Sara Elizabeth Gheesling

If you are like me, the last thing you want in your life is to need an attorney. On the one hand, you might have big problems with charges in front of a judge. On the other, you can be incredibly stressed with having to deal with an attorney and the associated costs. We were incredibly fortunate to f...ind Sara, and both sides of our dilemma were addressed with care and professionalism at a very reasonable cost. My son's charges required multiple court appearances, both in Cherokee County and Athens-Clarke County. Sara made sure we knew what to expect every time, and she made sure my son was prepared for any questions the judge might ask. Every appearance, my son and I would look around the courtroom in surprise, because it was so obvious that most of the defendants were completely unprepared. It often seemed as if the attorneys were meeting their clients for the first time right there in court. It made us extremely grateful to have Sara on our side. My son's issues were drug and alcohol related. The Teen and Young Adult Defense Firm treated us more like family than clients. They helped us find rehab facility options, and facilitated my son's release from holding directly to an inpatient facility. The Firm presented several options with different pricing. I'm sure we received preferential fees at the rehab location due to being clients at the Firm. It was great having someone from the Firm who had visited the rehab facilities to help us with guidance for this big step. We were very worried about the charges in Athens. One was a felony, with two additional misdemeanors. I considered looking for a "local" attorney in Athens, but Sara assured us that she had a lot of experience there, and had dealt with judges and the prosecutor's office many times. The final disposition of our case could not have been more favorable. The felony was changed to a much less serious misdemeanor, and one of the other misdemeanors was dropped entirely. No jail time or fines were required, and the terms of probation were very favorable. We were extremely pleased because we heard the sentences of two very similar cases while we were in court waiting to be called. One was a local businessman, and the other was a young female student at UGA. Both were given what I considered to be severe sentences. When my son was called, I expected the worst. But Sara had done her job and had gone over the details and mitigating circumstances of my son's case with the prosecutor in advance, resulting in an outstanding outcome. I neglected to mention my son also had an unrelated, separate municipal charge pending in Athens that she also arranged to have completely dropped! The process was frightening, but we were never surprised at any point. Everything was explained to us completely and clearly ahead of time, including all required attorney's fees. I am so grateful that we had this law firm and Sara in our corner.

In February 2013, I was in a very bad car accident, for which I was at fault. I was badly injured (third degree burns and broken ribs). I was not only charged at fault for the accident, but since I had prescriptions on me that could cause a DUI (clonazepam), I was taken from the hospital and sent str...aight to jail, before my injuries were even fully assessed. Unfortunately, I also had on my person a substance that I had legally obtained from a retail establishment, that the county declared a synthetic cannabinoid. The synthetic cannabinoid was a felony charge. This case was extremely stressful for me. I could not afford to lose my license, nor could I afford a misdemeanor, let alone a felony. I knew I needed a lawyer, and with so many options to choose from, I was very overwhelmed and extremely frightening. Fortunately, a friend recommended Ms. Gheesling and it was the best decision I have ever made. Ms. Gheesling fought relentlessly with Hall County, which took over two years of extremely diligent wok with the prosecutor, along with attending countless court appearances on my behalf. They acknowledged that my blood test results were clean and that the substance was not illegal until after my arrest, but they spent 2 years telling us that they would take us to court regardless, and that we would have to appeal. And then, one day I got a call that gave me my life back – Ms. Gheesling had gotten not one, but both charges completely dropped! If I had not been for Ms. Gheesling, these results would not have occurred. The county in which I was arrested was very disorganized, over-crowded, over-booked, and has a reputation for strict sentencing. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that these charges would not have been dropped had it not been for over two years of her work on this. In addition to all of her hard work on my case, she talked to me whenever I needed. I found her compassion to be second to none. On countless occasions, she returned my calls to find me in absolute tears or panic, and through both her knowledge and empathy was able to keep me focused on the future. I will never think of enough words to thank her for what she has done for my life, but I will probably spend my lifetime trying.