William R. Lester

PRO

William R. Lester

also known as Bill Lester

4.9
74 reviews
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
Rating: 9.9

Licensed for 44 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer at Atlanta, GA
Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, Family, Child Custody ... +3 more

1050 Crown Pointe Parkway, Suite 410, Atlanta, GA

Virtual Consultation Available

About William

Biography

Finding an attorney to educate & assist you through the divorce process is the critical first step.

Practice Areas

6

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 40%

Concentrating in complex, disputed divorce issues including asset tracing and hidden asset matters.

45 years | 1,500 cases

40%
Child Custody 15%

45 years | 390 cases

15%
Family 15%

Expert counseling and litigation in the entire arena of Family law including divorce, custody, modifications, enforcment, contempt and adoption.

45 years | 2,000 cases

15%
Alimony 10%

45 years | 350 cases

10%
Domestic Violence 10%

45 years | 175 cases

10%
Litigation 10%

Business litigation and arbitration of contract disputes, employment disputes and general litigation.

45 years | 2,100 cases

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Awards

Client's Choice
Client's Choice
2016 2014 2010

Licenses

Licensed in Georgia for 44 years

State: Georgia

Acquired: 1981

Active Member in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Fryer, Shuster, Lester & Pollack P.C.

1050 Crown Pointe Parkway, Suite 410, Atlanta, GA, 30338

galegal.com

William R. Lester's Reviews

Showing 21 - 22 of 22 reviews | Communication Style

Posted by anonymous | August 25, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Compassionate yet pragmatic divorce attorney

I hired Bill and team for my divorce. Bill was very helpful walking me through the process, letting me know what to expect, and checked in frequently. He and his paralegal were extremely responsive, even during the Covid crisis, and it was always easy to get in touch with them. His associate, Helen, ...was also great to work with - she brought an extra attention to detail and must take good notes because she was always able to keep the multiple revisions of the settlement agreement straight! They weren't afraid to have the tough conversations with me if I was being too lenient on my soon-to-be ex. But they were also compassionate when I questioned what I was doing. The only reason I knocked off 1 star is because it was expensive to work with them. I have never hired an attorney before but given that this was a divorce with no kids and no court dates, I wasn't expecting the bill to end up around $20k. I imagine you get what you pay for, so in this instance, I felt he was very knowledgeable and available. And he did give me some discounts for paying in full on time, which was appreciated. For more complicated divorces, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

Posted by Jeff | November 01, 2010 | Child Custody

When Children Count, Don't Cont on Mr. Lester

I was interested in saving money and hired Mr. Lester to handle a small contempt charge against my ex-wife. I have custody of my two sons won by another lawyer. I find it interesting that none of the other reviews had anywhere near the experience that I did with Mr. Lester. I will provide a few de...tails of my experience and let the reader decide for themselves. I found Mr. Lester to be knowledgeable in legal matters and formal. My primary issues that I have with Mr. Lester are assisting my ex-wife, cannot think on his feet in the courtroom and overcharging for services. I found Mr. Lester's conduct with his secretary to be abusive. At the first hearing, the judge allowed a delay to provide my ex-wife more time to find a lawyer. Mr. Lester spoke with one of the witnesses in front of my ex-wife after court. The witness allowed Mr. Lester to examine his subpoena. Mr. Lester explained to the witness and my ex-wife how the subpoena was not done properly and why he could not testify with it. I sent Mr. Lester an email with several questions about his conduct. Mr. Lester responded with a lengthy letter that he mailed to me. He never answered my questions and I found the tone of the letter to be insulting. I wanted to fire Mr. Lester at this point; however, with the next trial so soon, I did not feel that I had enough time to change lawyers. I seriously regret that decision. During the trial, I learned that Mr. Lester cannot think on his feet. If an issue came up that was not in his meticulously prepared papers, he developed a blank stare on his face and would not respond. Two of my ex-wife’s witnesses committed hearsay. When I explained this to Mr. Lester during their testimony, he never responded so the evidence was allowed. I had told Mr. Lester in his office that the judge did not want to interview children. During the trial, Mr. Lester asked me if the judge requested to speak with the children if that was OK with me. I told him that would not be a problem. Mr. Lester then stood up and asked the judge to interview the children! After a tongue lashing from the judge, the request was denied. Beware of the courtesy discount from Mr. Lester. All of his meticulous organization and drawn out letters come with a cost so review you bill carefully if you decide to retain him. My ex-wife decided to bring another case against me after retaining her lawyer. My new lawyer asked why Mr. Lester had not made a request to the judge to combine the cases since it would be more expensive to go to court on two different days instead of one. I told my new lawyer that I did not know why and that issue was never discussed.

