"When your or your family's welfare is at stake, you want an attorney with a reputation for winning. The worst settlement you can make is to settle for an attorney without a winning track record."
Michael E. Manely, Attorney at Law
The Manely Firm, P.C.
The Lawyers and Staff at The Manely Firm, P.C.
Attorneys at The Manely Firm, P.C., work with one goal in mind — delivering the most favorable legal outcome possible. Family law is all we handle and, as well respected advocates, we have years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the local courts.
Michael Manely
Michael has practiced law for over 23 years, and handled over 2,000 cases. He is admitted to practice in all Georgia courts and federal courts in the Northern and Middle District of Georgia, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and The United States Supreme Court. Michael has built a progressive practice and a reputation for winning difficult, controversial and high profile cases. He has successfully represented hundreds of mothers and fathers in state, federal and international divorce, custody and child support cases.
In the last 10 years Michael has added three family law associates and expanded his personal case load to increasingly handle international family law, particularly Hague Child Abduction and Retention cases. Michael has become one of the most sought after international family law attorneys in Georgia and the southeast. Michael has handled matters to successful resolution on all continents of the world, with the exception of Antarctica. (Not much family law work in Antarctica.) With the help of his excellent staff, Michael coordinates with The State Department and has always found exceptional cooperating counsel and court systems in jurisdictions throughout the world.
Just two examples from 2010: after a lengthy Hague Abduction trial, Michael brought back two little girls from Cyprus where they had been unlawfully retained by their mother. In November, Michael prevented a mother from boarding a flight to Nigeria with the parties' child after only 24 hours notice, by coordinating the assistance of the State Department, Homeland Security, Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport Police, the Atlanta Police Department, and multiple commercial airlines.
Michael graduated from Georgia State University College of Law in 1989 in the top 25% of his class. He was Student Bar Association President, Lead Counsel of two YLS Georgia Championship Mock Trial Teams, and named Outstanding Student Litigator by the American Board of Trial Advocacy.
Michael's professional affiliations include the State of Georgia Bar Association Family Law Section, the Cobb County Bar Association, and the International Society for Family Law. He organized the Cobb County branch of the Georgia State University College of Law Alumni Association. He is a past president of the GSU College of Law Alumni Society. He writes and lectures on International Family Law and Hague Abduction and Retention under The International Child Abduction and Retention Act to fellow family law practitioners.
More info about Michael Manely
Jeremy Jamal Abernathy
Jeremy earned his J.D. from Loyola University of New Orleans School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to practicing law at The Manely Firm, P.C., his legal experience includes two judicial clerkships with the Honorable Justice Robert Benham, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, and the Honorable Mark Anthony Scott, Chief Judge of DeKalb Superior Court. He also has extensive trial courtroom experience as a Public Defender for major felony cases in the Coweta Judicial Circuit.
Jeremy is admitted to practice law in all Georgia Courts and additionally, in the Northern District Court of Georgia. His professional affiliations include the State of Georgia Bar Association, Cobb County Bar Association Young Lawyers and Family Law Sections.
Jeremy has three beautiful girls and a lovely wife. Additionally, he is an Associate Pastor, Drummer, Youth Director and Softball Coach. He is a dedicated member of Sardis Missionary Baptist Church nestled in the heart of downtown Kennesaw, Georgia.
More info about Jeremy Jamal Abernathy
John P. Smith
John is in his twelfth year of primarily family law practice. He is admitted to practice in all Georgia courts. He has successfully litigated cases for a variety of clients in almost every county in North Georgia. John graduated from University of Georgia Law School in 1999 and prior to that received a B.A. in Anthropology from the same institution. He is also a trained mediator.
Over the years John has worked with many family law attorneys from Atlanta and surrounding areas. He feels fortunate to be associated with the Manely Firm. His professional affiliations include the Georgia Bar Family Law Section and the Gwinnett County Bar Association. His personal interests range from the Braves and Georgia football to spending time in the mountains.
He is, foremost however, a dedicated father to his two teenage children, which he believes enhances his ability to deal with difficult custody issues which arise in contested domestic relations cases. His goal is to provide his clients with effective, personal, and aggressive, when needed, representation to reach a successful outcome to their cases. He looks forward to serving you.
More Info about John P. Smith
N
icole Amanda Elder
Nicole Amanda Elder earned her J.D. at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law- Bloomington and earned her B.A., cum laude, in Political Science at Spelman College. Prior to joining the Manely Firm, she practiced personal injury, workers compensation, products liability, and Social Security law.
