Joyce Gist Lewis

Joyce Gist Lewis is a skilled and tenacious advocate for private companies and governmental entities in and out of the courtroom. Joyce’s two decades of experience includes serving as lead counsel for claims involving professional liability, director and officer liability, business divorce, real estate litigation, employment discrimination defense, and catastrophic injury defense. Her appellate experience includes arguing cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and successfully petitioning for certiorari to Georgia’s Supreme Court. Joyce is also a top choice for government clients seeking counsel in sensitive intra-agency disputes and investigations. Her reputation as a principled trial advocate has resulted in Joyce being named to the “short-list” of nominees recommended by Georgia’s Judicial Nominating Commission for appointment to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2018 and to the Atlanta Judicial Circuit in 2011 and 2012.

Joyce received her BA, magna cum laude from Wake Forest University (1993) and her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law (1999). She is Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated Preeminent, and has been repeatedly rated by her peers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Georgia, as well as one of the Top 50 Women. Joyce’s past leadership positions include serving as President of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, President of the Board of the Federal Defender Program, Inc., and President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers. She is a Master in GSU’s Bleckley Inn of Court and in 2021 she was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates. Joyce represents the Atlanta Circuit on the State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors, where she serves on the Bar’s Advisory Committee on Legislation and Statewide Judicial Evaluation Committee. Joyce was honored to receive the Atlanta Bar Association’s Outstanding Woman in the Profession Award in 2018 and in 2023 Joyce was the recipient of the State Bar of Georgia's Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism award.