About Annette
Annette Malena earned her undergraduate degree at Emory University before returning to Georgia for law school. She received her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1995 and was admitted to the Georgia bar that same year. Her academic background set a steady course for a career that has moved between public service, teaching and private practice.
She began her legal career in the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, serving as a Senior Assistant District Lawyer starting in 1995. That role placed her on the front lines of criminal litigation and trial work early in her career. The following year she took on a teaching role as an adjunct professor at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, a position that allowed her to combine courtroom experience with classroom instruction.
In the years after, Malena transitioned into contract work as a litigation support lawyer in 2007. Those years in private contracting gave her experience handling the practical and procedural aspects of civil litigation for a range of clients. By 2021 she was practicing as a personal injury lawyer at Scholle Law, where her work has centered on representing individuals in claims arising from motor vehicle collisions and other serious injuries.
Her background in prosecution and later work in civil litigation inform her courtroom approach. She has handled cases on both sides of the aisle: pursuing justice for the state earlier in her career and later representing private clients in injury claims. She is also registered as a neutral with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, a credential she has held since 2021. That role signals experience in mediations and alternative dispute resolution in addition to trial practice.
Malena maintains active memberships in several professional organizations. She joined the State Bar of Georgia in 1995 and holds admission or membership privileges with the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia. More recent affiliations include the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, both since 2022, as well as the Gwinnett County Bar Association. In 2023 she became a member of the Academy of Truck Accident Lawyers.
Her career spans prosecution, teaching, litigation support and personal injury advocacy. She practices out of Scholle Law and maintains an active Georgia law license. Her current work centers on personal injury cases, handling claims for clients affected by serious accidents and pursuing remedies through negotiation, mediation and litigation.
