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Gregory Presmanes is the senior partner in Bovis, Kyle, Burch and Medlin’s Workers' Compensation defense department.  He has been practicing insurance defense law since 1973.  Although he has defended all types of general liability claims, he has focused for many years on the defense of workers' compensation claims.  Aside from litigation, his practice has included a large number of mediations.

In January 2020, Greg stepped down from head of the Workers’ Compensation Department to focus on his mediation practice. He has been trained at Pepperdine University Law School in Alternative Dispute Resolution. He has served both as an advocate and as a mediator of both liability and workers' compensation cases.  

He is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars throughout the State of Georgia and across the country. His numerous articles on continuing legal education topics, which he has taught at such seminars, have been published by the American Bar Association, Georgia Institute for Continuing Legal Education, and the Atlanta and Georgia Bar Associations. He also teaches seminars and workshops on claims handling and legal issues for the employer, insurer and third party administrator. 

Interested in environmental issues, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for GreenLaw (formerly the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest) and served on their advisory board.  His memberships include:  State Bar of Georgia, Atlanta Bar Association (Board of Directors), Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, Atlanta Claims Association (Chairman- Workers' Compensation Section), American Bar Association. Since 2004, Greg has been named by Atlanta Magazine and his peers as one of Georgia's Super Lawyers, putting him in the top 5% of lawyers in Georgia.  He was selected as one of Georgia’s Top 100 attorney’s in 2014.  He is a fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and serves on its Board of Governors.  He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Bar Association and has served as chairman of The Atlanta Bar Association's Workers' Compensation Section.  He participates in the Atlanta Bar Association efforts to raise money for charity, including singing and acting in the Atlanta Bard Association theater productions.  In addition, he is a Life Member and has served as the Chairman of the Workers' Compensation Section of the Atlanta Claims Association, and as a member of its Board of Directors for many years.  He is the defense co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation section of the Labor and Employment Law section.  He serves on the American Bar Association's Advisory Panel, a group of lawyers that informs the ABA's priorities and decisions by providing opinions about the direction of the ABA and issues facing the profession.  He is the defense chair of the American Bar Association's Workers’ Compensation Medicare Subcommittee.  He was the Program Chairman of the American Bar Association's Centennial Convention, held in Boston, MA in 2011, celebrating the 100th year of workers' compensation.

Professional or Trade Affiliations

  • Georgia Bar Association
  • Atlanta Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Atlanta Claims Association
  • Georgia Defense Lawyers Association
  • Old War Horse Club
  • Atlanta Lawyer’s Club
  • College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
  • National Association of Social Insurance
  • Georgia Workers’ Compensation Association

Honors & Awards

  • Top 100 Attorneys in Georgia, 2014
  • Super Lawyer, 2004 - present
  • Martindale-Hubbell / Lexis Nexis – Preeminent Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards, 2012
  • Atlanta Claims Association – President’s Award 2008-2009
  • Atlanta Bar Association – In Appreciation of Dedication & Tireless Efforts as Chair of Workers’ Compensation Section, 2010-2011

Publications

  • Hazardous Condition:  The Status of Illegal Immigrants and Their Entitlement to Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Gregory T. Presmanes and Seth Eisenberg, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice, Law Journal, Volume 43, number 2, Winter 2008

Speaking Engagements

  • Disciplining the Injured Employee for Non-injury Related Reasons, GWCA, 2014
  • Settlement/ Mediation, GWCA, 2014
  • Ethics, GWCA, 2014
  • Best Practices Panel Presentation, American Bar Association, 2014
  • Getting Injured Workers Back on the Front Line/Best Practices to Accelerate Return to Work,  Atlanta Claims Association, 2014
  • The Anatomy of a Claim, State Board of Workers’ Compensation, 2013
  • 2013 Midwinter Program, American Bar Association, 2013

Community Involvement

  • Dunwoody United Methodist Church:  For over twenty years, he has served in many leadership capacities, including serving on its Administrative Board and the Board of Trustees, as well as Moderator for their annual Legislative Forum
  • Former Chair of GreenLaw, a public interest environmental law firm, for  9 years.  He presently serves on their advisory board.