Former District Attorney Ken Hodges joins Albany-based law firm

ALBANY — One of the state’s — and certainly one of Albany’s — best-known attorneys is re-establishing ties with his hometown.

Former Dougherty District Attorney Kenneth B. Hodges III joined the Albany-based Flynn+Peeler+Phillips law firm Monday as an of-counsel attorney. He will open an Atlanta office for the firm near the capital city’s Buckhead district.

“There are, really, two big reasons for the move,” Hodges, a shareholder/attorney with the national Polsinelli firm for the past six years, said while in Albany for business Monday. “While (the Polsinelli firm) is a great firm, it has more than 750 lawyers. Obviously, with that many attorneys, there’s a lot of bureaucracy, a lot of conflicts.

“And the timing was perfect to join Patrick (Flynn), Charlie (Peeler) and Paul (Phillips). I have pending cases in Southwest Georgia — one that I believe will be on the docket in Dougherty County next week — and several others in the pipeline. Albany is my hometown, and I have lots of connections there. Plus, this is a great group to work with. You don’t get to know your fellow workers in a firm with 750 attorneys, but these guys are not only excellent attorneys, they’re friends.”

Peeler said Hodges, who was the Democratic nominee for state attorney general in 2010, is a perfect fit with the Flynn+Peeler+Phillips firm.

“When you’re part of a small firm and you add people, it’s important to get the right person,” Peeler said. “Ken is a great fit for our firm. We’ve established an office in Atlanta because Paul and I started our careers there and about half of our work is in the Atlanta area. Bringing Ken on gives us a permanent presence in that market.

“The term ‘of-counsel’ can mean a lot of things, but the way we look at it, Ken is coming on as an attorney with our firm but he comes in as an equal to Paul, Patrick and me. At some point in the future, he’ll become a full partner with the firm.”

Over the course of his 25-year law career, Hodges has tried and won hundreds of cases, including several in which he represented high-profile clients. He was named a 2014 “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend magazine and has been designated a 2014 “Super Lawyer,” a title bestowed upon less than 5 percent of the nation’s lawyers. The prestigious Martindale Hubble attorney ranking system gives Hodges an “AV” rating, its highest.

“It’s easy to say ‘the grass is greener,’ but I know from my time here that it won’t take 30 to 40 minutes to drive from one side of town to the other in Albany,” Hodges said of returning to court for trials in his hometown. “I also know that in Albany, you can often solve issues with a phone call or a quick visit. And while I personally know the (Fulton County) district attorney, the (Atlanta) mayor and even the governor, you just don’t have access (in Atlanta) like you do here.

“In Albany, I not only know the chairman of the Dougherty County Commission (Chris Cohilas) and the mayor (Dorothy Hubbard), they’re friends of mine.”

Hodges said he has mixed feelings about leaving Polsinelli..

“I am leaving a superior national firm,” he said. “Russ Welch, the CEO of Polsinelli, is a class act and has led the creation of a great national law firm. … But I am a Georgia lawyer, and working in a smaller, Georgia-based firm where I have more autonomy is a better fit.”

Hodges will specialize in business and commercial, as well as personal injury and criminal law, cases with Flynn+Peeler+Phillips. He and wife, Melissa, will remain in the Atlanta area with their two children, Margaret, 5, and Jack, 4.

“This (career change) does not necessarily mean that my family and I will eventually move back to Albany,” Hodges said, “but I’m committed to this firm. And if they determined that it would be in everyone’s best interest for me to come back, I’m certainly receptive to a move. The first priority for me, though, is family.”

A former District Attorney of the Year recipient, Hodges is former chairman of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia and has received the Justice Benham Award for Community Service from the State Bar. He currently serves on the executive committee of the State Bar of Georgia’s Board of Governors, is secretary of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta and is on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the State Botanical Garden in Athens.

With ties now to Albany, certainly there will be those who’ll surmise Hodges is re-establishing a professional affiliation with his hometown for future political considerations. He laughs when asked about such a scenario.

“They say the only true cure for politics is formaldehyde, and I’m not ready for that,” he quips. “I will remain a resident of Fulton County, so the short answer is, no, there is no office in Albany I’m looking at. But I will be involved in local politics because I still care about Albany and Dougherty County. I was actively involved in Chris Cohilas’ and (current Dougherty District Attorney) Greg Edwards’ campaigns, and I will continue to support people (running for office) who are important to me.

“Now if the right position for my family and for me professionally came up, would I consider it? Sure, I would. As I said, I love Albany, and I’ll do anything I can to help make it better.”