T. Kyle King is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a national organization of approximately 2,500 lawyers and law professors elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, professional commitment, competence, and experience in the field of trust and estate law. Mr. King is one of roughly 50 ACTEC Fellows in Georgia.
Mr. King concentrates his practice primarily in the areas of estate planning and probate matters, including guardianships and conservatorships, trust and estate administration, and fiduciary litigation. He has served as counsel, an administrator, a mediator, a guardian ad litem, or an expert witness in trust and estate matters throughout the state and before both Georgia appellate courts. Mr. King chairs the Legislation Committee of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, he co-authored (with Blake Melton) an article on asset protection trusts for the Georgia Bar Journal, and he has taught numerous continuing education seminars on probate law to general practice attorneys, trust and estate lawyers, and Probate Court judges.
After receiving his baccalaureate and law degrees from the University of Georgia, Mr. King began his legal career as an associate with Carl H. Hodges & Associates in 1997 and became a partner with Hodges, McEachern & King in 2002. He is admitted to practice before all Georgia courts, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His reported appellate decisions include Bray v. Department of Transportation, 324 Ga. App. 315 (2013); Ray v. Hadaway, 344 Ga. App. 642 (2018); Rolan v. Glass, 305 Ga. App. 217 (2010); and Usry v. Farr, 274 Ga. 438 (2001), in which Mr. King obtained on behalf of his clients a favorable decision that since has appeared in the law school casebooks Decedents’ Estates: Cases and Materials (Carolina Academic Press) and Estates and Trusts: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press).
Mr. King was born in Atlanta in 1968. He was raised in Morrow, Georgia, where he received his associate’s degree from Clayton State College (now Clayton State University) in 1988. While he later was a student in Athens, Mr. King served as chief justice of the Student Judiciary (1991) and as president of the Phi Kappa Literary Society (1996). Among his published works are the law review article “Close But No Cigar: A Reply to Professor Graglia”, 25 HARV. J.L. & PUB. POL’Y 369 (2001), and the book Fighting Like Cats and Dogs, a game-by-game history of the college football rivalry between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers, which was released by Clemson University Digital Press in 2013.
Mr. King has been married to Susan King (nee Farmer), a high school social studies teacher, since 1997. In addition to being named a STAR Teacher, Mrs. King was the 2006 Starr’s Mill High School teacher of the year and one of three finalists for Fayette County teacher of the year. Mr. and Mrs. King live in Peachtree City with their son, Thomas, and their daughter, Elizabeth. The Kings are members of the Peachtree City United Methodist Church. Mr. King is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Fayette, and he serves periodically as the judge pro hac vice of the Fayette County State Court.
Christina Cason Bishop has been elected to the Southeast Fellows Institute of the America College Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), an international organization of lawyers and law professors elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, professional commitment, competence, and experience in the field of trust and estate law.
Christina focuses her practice on estate planning and probate matters, including guardianships and conservatorships, trust and estate administration, and fiduciary litigation. She actively serves as both a guardian ad litem and court appointed attorney, as well as a county administrator in Fayette County and is a certified mediator in the State of Georgia.
Christina was born and raised in Georgia. She graduated from Georgia State University magna cum laude in 2014 with a Bachelor of the Arts Degree (B.A.) in Psychology and from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2017 with her Juris Doctor (J.D.). While attending the University of Georgia School of Law, she served on the Managing Board of the Intellectual Property Journal and worked as a judicial intern for the Honorable Patty Walters Laine in Hall County where she gained invaluable experience and insight into the legal system. She is currently a member of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia and has taught continuing education seminars on Georgia probate law to other practicing attorneys.
Christina lives in Peachtree City and enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling with her family and friends.
Ms. Lora Haas, originally from Cartersville, Georgia, is the newest addition to Hodges, McEachern, & King. Formerly, Lora was a clerk for the Honorable Melynee Leftridge in the Fulton County Superior Court. In addition to clerking for a local Atlanta firm while in school, she spent a summer working in Washington, D.C., for the United States Department of Transportation in the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel.
Lora earned her J.D. from Georgia State University where she was Secretary for the Environmental Law Society and the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Lora was also a member of the Student Trial Lawyers Association (STLA). As a member of STLA, she traveled across the country to compete in various mock trial competitions. Lora also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia.
In her free time, Lora enjoys spending time with her family and her black lab, Phoebe.
Carl H. Hodges was born in March 1952 in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1954. He graduated with honors from Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia in 1970, from The Georgia Institute of Technology cum laude in 1973, and from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1975.
While attending Georgia Tech, Mr. Hodges was awarded the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key. This award was developed to recognize outstanding seniors in the School of Business where a chapter of the Fraternity is active.
Mr. Hodges joined his father, J. Carl Hodges, Jr., in the practice of law in 1975 in Forest Park, Georgia and has practiced law continuously in Clayton County, Georgia, since. During the course of his practice, Mr. Hodges has focused on small business, estate work, and civil litigation with a concentration in Estate Planning, Probate Matters, personal injury, and litigation involving estates. During his practice Mr. Hodges has been associated as counsel in products liability cases, medical negligence cases, and other personal injury matters involving serious injury.
Mr. Hodges is admitted to practice before the Georgia Supreme Court (since 1976), the Georgia Court of Appeals (since 1976), and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (since 1976).
Mr. Hodges is married to Lynn S. Hodges, a registered nurse. They have one daughter, Amanda L. Hodges, BA, MAT, Ph.D. an Associate Professor at Newberry College, Newberry, SC.
Theresa Weems, Legal Assistant: As people come through our doors, they usually are presenting you with problems they wanted solved yesterday, or may have just lost a loved one and are looking for guidance as to their next steps. You must listen to them and show an interest early on because it’s crucial to make a good impression in order to keep those people coming back to your office long term. You must make a personal connection and give them the one-on-one attention they are looking for.
Theresa started out as a legal secretary in 1985 and carries with her over 30 years of legal support experience. She was hired into the firm part time in 2002 while still dedicated to raising her four children. She became full time in 2007 working as a legal assistant for the firm and enjoys what she does. She fully believes in applying her daily strength to helping others, being kind to everyone, and is dedicated to working through each client’s process in an organized and efficient manner.
Theresa simply appreciates spending time with family and friends, enjoys nature itself, and occasionally taking time to travel.
Phyllis M. Peterkin was born on September 23, 1960 in Baumholder, Germany to Arthur and Eva Williams on the Smith Barricks military base. They later moved back to the United States where her father was assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she graduated from Seventy First High School in 1978. While in high school, she met her husband, Eugene T. Peterkin. As a military wife, she has traveled abroad extensively and has an eclectic skill set.
Phyllis has done a little bit of everything from teaching special needs children for the Department of Defense to working as a receptionist at a local doctor’s office in Jonesboro, Georgia for over fifteen years. Currently, Phyllis resides in Jonesboro, Georgia with her husband and works at Hodges, McEachern & King as their receptionist. Phyllis and Eugene also have two sons, Jovan and Shaun, and two beautiful granddaughters, Jkiya and Laniya, who she loves to spoil in her spare time.