cobb County Bar Association, Family Law Section, Member, 1999 – Present
• Cobb County Bar Association, Chaplain, 2000 – 2001
• Cobb County Bar Association, Elder Law Section, Member, 2001 – Present

Past Employment Positions

• Georgia Division of Youth Services, 1973 – 1975
• Georgia Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to Public Offenders, 1975 – 1977
• Payne, Stokes & Payne, Partner, 1977 – 1979
• Hansell, Post, Brandon & Dorsey, Real Estate Division, 1979 – 1980

Pro Bono Activities

• Cobb County Legal Aid and Cobb Justice Foundation, 1997 – Present
• Member, East Cobb Optimist Club, 1982 – 1989
• Vice President – Girls Program, Pope High School Soccer Booster Club, 2000 – 2001
• President – Boys and Girls Program, Pope High School Soccer Booster Club, 2001 – 2002
• Volunteer Sports Photographer, Pope High School Soccer Booster Club, 2000 – 2003
• Board of Directors, Grace Corp, Inc. (Ministry to Children in Haiti), 2004 – 2006
• Chairman of the Board, Vision Atlanta, Inc. (Ministry to Children in At-Risk Environments), 2005 – 2006