Edwin J. Schklar

Edwin@AtlantaLawFirm.net
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Phone: (404) 888-0100

Edwin Schklar is widely regarded as one of Georgia’s most accomplished trial attorneys, with more than 40 years of experience litigating complex business disputes, estate and trust matters, and legal malpractice claims. His litigation experience spans high-stakes business fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, professional negligence, securities, and contract disputes, often involving multimillion-dollar exposure, complex corporate structures, and international parties. In addition to an impressive record of trial work, Edwin has secured wins in high-stakes arbitrations as well as appeals before the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia, work which has shaped Georgia law on issues ranging from special master appointments to the state’s Long-Arm Statute.

Edwin’s career began in public service as a proud member of the United States Army.  As a Judge Advocate and Special Assistant United States Attorney in both the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia, he tried hundreds of cases in federal district courts and in military courts, as well as handling legal matters involving the White House, the Pentagon, foreign embassies, and surrounding military installations.

Edwin’s decades of results have earned him some of the legal profession’s highest honors. In 2024, Best Lawyers in America named him Lawyer of the Year for Professional Malpractice in Atlanta — a distinction awarded to only one attorney. He has been recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer seventeen times, is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Professional Malpractice, Commercial Litigation, and Trusts and Estates Litigation, holds an AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has a perfect 10/10 rating on Avvo. Georgia Trend Magazine has routinely named him to its annual list of Legal Elite, an honor reserved for fewer than 300 attorneys statewide and determined solely by the vote of fellow lawyers.

Edwin’s commitment to education is extensive and has prepared him well for the practice of law. He earned his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, where he served as Editor of the Emory Law Journal, while also competing on the school’s Moot Court Team, which finished National Runner-up. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Emory University. Edwin completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Vanderbilt University. He is admitted to practice in all Georgia courts, as well as before the Court of Appeals of Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Practice Areas

Business Litigation
Legal Malpractice
Estate & Trust Litigation
Securities Litigation
Construction Litigation
Domestic Relations Litigation
Intellectual Property Litigation
Real Property Litigation
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Class Actions

Admissions

Georgia
Court of Appeals of Georgia
Supreme Court of Georgia
U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court

Awards

Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America, Professional Malpractice Plaintiffs-Atlanta, 2024
Georgia Super Lawyer, Seventeen Years
Best Lawyers in America for Professional Malpractice Plaintiffs, Commercial Litigation, and Trusts and Estate Litigation, 2018-2027
Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated
Rated 10/10, Avvo
Legal Elite for Trial Law, Georgia Trend Magazine, 2012-2025
Who’s Who of Atlanta Lawyers Top 50, Atlanta Business Chronicle

Education

Emory University, Juris Doctor
Emory University, Master of Business Administration
Vanderbilt University, Bachelor of Arts

Representative Matters

Gwinnett County Superior Court, 2015
Obtained a defense verdict after a four-day jury trial for a client sued for more than $5 million by a French distributor, utilizing a multi-level marketing industry expert to secure the win.

Fulton County Superior Court, 2010
Represented a corporate client in a securities fraud case against 25+ defendants after the client was defrauded through a financing agreement with overseas companies that manipulated the company’s share price to obtain greater ownership. More than $50 million was at issue, and the case presented novel questions of personal jurisdiction over co-conspirators, addressed on appeal by the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Appellate Opinions

Sibling Trust Dispute (2026) – Secured a Georgia Court of Appeals opinion upholding a $4 million judgment against a trustee found to have breached his fiduciary duty by intentionally withholding trust assets from a beneficiary in bad faith and refusing to administer the trust.

The Kamler Estate Litigation Fee Affirmation (2020) – secured a sweeping $555,000 attorneys’ fees award as a direct sanction against the opposing family members and their legal counsel for engaging in abusive litigation.

Hyperdynamics Corp. v. Southridge Capital Management, 305 Ga. App. 288 (2010) – Weighed in as amicus curiae in a multi-district financing dispute that produced a widely cited opinion mapping the reach of Georgia’s Long-Arm Statute over non-resident corporate and human defendants engaged in a conspiracy.

Alston & Bird LLP v. Mellon Ventures II, L.P., 307 Ga. App. 640 (2010) – Represented a venture fund group, including GE and Bank of New York Mellon in a high-profile win against an international law firm, obtaining summary judgment and disqualification of key expert witnesses at trial — affirmed on appeal in a published opinion.

McKesson Corp. v. Green, 299 Ga. App. 154 (2009) – Represented the appellees in a major shareholder fraud suit over a sharp stock-price drop, in a decision that remains influential on Georgia’s pleading standards for corporate fraud and civil conspiracy.

Media Coverage

Ga. Court Upholds $3M Judgment in Sibling Trust Dispute, Law360, March 19, 2026
Georgia High Court Won’t Hear Missed Patent Deadline Case, Law360, September 18, 2024
Georgia High Court Told to Skip Inventor’s ‘Clerical Mistake’ Fight, Law360, June 26, 2024
Ex-FisherBroyles Client Asks Georgia Supreme Court to Add IP Vendor Back to Lawsuit Over Missed Patent Deadline, Daily Report, June 12, 2024
FisherBroyles Hit with Legal Mal Suit Over Missed Filings for Foreign Medical Patents, Daily Report, September 29, 2020
Estate Dispute Yields $554K Fee Award in Cobb County, Daily Report, February 25, 2019
Lawyer Who Won $175K in Sanctions from Sutherland Brings New Suit, Daily Report, February 26, 2015
Sutherland Ordered to Pay $175K in Sanctions, Daily Report, August 22, 2014
Missed Deadline Could Cost $100M, Daily Report, September 26, 2014
Appellate Ruling Urges Judges to Limit Use of Special Masters, Daily Report, December 12, 2010
Firm Sued Over Alleged Drafting Error in Agreement, The Recorder, May 15, 2006

Published Works

Co-Author, Outsource Document Review at Your Own Peril, Daily Report, August 6, 2018
Stealth Attack Leads to Vanishing Middle Class, Daily Report, 2012
Americans Have a Right to Be Upset, Daily Report, 2011

Professional Memberships & Affiliations

Atlanta Bar Association
State Bar of Georgia
American Bar Association

Prior Positions

Jones Day
Hansell & Post
Special Assistant United States Attorney, District of Columbia
Special Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia
United States Army, Judge Advocate General’s Corps