Meet the instructors for Emory's Paralegal Certificate ProgramAll of our instructors are attorneys with demonstrated teaching abilities, superior knowledge of the subject matter, and are members of the State Bar of Georgia. Our topics classes are taught by practicing attorneys with expertise in each topic area.
Cicely Tabb Barber
Steve Dubner Steve received his B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University in 1978 and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1979. He began his practice with a Wall Street firm then relocated to Atlanta and joined one of the ten largest firms in the city. In 1984 he left that firm to establish his own firm, Higgins & Dubner. He currently practices in the areas of corporate and business law, entertainment, estate planning and probate, civil litigation and other civil matters. He has been an instructor with the Small Business Development Center of Georgia State University for over 15 years. He also taught business law in the MBA program at Georgia State University and taught at Kennesaw State University. He has been a Core Instructor in the Emory Paralegal Program since its inception. He is married and has three children, five cats, one dog and one fish.
Craig Hardesty
Harvey Hutchinson III, CFP®
 Harvey Hutchinson serves as the Senior Financial Planner to the Private Client Services Group of Columbus Bank and Trust Company, a subsidiary of Synovus Financial Corp. Harvey is responsible for preparing and presenting comprehensive financial plans to the bank's affluent customers. Prior to joining Synovus / CB&T, Harvey practiced law with an emphasis in estate planning, estate and trust administration, business planning, tax planning, and retirement planning. Mr. Hutchinson's extensive formal education consists of three business degrees [B.S. (Finance), M.B.A., M.Acc.] and two law degrees [J.D. (Estate Planning & Business Planning), and LL.M. (Taxation)]. Furthermore, he holds the following certification and designations: Certified Financial Planner®, Retirement Plans Associate™, and Compensation Management Specialist™. Harvey held an adjunct faculty position with a university and has presented several seminars to attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors. Mr. Hutchinson is admitted to practice law in Alabama, Georgia, Texas and New York.
Clarence Johnson
Clarence currently serves on the Board of Governors for the National Bar Association. He is a Past President and Current Historian of the Gate City Bar Association. Clarence is also Co-chair of the 2007 National Bar Convention in Atlanta. In 1990 Clarence was inducted as an Outstanding Young Atlantan. Clarence is a Board Member At Large for the Atlanta Bar Association and an active member at Ben Hill United Methodist Church, where he serves as President of the Male Chorus. Clarence received a B.A. from Clark College in 1980, with a major in Political Science. He received a J.D. from Temple University in 1983. Peter Odom
Peter’s teaching credentials include serving from 2003 to 2010 as faculty for the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, teaching trial practice to lawyers from all fifty states, as adjunct professor at New Hampshire Technical Institute’s Paralegal Certificate Program, as training coordinator for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office Criminal Division, and, since 2009, and most recently an instructor of contracts and legal research and writing with Emory University’s Paralegal Certificate Program. Peter is a weekly commentator on The Nancy Grace Show. His adventures as a homicide prosecutor leading a high profile multiple murder investigation are featured in the 2008 book Wicked Intentions: The Sheila LaBarre Murders by Kevin Flynn. Tim WootenTim is a member of the State Bar of Georgia; Supreme Court of Georgia; Court of Appeals of Georgia; United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia; Atlanta Bar Association. He is also a member of State Bar of South Carolina: United States District Courts for the District of South Carolina; Greenville County Bar Association; South Carolina Defense Attorneys' Association Trial Academy - April, 2004. He serves as Adjunct Professor at Greenville Technical College's ABA approved Paralegal Program. He has been an associate at Mozley, Finlayson & Loggins, LLP in Atlanta, GA since May, 2006. Tim graduated from Georgia State University College of Law with his J.D. (cum laude) in May 2000. He was in the top 10% of his class. Dorian Murry
Anna Green CrossAnna Green Cross is a senior Assistant District Attorney in the Cobb County District Attorney's Office, specializing in appellate litigation. Ms. Green Cross spent almost 10 years in criminal litigation as a Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County Office of the District Attorney, supervising that county's Capital Litigation Unit and handling complex appeals, before joining the Cobb County District Attorney's Office as head of the Appeals division. She has tried 6 death penalty cases to verdict in the trial court, and orally argued in the Supreme Court of Georgia over 30 times. In 2007, she was inducted into the National District Attorney's Association's "Home Run Hitters" Club for Outstanding Achievement in the case of State of Georgia v. James Vincent Sullivan. In 2006, she received the "Commitment to Justice" award from the Criminal Law Committee of the State Bar of Georgia for dedication to justice in the field of criminal prosecution. Ms. Green Cross received her B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1994 and her J.D. from Emory University College of Law in 1998. Robert A. Kosakoski IIRob received a B.A. from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1994 and later received a J.D. from Tulane University Law School in 2000. In 2002, Rob co-founded the law firm of Medley & Kosakoski, LLC. The firm’s primary practice areas include real estate, bankruptcy, criminal, civil, corporate, and family law. Rob is actively involved in the firm’s real estate transaction process from start to finish. Both he and Mr. Medley supervise day-to-day