Bouhan, Williams & Levy's Armstrong House

Two established Savannah firms have announced they’ll merge. Bouhan, Williams & Levy, whose roots go back to 1886, is combining with Inglesby, Falligant, Horne, Courington & Chisholm, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

The combined firm, to be called Bouhan + Falligant, will be headquartered in the Armstrong House at 447 Bull Street, where Bouhan Williams is currently located. It will have 29 lawyers if all 17 Bouhan Williams and all 12 Inglesby Falligant lawyers make the move.

One Bouhan Williams lawyer, Sonny Seiler, was the lead defense counsel in the trials of local antiques dealer and preservationist Jim Williams for the 1981 murder of his assistant, Danny Hansford, in Williams’ home, Mercer House. The case was made famous by the book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” published in 1994.

Bouhan Williams acquired the Armstrong House from Williams in 1970, according to the firm’s website.

Bouhan + Falligant’s managing partner will be Lea Holliday, the managing partner of Bouhan Williams.

“Inglesby Falligant will contribute what we consider to be the best group of commercial and residential real estate lawyers in the Southeast, plus an extensive bankruptcy practice,” Holliday said in a statement. “Our trial lawyers, who are well known for litigating business disputes and defending malpractice cases, will be complemented by Inglesby Falligant’s successful products liability, transportation and family law practices.”

The merger marks the first name change in 44 years for Bouhan Williams, which handles corporate law and litigation.

Inglesby Falligant’s senior partner, Danny Falligant said Bouhan Williams has “produced some of the finest lawyers in Savannah in many years. We’ve observed their exceptional team from the other side of the table and now can look forward to being on the same side.”

To see the interior of the Armstrong House click here.

Courthouse News Service reports today that a man with Tourette’s Syndrome alleges in a lawsuit that Chatham County Sheriff’s deputies denied him medical treatment and then kept him tied to a chair for hours, beating and kicking him and laughing at his reactions.

Charles Ray, 34, sued Chatham County Sheriff Al St. Lawrence in Chatham County State Court, Courthouse News reported. The suit alleges that Ray told deputies when they arrested him on a drug charge in 2010 not to send him through a metal detector because it would deactivate his deep brain stimulation device that  treated his disease. They sent him through anyway, deactivating the device and leaving him with no way to control his symptoms, which include uncontrollable tics and outbursts.

Ray, represented by Julian Toporek and Richard Darden, is seeking damages for negligence and infliction of emotional distress. Courthouse News reported that a sheriff’s spokesman said,  ”The lawsuit is under review by our legal department and the internal affairs unit.”

Here’s the CN link: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/18/48480.htm

The lawyer for celebrity restaurateur Paula Deen and her business enterprise said Monday afternoon that charges in an ex-employee’s suit—including claims that Deen’s brother subjected the plaintiff and others to misogyny, racism and anti-Semitism—are false.

Greg Hodges, a partner at Oliver Maner in Savannah, confirmed that the plaintiff, Lisa T. Jackson, worked for Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, which is owned by Deen and Deen’s brother. She also did some work for Paula Deen Enterprises, Hodges said.

“Now, she claims she was mistreated during her employment,” Hodges said. “We investigated those claims and attempted unsuccessfully to address those claims with her. She made, prior to filing the lawsuit, baseless and inflammatory allegations threatening Ms. Deen’s reputation and the reputation of her businesses unless a sum of money was paid to her.

“We did not pay that money. Her allegations are false, and we look forward to our day in court,” Hodges added.

Hodges’ colleague at Oliver Maner, James P. Gerard, is corporate counsel for Deen’s businesses. Hiers and Uncle Bubba’s restaurant will be represented in this case by Thomas A. Withers of Gillen Withers & Lake in Savannah, Hodges said.

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