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William R. Lester's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse William
Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington headshot
Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 14

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Timothy James Bilecki headshot
Timothy Bilecki

Litigation lawyer | Oct 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"William has an outstanding reputation for zealously advocating for his clients and obtaining great results."

Joseph Torri headshot
Joseph Torri

Unknown lawyer | Aug 21

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Patrick D Angel headshot
Patrick Angel

Litigation lawyer | Nov 29

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer."

Justin R. Key headshot
Justin Key

Family lawyer | Nov 20

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer."

Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Family lawyer | Oct 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse William. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

Thomas L. Holder headshot
Thomas Holder

Divorce and separation lawyer | Feb 22

Relationship: Friend

"It is my pleasure to endorse Bill Lester. I was a law school classmate of Bill's and we have been friends for over 30 years. Bill has built his practice around the outstanding service and intelligence that he brings to all of his cases. I have no hesitancey in referring potential clients to him for either divorces or business dissolutions."

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Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Military law lawyer

Thomas L. Holder headshot
Thomas Holder

Workers compensation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.9 (Superb)

Honors

2017

AV Rated, Martindale Hubbell

2016

AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

1991

State Bar Of Georgia Bar Association Newsletter Award, State Bar Of Georgia

1990

AV Peer Review Rating 25+ years, Martindale Hubbell

Work Experience

1997 - Present

Partner, Fryer, Shuster & Lester P.C.

1991 - 1997

Partner, Freed, Lester & Berman P.C.

1986 - 1991

Partner, Gershon, Olim, Katz, Loeb & Lester P.C.

1984 - 1986

General Counsel, Friends of Children, Inc

1981 - 1984

Associate, Zachary & Segraves

1980 - 1981

Intern, Honorable Joel J. Fryer, Superior Court of Fulton County

Associations

2013 - Present

Visions Anew

Speaker Qualifications Committee - Chair

Atlanta Bar Association

Member

Federal Bar Association

Member

State Bar of Georgia

Member

Georgia Trial Lawyers Association

Member

1990 - 1991

DeKalb Bar Association

President

1989 - 1990

DeKalb Bar Association

Vice President - President Elect

1988 - 1989

DeKalb Bar Association

Treasurer

Sample of Legal Cases

Perkins v. Haines, 661 F.3d 623, 2011

Trustee was denied.

Darroch v. Willis, 286 Ga. 566,690 S.E.2d 410, 2010

Case settled for client after appeal.

Alternative Health Care systems, Inc. v. McCown, 237 Ga.App. 355, 514 S.E.2d 691, 1999

Appeal denied

Lane v. Spragg, 244 Ga.App 606,481 S.E.2d 592, 1997

Atlantic Steel Credit Union v. Shephard 204 Ga. App 297, 419 S.E.2d 132, 1992

Appeal denied

Kelly Energy Systems, Inc. v. Board of Com'rs of Clarke County, 196 Ga.App. 519, 396 S.E.2d 498, 1990

Established case law in Georgia that a failure to include a claim of payment in a Pre-trial Order will allow the exclusion of evidence of payment at trial. Verdict upheld on appeal.

Privitera v. Addison, 190 Ga.App. 102, 378 S.E.2d 312, 1989

Sheftelman v. Jones, 667 F.Supp. 859, Fed. Sec. L. Rep. P 93,341, N.D.Ga.

Case settled after over 5 years of extensive litigation, including over 35 depositions and numerous motions and appeals.

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Education

1981

Emory University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1978

Tulane University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2016

Visions Anew Institute Boot Camp

How To Start The Divorce Process

2015

Visions Anew Institute Divorce Workshop 101

What Happens If You Want To Divorce?

2014

Visions Anew Institute Conference

Get Out Of that Abusive Relationship Now!

1992

Child Custody Seminar for Family Law Attorneys

Child Custody and Visitation in Georgia

1989

Northern District of Georgia Bancruptcy Section

Family Law for the Bankruptcy Court

Publications

2015

Visions Anew Workshop What to Expect in Your Divorce.

Languages

English

Activity

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