AGG Alumni Spotlight: Jim Gober

Jim Gober built a distinguished career at AGG spanning decades, developing a litigation practice focused on real estate and business disputes while becoming a dedicated mentor, pro bono leader, and trusted colleague to generations of AGG attorneys. His commitment to service, both within the firm and throughout the Atlanta community, has remained a defining part of his career and his connection to AGG.

Read on to learn more about Jim’s path to litigation, the relationships and mentorship that impacted his career, his longstanding commitment to pro bono service, and how he is enjoying life after practicing law.

AGG: You spent much of your career as a litigator, with a particular focus on real estate and business disputes. What drew you to litigation, and what did you come to value most about representing and advising clients over the course of your career?

Jim Gober: When I joined AGG full-time in 1975, there were fewer than 20 lawyers in the firm. Consequently, most of the new associates did whatever was needed by the firm, regardless of department. It was not until several years after I joined the firm that AGG began to assign its most junior associates to specific departments. After trying my hand at corporate and real estate transactional work, I realized that my true nature is to be a competitor. Many litigators have a history as athletes at some level, and I was one of those people who enjoy competition.

Early in my legal career, I realized that my knowledge of business was somewhat limited. Consequently, I attended Georgia State University business school at night while working at AGG and earned an MBA. Once I had more than an undergraduate level of understanding business, I especially valued the client relationships where our roles were clearly understood and well defined. As the attorney, I analyzed the facts and the legal issues and advised the clients that it was then for them to make business decisions based upon my advice. When clients asked me what they should do, I gave some advice but always made clear that the ultimate decision was for them to make.

AGG: You were with AGG for a significant part of your career. When you look back on your time at the firm, what experiences, relationships, or moments stand out most to you?

Jim Gober: In a word, lunch! It is important for AGG attorneys to develop solid friendships within the firm. Lunch outings were the best part of my day because of the time spent with wonderful people talking about legal matters, their families, and so much more. Of course, there were some special victories in the courtroom that generated war stories for me to embellish, but the relationships were what mattered most.

AGG: You worked alongside and mentored many attorneys during your time at AGG. What did you enjoy most about those relationships, and what advice would you pass along to lawyers earlier in their careers?

Jim Gober: When I was a junior associate, AGG attorney Ed Sams was a wonderful mentor for me. Ed focused on real estate, and he called on me to handle many litigation matters that arose out of his practice. When Ed passed away suddenly in his late 60s, it felt like I had lost a family member and was one of the saddest times in my life. Once I assumed the formal and informal role of mentor, I tried to help younger AGG attorneys as much as Ed helped me. AGG has a wonderful opportunity for more seasoned attorneys to share their experiences and wisdom with younger attorneys. What I have enjoyed most about these mentorship relationships now that I am in Ed’s role is the people. The younger attorneys are a joy to get to know and mentor. Besides coaching them with practice issues, a good mentor needs to discuss the business of law and explain how best to succeed at AGG.

AGG: Pro bono service was an important part of your career, including your longstanding involvement with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation and receiving its Martin Louis Ellin Lifetime Achievement Award. What motivated that commitment, and what do you find most meaningful about giving back through your legal work?

Jim Gober: My more than 20 years working with AVLF reflects my family values. My father, H. Fred Gober, Sr., was one of the first AGG attorneys. Before joining AGG in 1955, H. Fred was the director of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. My mother Carolyn was a social worker who specialized in adoptions and children’s services. Our family relishes the opportunity to fight bad guys and serve our community. When I learned that AVLF represented victims of domestic violence and worked to support safe and stable families, I wanted to help.

The most meaningful aspect of doing pro bono work is that you help someone who cannot afford an attorney, and you always crush the bad guys because you are the most dangerous attorney alive, i.e., an attorney who works for a cause instead of dollars. The honors AGG has received as a firm for its pro bono work have been an excellent way to show clients that the firm cares about its community. Also, many of AGG’s finest attorneys followed me as pro bono leaders who have been recognized with special awards for their selfless work.

AGG: The legal profession, and AGG, changed considerably over the course of your career. What changes stand out to you most, and what do you believe remains just as important for lawyers today as when you began practicing?

Jim Gober: AGG used to be managed by just one or two senior partners, and the change to a management committee strengthened the firm immensely. The entirely revised management structure leads to more fairness in compensation decisions and a better working environment. One of the most important lessons for AGG attorneys of all generations is to be collegial with opposing counsel and not to treat your opponent as an adversary unless that label is truly earned and deserved. Many of my toughest cases in the courtroom involved attorneys who became my good friends. Both of us recognized that we do our best to prepare our cases and then we play the cards we are dealt with regard both to the relevant facts and the applicable law.

AGG: Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of?

Jim Gober: Learning how to be successful and effective in the courtroom was certainly important, but I am most proud of my relationships with other AGG attorneys. Of course, my pro bono work and the awards I received for that work are a source of pride, but the opportunity to help younger attorneys as their mentor is perhaps my greatest source of pride. It is wonderful to see them thriving and excelling as AGG attorneys.

AGG: What does life after practicing law look like for you? How are you spending your time these days, and what are you enjoying most about this chapter?

Jim Gober: My life after AGG has been truly wonderful! Loving my married children, their spouses, and my eight grandchildren is truly awesome! All eight grandchildren entertain me with their sports, dance, music, theater, academic success, and many other talents. We recently returned from an Isle of Palms, South Carolina, vacation for all 16 of us, which is an event we try to plan and enjoy every year. Importantly, I have had to adjust to spending far more time with Lasley, my wife of 53 years, and developing a totally different relationship with her than the one where most of my day was spent at the office. Together and to keep her happy, we have traveled the world, sometimes with other couples, to places such as New York City, Ireland, South Africa, France, England, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Mississippi, North Carolina, California, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Arkansas, Quebec City, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, and the San Juan Islands just to name a few of our destinations. Without being told to do so on every occasion, I have developed cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other household skills that were not a part of my routine while at AGG.

My church, Trinity Presbyterian, has called on me to be a leader as an elder, mission council chair, strategic planning committee member, men’s breakfast group convenor, faith in action leader, creation care worker, and member of the holy smokers BBQ team. My typical day consists of walking, sleeping, napping, yard work, attending sporting events, exercising, and reading books for my history book club. I also enjoy planning lunch outings to my favorite BBQ, burger, and Mexican restaurants, as well as watching every good movie, series, and show on television. Life after working at AGG is good — really, really good!

AGG: What does staying connected with former AGG colleagues and the firm mean to you today?

Jim Gober: It would be a shame not to stay connected with my AGG friends after building relationships over many years of working and playing together. Hopefully, they know how much I care about all of them and their families and how happy it makes me to be with them and learn how they are doing. It helps to stay connected with the firm to make certain that life at AGG is treating my friends well. The recent AGG reunion at Fox Bros. BBQ showed me how much fun it is to reconnect with AGG attorneys and others who I have not seen in years.

Jim’s career reflects the lasting impact of mentorship, service, and relationships built over decades at AGG. From advocating for clients and giving back to the Atlanta community to mentoring generations of attorneys, his contributions have helped shape the firm and the people around him. Today, Jim remains closely connected to his AGG colleagues and continues to value the friendships that began during his many years at the firm.