Andrea L. Pawlak

COMMERCIAL & BUSINESS LITIGATION

• Successfully defended a commercial landlord in a long-running Atlanta Beltline property dispute, obtaining summary judgment on all claims. The Court of Appeals affirmed on all but one breach of contract claim, which proceeded to jury trial and was favorably settled at the outset of trial.
• Secured multiple summary judgement victories for a nightclub client against various claims, including securing a second summary judgement win on a Fair Labor Standards Act case reaffirming the club's tip policies complied with federal law.
• Represented a limited liability company against wrongful death and negligence claims successfully obtaining a stipulated dismissal of the case brought by the estate of the deceased in an Alabama lawsuit.
• Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of a commercial tenant following years of litigation with its landlord. The trial court had granted summary judgment to the landlord on all claims, but the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed on the breach of contract claim, allowing the tenant to continue litigating and ultimately reach a favorable settlement before trial.
• Together with partner Kevin Ward, obtained summary judgment for the plaintiff, a logistics services firm, and defeated a counterclaim on a breach of contract claim in federal court and favorably settled the damages phase for more than $1.5 million in a consent final judgment.
• On behalf of a property owner, successfully defeated a motion to dismiss trespass and inverse condemnation claims against a city arising from the city's demolition of the owner's building and the imposition of a six-figure lien for demolition costs. The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's ruling, and the matter was later resolved favorably during our client's petition for review to the Georgia Supreme Court.
• Successfully opposed a motion to compel discovery from a non-party, protecting an individual partner from intrusive financial disclosure sought by a judgment creditor, and obtained an award of attorney's fees on behalf of the non-party.
• Obtained summary judgment for a plaintiff in a complex business dispute involving claims of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and conversion, and later negotiated a Consent Final Order that included a six-figure punitive damages award.
• Successfully defended a subcontractor against a motion for summary judgement brought by a general contractor related to "paid-when-paid" arguments.
• Secured summary judgment for a property seller in a $2.5 million earnest money dispute, successfully defeating all counterclaims asserted by the buyer.
• Negotiated a favorable resolution on behalf of a lender in connection with a business loan agreement and promissory note dispute.

FAMILY LAW

• Successfully settled numerous contested divorce and custody matters.
• Obtained 71% of the marital assets for client as equitable division of marital property following a jury trial demanded by the other side.
• Represented a wife in a multi-day bench trial in a contested divorce, securing favorable outcomes on the equitable division of marital property, custody, parenting time, child support, and attorney fees, while successfully opposing the paternal grandparents' claims for custody and visitation.
• Represented a husband in a contested divorce proceeding, reaching a comprehensive settlement at the commencement of a bench trial on all issues of equitable division, custody, parenting time, child support, and attorney fees; successfully enforced the settlement after the wife refused to sign and obtained an award of attorney fees related to the enforcement motion.
• Negotiated a favorable modification of alimony on behalf of former husband.