Marcia McCrory Ernst is a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. She has substantial experience in commercial litigation at the trial and appellate court levels in both the state and federal court systems. Ms. Ernst has over 30 years of complex business and multi-party litigation experience, including fraud, business torts, contract disputes, trade secrets, debtor/creditor litigation, lender liability and other bank-related litigation, intellectual property claims, and data privacy and security law. Her practice also includes real estate development, eminent domain, construction and environmental litigation.

Ms. Ernst is rated AV Preeminent (highest available) by Martindale-Hubbell and she has been named by Georgia Trend magazine as one of Georgia’s Legal Elite in the area of General Practice/Trial Law. She has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in the area of Commercial Litigation, and listed as one of Georgia’s Most Influential and Politically-Connected Attorneys by James Magazine. Ms. Ernst also serves as a Municipal Court Judge for the cities of Sandy Springs and Milton, Georgia.

Ms. Ernst is the author of an article regarding the enforcement of foreign money judgments in light of currency conversion problems, which was published in the Emory Journal of International Dispute Resolution in 1988. She is also the co-author of an article discussing corporate strategies for combating cybersmear, which was published in the Intellectual Property Counselor in 2003. Additionally, Ms. Ernst co-authored articles concerning recent developments in zoning and land use law, which were published in the Mercer Law Review in Fall 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Ms. Ernst authored several articles in Trust The Leaders magazine, including: “Eminent Domain: Private Property Rights v. Economic Development,” published in Spring 2006, and “A Greenprint for Sustainable Development,” published in Summer 2008. Additionally, Ms. Ernst authored an article entitled “Chinese Drywall Problems and Responses,” published in the September/October 2009 edition of The Georgia Builder magazine. Ms. Ernst is also a regular contributor to the SGR Litigation Blog.

Ms. Ernst is an active member of the Home Builders Association of Georgia and serves on its Government Affairs Committee. She is also a member of the Legal Action Network for Development Strategies (“LANDS”), a national group of land use attorneys.

Ms. Ernst attended the University of Georgia, where she received a B.B.A. in Economics. She then received a J.D.  from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she was a member of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. Ms. Ernst is a member of the Georgia Bar in the General Practice and Trial Law and the Privacy and Technology Law Sections.

Ms. Ernst served as a member of the Advisory Committee for Youth Leadership Sandy Springs, a program designed to develop student leadership skills, and was a member of the Leadership Sandy Springs Class of 2000. Ms. Ernst also served as a member of the National Harm Reduction and Prevention Committee of Phi Mu Fraternity.