Lawyer Bio : G. William Long III

Bill Long has been engaged in complex commercial litigation since 1979.  He is widely regarded as one of the preeminent Georgia lawyers in the area of restrictive covenants, employment law, and unfair competition.  He has achieved scores of victories in both federal and state courts on behalf of both employers and employees.  “These cases have all the emotion of a divorce case,” observes Bill.  “The employee says, ‘I gave them the best years of my life, and they just take me for granted.’  The employer says, ‘I provided him with everything he could ever want, and now he has left me for another.’  Because of the emotion, the court battles can be sudden and unusually vicious.  Often, entire businesses are at stake.”  Bill understands the importance of keeping his clients advised of all available options, including settlement, at every point in the litigation process, but notes that nothing feels better than whipping an obstinate opponent who refuses to settle.

Bill also handles financial institution and general business litigation.  He is equally at home in the trial court, the appellate court, or the arbitration chamber.  Although he loves the drama and strategy involved in courtroom battle, he nevertheless spends a great deal of his time working with clients to enable them to avoid litigation if possible.  This often takes the form of drafting noncompete agreements that comply with the stringent requirements of applicable law and public policy, thus discouraging the conduct that requires litigation.

In his “spare” time, Bill enjoys his family, serving as an Elder in his church, picking the banjo, fishing, snow skiing and golf.