While attending Indiana University School of Law- Bloomington, Nicole participated in the Viola J. Taliaferro Family and Children Mediation Clinic where she became a Certified Domestic Relations Mediator. Nicole also interned with Indiana Student Legal Services. Nicole was also a member of the law school's trial competition team where she competed in the annual ABA Labor and Employment Trial Competition as well as the Midwest BLSA Trial Competition.
During her time at Indiana University, Nicole served as the Vice President and Chair of the Barrister Ball Committee Chair of the Black Law Students Association. Further, Nicole's article, Infertile Women Only!- Examining the Requirement of Female Infertility in State Surrogacy Law, was published in the 2010 Midwest Black Law Students Journal. Nicole is a member of the State of Georgia Bar Association.
More info about Nicole Amanda Elder
In addition to our attorneys, our office is staffed with five highly qualified paralegals, allowing us to deliver thorough, thoughtful legal support at a very competitive cost. Because one paralegal is assigned specifically to each client's case, the paralegal is almost always available during business hours. This is critical, since attorneys' business hours are often spent in court.
The Staff
 |
Senior Business Manager/Law Clerk, Shelia Manely:
Shelia is in her third year of law school at Georgia State University. In addition to her duties at The Manely Firm, P.C., she practices under the Third Year Practice Act at the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation securing protective orders for victims of domestic violence. Shelia earned a B.A. in Paralegal Studies and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University, graduating with honors. Before joining Michael at the Manely Firm in 2003, Shelia served as the Assistant Director of National School Enhancement and Reform for Nova Southeastern University, Executive Director of the Georgia School Council Institute, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation, Assistant to the Regional Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, a Presidential Management Intern (now Presidential Management Fellow's Program) and Federal Grant Administrator at Eastern Kentucky University. Her duties have included conducting on-site federal compliance reviews at major universities including Georgia State, Georgia, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Kentucky; serving as Liaison for Vice President Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government; lobbying Kentucky's Legislature and U.S. Congress for reforms in student lending; and, developing and delivering college classroom instruction designed to reduce attrition. Since joining The Manely Firm, P.C. in 2003, Shelia has partnered with Michael in leading the firm's growth from two employees and one office to eighteen employees, four offices and recognition as one of Atlanta's premier firms in the delivery of international and domestic family law. Shelia is also Michael Manely's wife.
|
 |
Supervising Paralegal, Terri A. Cahill:
Terri holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Newcomb College at Tulane University and an Associates degree in Paralegal Studies from the Atlanta Institute of Paralegal Studies. As an ABA Certified Paralegal, Terri is a member of the International Paralegal Management Association, American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc., the American Association for Paralegal Education, the Georgia Association of Paralegals, the Hawaii Paralegal Association, the Louisiana Paralegal Association, the National Association for Legal Professionals, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. and SELA.
Prior to joining The Manely Firm, P.C., Terri was the founding Officer of T.A. Cahill & Associates in Honolulu, Hawai'i, a Contract Paralegal Firm specializing in complex litigation.
Terri's professional career includes over 20 years of experience in litigation.
|
 |
Paralegal, Brittany Briggs:
Brittany holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice with a concentration in forensic behavioral sciences from Kennesaw State University. As a senior, Brittany participated in the KSU Mock Trial team as the closing arguer, earning three best attorney awards. Brittany founded and was president of the Criminal Justice Honor Society, during which time she acted as Indigent Defense Counsel for a mock Quality of Life Court demonstration. While earning her degree, Brittany continually worked full time as a paralegal, with four years experience primarily in family law. Brittany plans to continue her legal career into law school.
|
 |
Paralegal, William King:
William is a graduate of Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia where he received scholarships for his achievements in the classroom and on the baseball field. He graduated with a bachelors' degree in history. He received honors graduating Magna Cum Laude. He is also a member of the Historical Honor Society. He is currently interested in pursuing a career in law. He plans on attending Georgia State University College of Law next fall. William has worked for the firm for the last eight years as a student intern, runner, secretary, receptionist, office clerk, and paralegal.
|
|
Paralegal, Rhonda Smith:
Rhonda earned her JD from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. While in attendance she was a member of the Black Law Student Association. Rhonda aspires to practicing family law and immigration law upon obtaining her license. She has worked in these areas of law since 2001.
Prior to attending law school Rhonda earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Indiana University extension in Fort Wayne. While attending Indiana University, Rhonda played on the Varsity Women's Tennis Team for three years.
