Firm Overview and Philosophy
Panessa & Associates, LLC, located at 730 Peachtree Street near the Historic Fox Theatre and The Georgian Terrace, is comprised of young, agressive attorneys with the experience and expertise to handle our clients most complicated matters. Our firm philosophy is based upon a dedication to working every case in the office hard and to the best of our abilities.
The typical personal injury case handled by this firm ranges from $25,000.00 to $1,000,000.00 + in medical expenditures. The time, effort, and money that we invest in the cases that we work prohibit this firm from taking cases where damages are limited. While many firms operate as "mills" (turn as many cases as possible by investing little money and time by settling a high percentage (if not all) of cases), we make every attempt to limit our caseload at any one time in order to focus on the cases that are in our office.
Brian K. Panessa, Esq.
panessa@yahoo.com
404.521.3455; Extension 12
Brian graduated from the University of Florida with Honors in 1995 and moved permanently to Atlanta for law school at Georgia State University. Law degree in hand, Brian worked as an in-house trial attorney for State Farm gaining valuable experience and an intricate understanding of the insurance process.
Brian left State Farm to be General Counsel for a major southeastern real estate developer and Nascar team owner. As General Counsel for the Winston Cup team, Brian negotiated the purchase of a Winston Cup team from Cale Yarborough Motorsports, established relationships with Nascar representatives and negotiated sponsorship, merchandising, licensing and hospitality agreements.
In 1999, Mr. Panessa went out on his own and started the law firm that is Panessa & Associates, LLC. Brian has focused his practice on personal injury law and has obtained several six-figure settlements for his clients. Additionally, Mr. Panessa is not afraid to take his cases to trial. In addition to the near fifty trials that Brian conducted at State Farm, he currently tries about ten cases per year before a jury.
"I like being in the courtroom. It's what I love most about practicing. I have been out of law school for ten years now and I am confident each time that I step into trial that I have taken more cases to jury than the attorney on the other side of the courtroom. I always tell prospective clients, 'if you are interviewing attorneys for representation, ask them how many cases have they tried before a jury, how many cases did you try last year, how many cases have you tried similar to mine (i.e. dog bite, automobile accident, trucking accident, medical malpractice, etc . . .). A lot of attorneys are in the business of settling cases. We are in the business of maximizing our client's outcome--whether it be through settlement or full-blown litigation ending in trial."
In addition to fine-tuned trial skills, Brian has the ability to think outside the box. Focusing on understanding his client's needs and develop solutions are hallmarks of Brian's practice.
In addition to our trial experience, knowledge of the insurance system and our dedication to residents of Georgia, we have a national referral network of highly skilled attorneys focused on the representation of people who have suffered catastrophic injuries; people whose disabilities are caused by defective products, unsafe premises, car accidents, medical malpractice and other forms of negligence.
Bryan C. Brunson, Esq.
bcbrunson@gmail.com
404.521.3455; Extension 11
(licensed in the states of California, New York, and Georgia)
Mr. Brunson, a life long resident of Carrollton and Atlanta, Georgia, receied his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech. Employed with a Nokia joint venture in Moscow, Russia, after departing Georgia Tech, Mr. Brunson returned to Atlanta, Georgia and attended the Emory University School of Law.
After law school, Mr. Brunson continued his career in information technology services before joining the law firm of Panessa & Associates, LLC in 2001. A member of the California, New York, and Georgia bars at this time, Mr. Brunson handles cases in each of these three states.
While Mr. Panessa thrives on trial, Mr. Brunson has a keen understanding and knowledge of the discovery process. "You can be the best trial attorney but if you don't have the facts on your side, you're going to be dead in the water when trial rolls around. The emphasis that this law firm places on investigation and discovery puts our clients in a better place at the end of the day. The more you can build your case on the front end and in the early phases of litigation (discovery), the higher the offers of settlement. And, at the end of the day, if a client does not wish to take a settlement offer, then we are in a stronger position for trial," Mr. Brunson says.
Nitya Pillai , Esq.
nitya.pillai@gmail.com
404.521.3455; Extension 16
Ms. Pillai, raised in Augusta, Georgia, obtained her undergraduate and law degree from Georgia State University. Upon finishing her first year of law school in 2003, Ms. Pillai began her internship with P & A and has been with the law firm ever since. A Student Trial Lawyer Association champion, Ms. Pillai, with her excellent writing and trial advocacy skills, has quickly gained the litigation and trial experience necessary to work on the most complicated cases currently in our office.
In her first year as an attorney back in 2006, Ms. Pillai participated iin four full-blown, complicated jury trials with Mr. Panessa since joining the firmand is currently involved in complex federal litigation in the Northern District of Georgia. "I really enjoy working with and learning from Mr. Panessa and we have a really strong synergy when trial rolls around."