About S. Lester Tate
S. Lester Tate III graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1985, where he served on the University of South Carolina Law Review. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1978. Those formative years set a pattern of combining technical training with close attention to legal writing and analysis.
He has been a visible figure in Georgia’s legal community for decades. His name appears on leadership rosters across the State Bar of Georgia, where he served on the Board of Governors beginning in 1995 and later ascended through executive roles. He was Treasurer of the State Bar from 2007 to 2009, President-Elect from 2009 to 2010, and President from 2010 to 2011. He also chaired the State Disciplinary Board Investigative Panel in 2005 and serves on the State Bar’s Executive Committee.
Beyond the State Bar, Tate has taken on public-facing legal roles. He has served on a Federal Defender Board and accepted responsibilities as counsel for the U.S. Presidential Election Voter Protection Operation in Bartow and Paulding Counties in 2008. He chaired the Bartow County Democratic Party from 2003 to 2007 and held membership on the State Democratic Committee. For many years he has been involved in community philanthropy, acting as Campaign Chairman for the Bartow County United Way since 1995.
His professional affiliations include membership in the Atlanta Bar Association, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Cartersville-Bartow County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the American Bar Association. He also volunteers as a lawyer for Advocates for Bartow’s Children. These memberships and volunteer roles reflect a long-standing engagement with trial practice, courtroom procedure, and community legal needs.
Tate’s combination of law review experience, bar governance, and board service suggests a practice comfortable with litigation, professional responsibility matters, and organizational leadership. He has blended courtroom work and administrative responsibility throughout his career. He continues to practice law at Akin & Tate, P.C., where his work now centers on courtroom litigation and serving clients in the local community.
