Written by Cedra Mayfield and originally published August 05, 2026 at 11:10 AM, in the Fulton Daily Journal
Armed with a box of his belongings, a laptop and a new chair still bearing its price tag, former Georgia Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Brian M. Rickman has returned to private practice.
“[I’m] already receiving calls about work as embedded appellate counsel,” Rickman said.
‘It’s Already Been Busy’.
Rickman reported for his first day on the job July 20.
One of the first things on his to-do list: updating his communications and email signature to no longer include the title “judge.”
When asked whether the title survived a jurist’s service on the bench, Rickman suggested the designation often became a customary, yet informal, acknowledgment.
“You’re just a lawyer again,” Rickman said. “Also, if you have to tell people [you were ajudge], then you probably weren’t a very good one.”
Rickman spent the past decade serving the Georgia Court of Appeals, following his initial appointment by Gov. Nathan Deal in November 2015. During his tenure on the intermediate appellate court, Rickman led as both chief judge and presiding judge, authoring opinions shaping Georgia law in wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability and catastrophic injury cases.
Before taking the bench, Rickman served as an assistant district attorney for the Alcovy and Mountain judicial circuits. He later became a partner at Stockton & Rickman in Rabun County in 2004, before Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed him as Mountain Judicial Circuit district attorney in 2008.
As a litigator at the Cornelia firm, Rickman will handle wrongful death, medical malpractice,catastrophic personal injury and appellate litigation.
The jurist will also leverage his appellate insight into how cases are evaluated at both trial and onappeal. In addition to handling appellate litigation for Cathey & Strain, Rickman said he’ll offer embedded appellate counsel services.
“It’s already been busy,” he said. “I’m already going through calls and helping on cases in the office. It’s been real exciting.”
‘Readjust Your Lens’
The excitement comes with grounding moments of readjustment.
Rickman told Law.com that his return to private practice has involved a new client-interaction approach.
As an appellate judge, his focus had been largely on doing his best to determine “the exact right answer” to intermediate appeals based on Georgia law. But unlike his consultations with staff attorneys, Rickman said his conversations with prospective clients have required a different assessment of authority.
“You have to readjust your lens. … When you’re talking to potential clients, you have to give them the right answer, but deliver it in a way that is not a written Georgia Court of Appeals opinion,” he said. “It’s a new skill set, and here’s the thing: You have to remember that you have a background as a judge—and hopefully that brings some confidence to your clients. But you have to, at the same time, remember that you are not a judge—meaning that you know your word is not just law.”
Rickman said he’s finding other adjustments a bit easier.
For instance, is no longer under the scrutiny often imposed on judges tasked with being impartial. With less pressure to avoid the appearance of impropriety, the former Judicial Qualifications Commission presiding officer and Investigative Panel member has broader freedom, including online.
“There are a couple moments when I’m looking at social media and I’m scrolling through, and I’m like, ‘I could like that post if I wanted to now,’” Rickman said. “I’ll point out I haven’t done it.”