David Purvis

David Purvis advocates for families in Southeast Georgia including Chatham, Liberty, Bulloch, Effingham, and Bryan Counties. He also has extensive experience with Hague cases all over the world and frequently serves pro hac vice on intricate matters throughout the United States. His compassion and extensive knowledge and experience in handling complex family law matters, domestically and internationally, make him an asset to the Coastal Empire's legal community.

David is a Partner of The Manely Firm, P.C. in Savannah, Georgia and has established himself as a thought leader in family law. He has successfully argued in front of the Supreme Court of Georgia, Court of Appeals of Georgia, and has tried International Child Abduction cases in federal district courts in Florida and Georgia. David has heard appeals for the State's Child Abuse Registry, conducting hearings throughout Southeast Georgia as a Special Assistant Administrative Law Judge. He has served as the adjunct professor of Family Law at Savannah Law School and was the adjunct professor of Domestic Relations at Savannah Law School from 2015 to 2019. David has presented at Continuing Legal Education seminars for the State Bar Mid-Year Meeting and for the Savannah Bar Association over the last couple of years on the issues of current trends in family law and access to justice. He recently presented at the Family Law Institute Continuing Legal Education seminars on assisted reproduction law and surrogacy law in Georgia. David works closely with our Founding Attorney, Michael Manely, on complex family law matters throughout our firm's many offices in Georgia.

Located adjacent to Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, David has extensive experience in handling military divorce, child support, and child custody cases. He possesses a keen understanding of the military community's unique procedures and policies and is devoted to assisting soldiers, veterans, and their families as they navigate complicated family law matters.

David is an active member of the community, serving as a Deacon at his church and a moderator of the Diaconate for 2020. He acts as the Wilmington Island Presbyterian Preschool Board Chair since 2022, an Elder with Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church since 2022, and a Deacon with Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church from 2017-2020. David serves as an Ambassador for the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Savannah Bar Association, and serving on the Pro Bono Committee for the Georgia Legal Services Program. He is annually recognized for his pro bono legal services to the Savannah community and believes access to justice should have no financial restrictions. David also served as a Presenter for the Southeastern Association of Legal Assistants (SEALA) at the 2022 Annual Seminar. In 2023, he acted as a Co-Presenter for the Savannah Bar Association's Hot Topics CLE Family Law Case Law Update. David was proudly recognized by Savannah Magazine as a 2021 Best of Savannah "Best Lawyer" and Connect Savannah's 2022 and 2023 "Best Local Attorney" as well as recognizing David and his team as "Best Law Firm" and "Best Place to Work." He was also awarded by Savannah Morning News and SavannahNow.com as Best of the Coastal Empire's 2022 "Best Overall Attorney," Best of the Coastal Empire's "Best Divorce Attorney," as well as leading the team to be recognized as a top-three finalists for Best of the Coastal Empire's "Best Law Firm." Finally, David was proudly named to Georgia Trend Magazine's Legal Elite 2022. Nominated by peers, Georgia Trend recognizes the absolute top attorneys in 15 various fields of law each year.

David is a double alumnus from Georgia State University and graduated with a B.A. in history in 2001 and from the College of Law in 2010. During law school, he was the president of the Student Bar Association and received the Patrick Wiseman Moot Court Award. Prior to joining The Manely Firm, David had his own practice in Savannah and previously worked for Breakfield & Associates in Gainesville, Georgia where he had a general practice which included family law, criminal defense, and personal injury.