Richard E. Barnes

Richard Barnes is the founder of Barnes Law, LLC. An attorney with over 30 years experience with professionals, executives and family owned businesses, Richard is an author and regular speaker on business and estate planning and fiduciary litigation. Richard is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a Past Chair of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and has served on its Executive, Trust Code Revision and Long-Range Planning Committees. Richard is a past President of the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers, a Past President of the Valdosta Rotary Club, a past member of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, a member of the State Bar of Georgia (Business Law, Fiduciary Law and Real Property Law Sections) and Florida Bar (Real Property, Probate Law Section),and was a 2014-2015 member of the Philanthropic Advisors Leadership Institute sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. In Fall 2008, Richard served as an Adjunct Instructor at Valdosta State University, where he taught a course on Business Associations. Since 2010, Richard has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America and as a Georgia Super Lawyer. Richard is ranked in Chambers and Partners High New Worth guide. In May 2009, Richards book, Estate Planning for Blended Families: Providing for Your Spouse & Children in a Second Marriage, was published as the first book to focus on the particular needs of spouses in second marriages in providing for one another as well as children from the current relationship or previous relationships. Richard is licensed to practice law in the States of Georgia and Florida. Richard is a graduate of Rhodes College and Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was the Senior Student Writing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. Prior to founding Barnes Law, LLC in January 2010, Richard was a partner in the Valdosta firm Elliott, Blackburn, Barnes & Gooding, P. C. Before moving to Valdosta in 1999, Richard was the General Counsel for the Transmission Network Systems Division of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. Before practicing in-house, Richard was an associate at Troutman Pepper LLP and King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta. Richard is a member of Valdosta First Methodist Church. Richard has served on the Board of Directors of Lowndes Education Improvement Foundation, Inc., the Lowndes County School Superintendents Advisory Council and the Planned Gifts Committee of the South Georgia Medical Center Foundation. Richard is married to Bridgett Moore, M. D., a Valdosta plastic surgeon. They have one son, Tucker, a proud graduate of Lowndes High School who recently graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.