Member and past President of Savannah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Tom A. Edenfield, Sr. has been practicing law for almost 50 years. His services include General Law Practice, Criminal Law, Civil Law, Personal Injury, Domestic Relations, Wills, and Estates.

At the Savannah, Georgia based law office of Richard M. Darden, PC, I offer my clients more than 30 years of experience as an attorney. I have spent my entire legal career practicing criminal law. You can count on me to build a strong defense and to pursue every legal option available in an effort to obtain the most favorable outcome possible in your case.

Kidnapped at knifepoint by a disgruntled former client, local lawyer Mike Hostilo unexpectedly found that compassion and humility could save his life.

Michael Hostilo lived much of his life with an air of invincibility, and for good reason. He was a young, successful attorney replete with wealth, travel and a great golf game. He saw as many as 40 clients in a day, going through them in 15-minute intervals. His fast-paced life afforded him the finer things but left little time for reflection. So little, that when a disgruntled former client, Robbie Brower, burst into his Statesboro office, Hostilo had no idea who the bomb-wielding man was.

She’s honest, learned and humble. A straight-shooter with a quick wit, the Honorable Louisa Abbot never overlooks the magnitude and responsibility of her job as judge in the Superior Court of Chatham County, nor does she take for granted the opportunity to serve her community. Judge Abbot sat down with South to give us a quick glimpse of life in one of the most powerful positions in the city.

South magazine: How has your career evolved over the nine years on the bench? How have you changed?

Judge Abbot: I’m not scared to ask questions anymore. At first, whenever you go into a profession, you think you have to show other people that you know everything, that asking questions is a sign of weakness. But I don’t agree with that at all now. I think people respect honesty. You have to be willing to work hard, and if you start getting jaded or cynical, you are going to be in big trouble, especially in this job because you can see a lot of sad, sorrowful and mean parts of human nature. If you start believing that’s what the world is about, you can quickly lose your integrity as a judge.

“Savannah is a strange place when it comes to laws,” says Mark Tate. And he should know. As the founder of Tate Law Group and a personal injury attorney with more than 17 years of experience under his belt, Tate knows the law. The South tapped Tate’s expertise to clarify rules and regulations often misunderstood or just plain confusing to most. After all, everyone knowingly breaks the law at some point in their lives. (Is there really anyone who can claim they’ve never sped?) And sure, you may be aware of many of the laws included here, but the heavy penalties such laws carry should you accidentally—or not so accidentally—break them may still be a mystery. So, think of this as a guide to staying on the right side of the law—and avoiding any jail time that may come from sheer ignorance.

Carrying a Gun in a Car
Surprise birthday parties are good; surprise weapons are bad. In Georgia, it is legal to carry a firearm in your car, but it must be in plain sight. “If you want to conceal it, you have to have a license for that,” Tate explains. Leave it on the seat, floor or anywhere it’s not hidden. If a police officer happens to pull you over while you have a gun in the car, Tate adds that it’s a good idea to tell the officer up front. After all, if there is one profession that hates surprises, its law enforcement.