Robert Harris Smalley III

Robert is an AV Preeminent rated attorney with broad experience in wrongful death, personal injury, workers’ compensation, local government law, commercial litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. He began practicing in Georgia in 1992 and Tennessee in 1993, and has handled complex matters for both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts.

In 2001, he was named Whitfield County Attorney, representing the County Board of Commissioners, elected officials, and various local agencies, and he also advises other Georgia local governments on matters including the National Opioid litigation, Insulin litigation, and tax assessor issues.

He has held key leadership roles in major litigations, including serving as Liaison Counsel in the nationwide Tri State Crematory Litigation (appointed in 2002), coordinating nearly 1,500 claimants and helping obtain a multi-million dollar result, and serving in a leadership role in the multi-district ConAgra/Peter Pan peanut butter litigation (2007), negotiating hundreds of settlements across thousands of cases.

He has also tried and resolved wrongful death and catastrophic injury matters, including a 1997 jury verdict that was among the largest personal injury verdicts in Whitfield County at the time. Over the last 20 years, he has built a successful mediation practice in North Georgia, mediating disputes ranging from personal injury and estates to commercial, condemnation, and domestic matters, and has also served as an arbitrator and special master.

Beyond his legal work, he has been active in community and professional leadership, including long service with the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation (Chairman 2009–2015, overseeing a $6.2 million capital campaign), leadership roles with the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce (Chairman 2013–2014), and extensive service within First Presbyterian Church of Dalton and the broader Presbyterian Church.

He has served repeatedly on the State of Georgia Board of Bar Governors since 2010, was appointed in 2025 to a six-year term on the State Bar of Georgia Disciplinary Committee, and is Vice Chair of the Local Government Section in 2025 and Chair in 2026.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Davidson College (1989) and his law degree with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law (1992). He is licensed in Georgia and Tennessee and is admitted to state and federal courts in both states, including the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.