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James B. Griffin

Phone: (205) 251-2881
Fax: (205) 254-3987
Email: jgriffin@bishopcolvin.com 

James B. Griffin represents cities, school boards, state agencies and universities, development authorities, counties, sheriffs, and private parties in litigation and regulatory matters. Concerns involving local governments and state agencies are his day's work. Before coming to Bishop Colvin Johnson & Kent, LLC, he practiced near Atlanta with the Real Estate Group of Morris Manning & Martin, LLP and in the Law Offices of Wm. Thomas Craig, a boutique firm known for environmental and local-government representation.

He has litigated cases across a broad spectrum of issues such as athletic eligibility, employment, zonings, variances, restrictive covenants, Section 1983, habeas corpus, eminent domain, sales and use taxes, and developmental-impact fees. He has appeared before numerous governing boards. He has advised clients regarding ethics laws, First Amendment rights, labor and employment, open meetings, open records, privacy, civil rights, contracts, leases, sovereign immunity, government liabilities, government purchasing, land acquisitions, the Cable Act, the Telecommunications Act, drag strips, billboards, adult entertainment, jail policies, jail health care, use of TASERS, seizures of drug money, developmental regulations, non-profit entities, senior services, public health, ad valorem taxes, environmental law, lead, asbestos, storm water, riparian rights, the Clean Water Act, MS4, conservation easements, wetlands, landfills, solid waste, junkyards, and Superfund-CERCLA. He has drafted state legislation and revised city and county codes in areas such as historic preservation, annexations, sign regulation, nuisances, and the delivery of public services.

Seminar Presentations:

• "Planning for the Rebound: Dealing With and Rebuilding Failed Developments," Zoning Law, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Atlanta, October 15, 2009
• "Trespass and Nuisance as Environmental Torts," Environmental Law Summer Seminar, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, St. Simons Island, July 7-8, 2009
• "Professionalism in Zoning and Land Use Matters: Panel Presentation," (with former AG Michael J. Bowers, G. Douglas Dillard, and David H. Flint), Zoning Law, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Atlanta, October 16, 2008
• "Storm Water and Clean Water Act Issues," Zoning Law, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Atlanta, October 18, 2007
• "Ethics in Zoning: Topics for Panel Discussion," (with Brandon Bowen, Mary Carole Cooney, and E. Adam Webb), Zoning Law, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Atlanta, October 18, 2007
• "Storm Water Trouble," Land Use Law from A to Z, Lorman Seminar, Athens, October 18, 2007
• "Solid Waste Management and Recent Landfill Litigation," Environmental Law Summer Seminar, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Amelia Island, July 28, 2007
• "Landfill Regulation and Litigation Tactics," Zoning, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Atlanta, October 19, 2006
• "'Forum Shopping' for Zoning and Land-Use Regulations in Georgia: Incorporations of New Cities and Annexations Under Recently Revised Statutes," (with Edward D. Tolley), Zoning and Land Use in Georgia, Lorman Seminar, Athens, November 10, 2005
• "Recent Developments in Annexation Law," Zoning Law, Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, Atlanta, October 22, 2004

Published Opinions:

• East Georgia Land and Development Co., LLC v. Baker, 690 S.E.2d 145 (Ga. 2010)

Publications and Reviews:

• A Predictive Framework for the Effectiveness of International Criminal Tribunals, 34 VAND. J. OF TRANSNAT'L L. 405 (2001)
• James M. McPherson's What They Fought For, 1861-1865, 27:3 FIDES ET HISTORIA 102 (Fall 1995)
• Paul J. Weber's Equal Separation: Understanding the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment, 24 FIDES ET HISTORIA 137 (1993)
• Larry Gragg's The Salem Witch Crisis, 25 FIDES ET HISTORIA 128 (1993)

Public Speeches:

• "Emory College, the Town of Oxford, and the Rebirth of the Humanities and the Historical Imagination," Old Church, Oxford, GA (birthplace of Emory University), Oxford Historical Society, March 13, 2006
• "Character, Scholarship, Faith," Commencement Address, La Lumiere School, La Porte, Indiana (alma mater of Chief Justice John G. Roberts), May 27, 2005

Volunteer Activities and Pro Bono Representations:

• Environmental Law Section, State Bar of Georgia - Chairman
• Appellate Law Section, State Bar of Georgia
• Eminent Domain Law Section, State Bar of Georgia
• Georgia Environmental Restoration Association, Inc. - Counsel
• Newton County Historical Society - past President
• African-American Historical Association of Newton County, Inc. - Counsel
• Newton High School Mock Trial Team - Coach
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Augustine Chapter - past President