Sara Elizabeth Gheesling

I've had Sara handle a couple of my court cases now and both with very positive results. I hired her for a Cobb county DUI in which I was CLEARLY guilty, and she worked to help get the sentence reduced. She did all of the leg work while I was on a job in VA! She would call weekly or bi-weekly and let... me know what was happening with my case. I ended up getting the minimum sentence, with approval from the judge to receive a work permit, and was immediately able to go back to work. The latest case I had Ms Gheesling work for me on was in Bartow county (over an hour from her office) and was being charged with a felony driving while licence suspended. She did TONS of research and found information that technically didn't allow the state to charge me with a felony... got my sentence reduced to a misdemeanor, AND helped me plea nolo so that it didn't count additional time against my license suspension. I got the minimum fines, and she even helped me get non-reporting probation. Killer attorney! I only wish I would have hired her for the case before last!!!! She's an amazingly talented young attorney, whom is an absolute Bulldog in court! A real pleasure to have worked with! A+++ Will DEFINITELY be calling her again if future needs arise!

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.

I knew of Ms. Gheesling through a friend who had been arrested for DUI. After making it home from my incident, the first thing I did was call her. She proceeded to walk me through all the questions I had, and had worked on my automatic license suspension and getting the arrest video within a day or t...wo. That week, once I had calmed down, she explained in detail everything involved with the process and everything I could do to help my case. Within the month she handled my license suspension hearing - I didn't lose it for a single day. During the months before my court date, I talked with her several times to ask questions, probably the same ones over and over. She was consistently kind, thorough, responsive, and knowledgable. She explained all the options I had regarding courts/trials/pleas, led me through pros and cons, gave recommendations, but ultimately let me decide what route I wanted to take. When the court date came and I hadn't completed all the tasks she'd recommended, she was able to get a deal - charge lessened, no DUI and all its associated headaches and expenses - while delaying the court for four months or so. This allowed me to avoid probation despite my slowness. In short, I enthusiastically recommend Ms. Gheesling to guide anybody through the ordeal of a DUI arrest. No probation, no DUI conviction, no DUI insurance rate spike...I couldn't have asked for a better outcome under the circumstances.

This review is based on a consultation, and the attorney's responsiveness to my message as a prospective client. I haven't yet retained her, as I'm still figuring out my representation, so she hasn't served as my attorney. But Ms. Gheesling stuck out in a positive way because, unlike most attorney...s in the Atlanta area (who unfortunately often do not display high levels of professionalism), she returned my message promptly very, and gave me a thoughtful consultation. Ms. Gheesling also came across as someone who's very knowledgeable and genuinely passionate about criminal defense law and criminal procedure. As noted, I'm still determining my representation for a misdemeanor charge. My only issue was the one-size-fits-all fee structure (hence the 4/5 rather than 5/5)-- but which is common and does not reflect on Ms. Gheesling professionally. If the money weren't a concern and I was ready to retain an attorney, I'd hire Ms. Gheesling.