firm operations; including pre-closing, closing, and post-closing of all Medley & Kosakoski, LLC real estate files. Rob estimates that he has acted as the closing of attorney of record for more than 2,500 real estate transactions in Georgia. Additionally, Rob is approved as an Instructor by the Georgia Real Estate Commission. He has created a large number Georgia Real Estate Commission approved continuing education courses designed to help licensed real estate professionals improve their level of professionalism and keep pace with the ever-changing real estate business. He regularly teaches these classes and related seminars across the Metro Atlanta area for the Medley & Kosakoski, LLC Real Estate School. When he isn’t working, Rob enjoys his time as head coach of his sons East Side Baseball little league teams. He is also an avid tennis player, playing on and captaining both Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles ATLA teams. Leonard R. Medley IIILeonard received a B.A. from The Air Force Academy in 1994 and later received a J.D. from Capital University Law School in 2000. In 2002, Leonard co-founded the law firm of Medley & Kosakoski, LLC. The firm's primary practice areas include real estate, bankruptcy, criminal, civil, corporate, and family law. Leonard is actively involved in the firm's real estate transaction process, bankruptcy practice and DUI practice. Both he and Mr. Kosakoski supervise day-to-day firm operations; including pre-closing, closing, and post-closing of all Medley & Kosakoski, LLC real estate files. Leonard estimates that he has acted as the closing of attorney of record for more than 1,500 real estate transactions and 200 bankruptcies in Georgia. Additionally, Leonard is approved as an Instructor by the Georgia Real Estate Commission. He has created a large number Georgia Real Estate Commission approved continuing education courses designed to help licensed real estate professionals improve their level of professionalism and keep pace with the ever-changing real estate business. He regularly teaches these classes and related seminars across the Metro Atlanta area for the Medley & Kosakoski, LLC Real Estate School. Mr. Medley is actively involved with his bike club One For the Road and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. |
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Cicely Barber is a licensed attorney and the Court Administrator for the State Court of Fulton County. As Court Administrator of the largest trial court in Georgia, Cicely is second in the personnel chain of command for 120 employees for a court that has a $14 million general operating budget and handles approximately 175,000 cases per year. Prior to becoming Court Administrator, Cicely spent several years as the staff attorney to the former Chief Judge of the State Court of Fulton County. As a former educator with Atlanta Public Schools, Cicely has continued her commitment to education as a paralegal instructor at Emory University since the program's inception in 2005. Cicely is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and its Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession. She is a long time member of the Board of Directors for Georgia Legal Services Program. Additionally, Cicely is a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, National Association of Court Managers, and Georgia Council of Court Administrators. Cicely is a cum laude graduate of both Spelman College and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Cicely is married to husband Bryan and the proud mother of daughter, Skylar and son, Bryan II. 
Craig Hardesty is the Manager of Paralegal Services for King & Spalding. Before joining the firm, he was the Director of Human Resources for an international software company. Craig received his paralegal certificate from NCPT: The National Center for Paralegal Training where he subsequently taught a variety of courses and served as the Director of Career Services, Dean of Students, and the Executive Director. Before joining NCPT, Craig was a paralegal and the program administrator for the Georgia Law Center for the Homeless and a Policy Associate for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Towson State University and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University.
Clarence R. Johnson, Jr. was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1984. Clarence is the Managing Partner of Clarence R. Johnson, Jr. P.C. Clarence specializes in litigation including personal injury, landlord tenant, contract law and general civil and criminal matters. Previously he was a partner with Johnson and Freeman, LLC and served as a Senior Assistant Staff Counsel for Fulton-County, Associate City for the City of Atlanta and Law Clerk to the Honorable Clarence Cooper. 
Peter Odom is a criminal defense attorney in private practice in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Pepperdine University Law School. Peter served as deputy county attorney in Strafford County, New Hampshire, from 1990 until 2003, handling primarily child physical and sexual abuse cases. He then joined the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office five-person Homicide Unit before moving to Atlanta in 2006 to prosecute for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in the Major Case and Public Integrity Units. He opened The Odom Law Firm in July, 2008, handling criminal cases exclusively. He has tried over 150 jury trials. 
Dorian Murry is the managing partner of The Murry Law Group. He specializes in criminal defense, civil rights litigation, social security disability, and personal injury. His practice ranges from traffic offenses and white collar crime to serious violent felonies. He has represented juveniles, senior citizens, civil rights leaders, Grammy award winning artists, TV stars, international dignitaries, and professional athletes. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Previously, he was a staff attorney at the Public Defender Office in Athens, Georgia, associate at the Georgia Justice Project, and partner with Johnson & Freeman, LLC. 
