A Reputation of Success and Hard Work
You might think, for a lawyer, the hardest thing ever to do is face a jury. But for Jonathan Pope, it was facing a much larger mountain—literally. Pope and a group of friends climbed Washington State’s Mount Rainier in 2012—all 14,411 feet of it.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but you learn so much about yourself when you do something like that,” Pope said. “I’ve always liked a challenge. The bigger the stakes, the better.”
Pope admits that’s probably one of the reasons he became a lawyer, although he also likes to argue and enjoys trying cases. Jon focuses his trial practice at Hasty Pope on a wide range of personal injury matters including wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, and automobile and semi-truck collisions.
He and his brother Tom, a partner at Hasty Pope, grew up around the law. Their father, Judge Marion T. Pope, of counsel at the firm and a former chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals, had them in courtrooms from the time they were very young.
Jon got his first direct experience in law at The Citadel as part of the honor court, the court system of the school. As a pre-law major, he acted as a defense lawyer for a friend.
“I brought in a handwriting expert, and then I recused the chairman of the honor court since he was also the provost who had collected evidence for the case,” Pope said. “That whole experience sealed it for me.”
After The Citadel, Pope earned his law degree from Georgia State University. Since then, he has been named to the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Trial Lawyers in 2013; recognized in Georgia’s Top Rated Lawyers in 2012; included in the 2006, 2009, and 2010 lists of Rising Stars?; recognized by the Super Lawyers® list in 2019 and 2020; and recognized in Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite” in 2009, 2013, and 2015.
But he still wants to do more. “We don’t want to be like everyone else; we want to do it better,” Pope said. “We’re constantly learning, and we want to be on the cutting edge.”
Pope said he and his firm are different because of the focus they put on the investigation of their cases and the time they spend helping their clients navigate the legal system.
“The legal system can be harsh,” Pope said. “We have compassion and we know people need guidance through this.”
Pope has tried more than 40 jury cases; he has helped secure lifetime medical care for clients, as well as monetary settlements to alleviate financial woes. But what keeps him going is getting results that truly change people’s lives.
“One client cried, it was so emotional for him,” Pope said. “He had been battling with a company on his own for 10 years, letter after letter. It was a true 'David and Goliath' moment.”
Awards
· Atlanta Magazine Super Lawyers® Top 100 Attorneys in Georgia in 2014 and 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020
· Georgia Super Lawyers® list 2006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023
· Georgia Trend Magazine; named one of the Legal Elite, 2009, 2013, and 2015
· Georgia Trend Magazine; named one of Georgia’s 40 under 40, 2004
Professional Memberships
· Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, President-Elect
· State Bar of Georgia-Blue Ridge Circuit Bar Association, two-term president
· Gainesville-Northeast Georgia Bar Association
· Southern Trial Lawyers Association
· Lawyers Club of Atlanta
· Old Warhorse Lawyers Club
· Chief Justice Commission on Professionalism, member, 2006–2007
· Institute for Continuing Legal Education, trustee
· Cherokee County YMCA, board member, 1997
· Leadership Cherokee, graduate and former member steering committee
· Bank of North Georgia, advisory board, member
· State Bar of Georgia—Young Lawyers Division, executive committee member, 2005–2008 and president, 2006–2007
· Georgia Bar Foundation, fellow, past board member, 2006–2007
· Lawyers Foundation of Georgia
· American Bar Association
· American Association for Justice