Rhonda resides in Gwinnett County and has raised four children, giving her both a professional and deeply practical knowledge of families and family law.
|
 |
Law Clerk, Hannah MacDermott:
Hannah is in her third year of law school at Georgia State University. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where she graduated with honors. Before law school, Hannah worked as a Victim Advocate in the Fulton County Solicitor's Office, primarily with victims of domestic violence. Hannah also worked as a case manager in a domestic violence shelter for the Partnership Against Domestic Violence. Before moving to Atlanta, Hannah worked in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico on an off-campus study program through Earlham College. Hannah is fluent in Spanish.
|
 |
Law Clerk, Nanda Berry:
Nanda is in her third year of law school at Georgia State University where she will complete her studies in December 2012. Nanda has a passion for international law and has completed the Summer Academy for International Commercial Arbitration in Linz, Austria through Georgia State University, as well as The Comparative Legal Studies Program held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil through Tulane University. Nanda earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology and Human Services from Clayton State University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Prior to attending law school, Nanda worked as the Latin American Program Coordinator for Hewlett Packard through the firm Next Step Learning and also gained experience working with families as a contract case manager for several counties in the Atlanta area. She has recently completed an internship with International Events Group where she organized and helped coordinate the friendly match between international soccer teams Manchester City and Club America at the Georgia Dome. Nanda is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. She lives in Stockbridge, Georgia with her husband and attends Southgate Church in McDonough.
|
 |
Client Relations Coordinator, Martha Reilly:
Martha has spent her professional career in the client/customer services arena. As a small business owner for 15 years, Martha managed all manner of customer concerns, feedback and satisfaction. In several client service fields, Martha helped maintain the business' focus on the clients so that the businesses could live up to their espoused goals. Martha also has extensive experience as a teacher's aid. Martha's exceptional talent lies in her ability to work with clients to gather and convey the information necessary for consultations to be productive, information gathering and information disseminating events. Martha is a native Mariettan.
|
 |
Finance and Accounts Manager, Lucy Pascocello:
Lucy earned her B.S. degree in Business Administration and minor in International Business from the University of Central Florida. Her professional experience includes over 9 years experience in Royalty Accounting Management at an International Book Publishing Company and at a major Music Recording Company in New York City. Lucy speaks Italian and Spanish.
|
 |
Business and Accounting Analyst, Suzy Creach:
Suzy holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University. She has over 20 years experience as an Operations Manager and Business Analyst managing and providing financial, human resources, and business support in a broad range of industries. In her early career, she worked as a software developer, primarily in the financial and real estate industry. She is a native Atlantan who is very involved in her church, her son's school, as well as her son's and husband's sports teams.
|
 |
Legal Administrative Assistant, Patricia Neal:
Patricia earned her Paralegal Certification from Kennesaw State University in 2004. Her professional experience includes 7 and one half years in the legal field where she has served as a receptionist, legal assistant, and paralegal. Additionally, Patricia has been a substitute teacher for the past 3 years with the Cartersville School Systems where her two children attend. She volunteered her time for the 2009 and 2010 football season by serving as head cheer coach for the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department girls ages 5 - 12. She serves as treasurer on the Deaconess Board at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Cartersville, Georgia.
|
 |
Legal Administrative Assistant, Teodora Nikolova:
Teodora was born and raised in Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, where she attended law school for five years. Upon relocating to the United States, she earned an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from the Delaware Technical and Community College, Delaware. Teodora further continued her education by receiving a B.S. degree in Legal Studies from the Wilmington University in Delaware. Her professional experience is built upon involvement in criminal law, civil litigation, collections, personal injury and workers’ compensation. Along with her internships with The Way Home Interfaith Program and the family Law Office of Kim DeBonte, Georgetown, Delaware, Teodora also gained a valuable experience as a Civil Clerk Trainee with the District Court for Wicomico County, Maryland. In addition to English, Teodora is fluent in Bulgarian and Russian as well.
|
 |
Office Clerk, Trey Vereen:
Trey attended Auburn University his first three years of college. While at Auburn, he was a member of the Politics and Leadership Organization run by the Student Government. Trey worked at a local restaurant and a local clothing store when he lived in Auburn. He moved back to Atlanta to transfer to the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he plans to pursue a career in the fashion industry.
|
 |
Administrative Assistant, Laurie Devine:
Laurie joined the Manely Firm in April, 2011. She brings 20 years' experience as a Human Resources Director. Laurie was a department head and member of the Executive Leadership Team for the past 16 years with various hotels companies with an emphasis on Employee Relations, Departmental Staffing and Recruitment, Performance & Discipline Counseling, Management Development and Training Programs. She maintains training certifications with Marriott, Sheraton, Weston, and Hilton Hotels. Laurie holds a PHR certification and is a member of Society of Human Resources Management. Laurie majored in Business Administration at North Carolina State University.
|
To schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney at The Manely Firm, P.C., call us toll free at 866-687-8561 or complete our online contact form.
