About William James
William James Atkins is a seasoned trial lawyer based in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in personal injury, medical malpractice, criminal law, business law, employment law, and civil rights. He is a founding member of Atkins & Fife, LLC, located at 6400 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 355, Atlanta, GA 30339. The firm handles a diverse range of cases, including wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, false arrest, sexual harassment. Civil rights matters involving law enforcement officials. Mr. Atkins earned his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 1994, following a Bachelor of Arts in History from Vassar College in 1991. During law school, he was recognized as Best Oralist in the 1992 Emory Moot Court Competition and competed on the Georgia Intrastate and National Moot Court teams.
His legal career began as a prosecutor in the Douglas County District Attorney’s office, where he tried over twenty felony and misdemeanor jury trials to "guilty" verdicts, all of which were affirmed on appeal. In private practice, Mr. Atkins has secured significant jury verdicts and settlements in many cases, including serious personal injury, intentional torts, employment discrimination, and police misconduct. He is admitted to practice in the Georgia Supreme Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Cobb County Bar Association, and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. He is also a Master member of the Order of Barristers. Before founding Atkins & Fife, LLC, Mr.
Atkins was a partner at Warshauer Woodward Atkins, where he represented clients in medical malpractice, wrongful death, and catastrophic personal injury cases. He has also represented individuals in civil rights matters ranging from deadly force, false arrest, malicious prosecution, and other governmental liability matters. He is known as a tenacious trial lawyer, securing six and seven-figure verdicts and settlements for his clients in employment discrimination, civil rights, medical malpractice, and other catastrophic personal injury cases. He has tried cases in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and throughout Georgia. Mr. Atkins is recognized for his expertise in governmental liability. He has given numerous presentations on qualified and official immunity, ministerial duties, and other issues related to law enforcement liability for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) and the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.
His article on qualified immunity, titled "Death by a Thousand Cuts," was published in the Winter 2020 issue of Verdict magazine. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, he co-authored an editorial with Zack Greenamyre in the Daily Report calling for reform to official immunity in Georgia. He is also a certified mediator and arbitrator at Miles Mediation and Arbitration, offering a neutral perspective to help parties reach settlements. Outside of his legal practice, Mr. Atkins resides in Marietta with his wife, Kathleen, and their 15-pound poodle mix. He has four stepchildren scattered around the country and enjoys frequent visits with them. He volunteers as a coach for the Walton High School Mock Trial team and enjoys playing golf, sailing, and rooting for various sports teams.
