About Richard Hays Goolsby
Richard Hays Goolsby Sr. graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1975. He arrived in the profession at a time of change, after the expansion of federal courts and growing complexity in criminal and civil litigation. The law degree anchored a lengthy legal career that would include work in federal prosecution and appearances in appellate court.
Early in his career Goolsby moved into public service. In 1987 he served as an Assistant U.S. Lawyer at the United States Attorney's Office. That role placed him in the federal system and gave him courtroom experience at a level many attorneys do not encounter early on. Records show he is authorized to practice in Georgia and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which has shaped the scope of matters he has handled.
Goolsby’s admission to the Eleventh Circuit allows him to take appellate matters in a three-state federal circuit. That admission pairs with his Georgia bar credential to cover trial and appellate work within the state and in federal courts. While specific case lists are not provided here, his background in a U.S. Attorney’s Office implies familiarity with federal procedure, evidentiary issues, and prosecutorial practice.
Those years in federal service sit alongside a broader private practice career. Goolsby has worked on matters that required courtroom advocacy and filings in federal appellate court. He has been part of the legal community in Georgia through several decades, a period that has seen changes in rules, technology and courtroom practice. Colleagues describe the shifting expectations that came with those changes, and attorneys who began practice in the 1970s often point to managing both long-term client relationships and episodic federal litigation.
Outside titles and dates, Goolsby’s trajectory is straightforward. He trained at a major state law school, moved into the federal ranks as an Assistant U.S. Lawyer in the late 1980s, and maintained the credentials necessary to appear before the Eleventh Circuit. The record provided does not list a current firm office or bar number, but it does document his longstanding ties to Georgia and to federal appellate practice.
As of 2026 he continues to hold admissions that allow him to handle matters in Georgia and in the Eleventh Circuit, and his practice encompasses federal and appellate litigation.
