Commerce, GA

R. Parker McFarland Jr.

Attorney R. “Parker” McFarland, Jr. is a fourth generation attorney whose mission is to restore lives shattered by wrongful death and serious accidents and injuries. Since 2020, Parker has been voted “BEST PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY” four (4) times by the Forsyth County News. Parker is a Christian advocate who prays for and with his clients, providing aggressive legal representation rooted in faith and genuine care and concern. Parker’s great-grandfather, John Alexander McFarland, started practicing in 1905 and quickly became a prolific trial lawyer who won 2/3 of his cases. His son, Parker’s grandfather, Joe Alexander McFarland, was president of his law school class at Ole Miss and was a county attorney and circuit judge in Jasper, Mississippi. Joe McFarland was so well respected that he was invited to be a judge at the Supreme Court of Mississippi. Parker McFarland was raised in Cumming, graduated from South Forsyth High School in 1994, and obtained his B.A. degree in English at Covenant College. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Mississippi College of Law in 2001, although he completed his final year of law school at the University of Georgia. Parker practiced law with his father, Robert “Bob” P. McFarland, Sr. at McFarland & McFarland, P.C. from 2001 until his father’s retirement in 2015. Following a merger, Parker McFarland was brought to this firm as a partner in 2015. Since that time, the firm has been consistently been voted “Best of Forsyth.” Parker is a trial and appellate lawyer whose practice focuses on serious personal injury and wrongful death cases arising from auto accidents and others’ negligence. Through the firm’s core values of wisdom, integrity, prayer, excellence, and selflessness, Parker has secured many significant recoveries against auto insurance companies for serious injuries and wrongful death. Parker is admitted to practice in all state, superior, federal, and appellate courts in Georgia as well as the United States Supreme Court. Parker has served as attorney coach of the South Forsyth High School Mock Trial team since 2009. He is a past president of the Forsyth County Bar Association, member of the North Forsyth Rotary Club, and serves on the Board of Directors of Signature Awakening Ministries. Parker and his wife, Nicole, together with their three children, Mary Elizabeth McFarland, Robert Parker McFarland III, and Joshua VanMeter McFarland live in Cumming, Georgia and are active members of Restoration Church in Alpharetta. Parker’s wife, Nicole, works in international missions, is an author, and highly sought after Bible teacher. Parker has coordinated the Forsyth County National Day of Prayer event since 2020 and also serves on the state team for Georgia National Day of Prayer.

Phil Pilgrim

Phil Pilgrim is a criminal defense lawyer specializing in DUI detection and enforcement defense. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and earned his Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University. During law school, he clerked for Judge Steve C. Jones and worked as a prosecutor for the Forsyth County Solicitor General’s Office and the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office. After law school, he continued as a prosecutor in Forsyth County, becoming a Senior Assistant and acting Assistant Solicitor on the Forsyth County DUI Court, prosecuting hundreds of DUI cases. He was also an instructor at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) on DUI Detection and Enforcement. Phil left public service in 2007 and co-founded Carter/Pilgrim in 2013. In 2021, Carter/Pilgrim merged with Banks, Stubbs & McFarland, where he joined as a partner. His practice now focuses 100% on DUI, Serious Injury by Vehicle, and Vehicular Homicide cases, with an 85% non-DUI resolution rate. He is a very experienced trial lawyer, having tried countless cases from misdemeanor DUI to felony murder. He is a devoted husband and father, and a member of The Vine United Methodist Church.

Mitch McKinney

Mitchell (“Mitch”) M. McKinney has joined Banks, Stubbs, & McFarland as of-counsel. He was the founding partner of Mitchell M. McKinney, P.C. from 2005 to 2019. Prior to that, he practiced with Patterson and Hansford and Jarrard & Davis as an Assistant County Attorney for Forsyth County, and was a former Assistant District Attorney with the Athens-Clarke County District Attorney’s office. Mitch is licensed to practice in Georgia and Alabama, including all courts within Georgia and Alabama and the Middle and Northern Districts of Georgia. He is a graduate of Mercer University (Economics) and the University of Alabama School of Law. Mitch is a previous President of the Forsyth County Bar Association and a member of the Lanier Forsyth Rotary Club. He practices primarily in family law, criminal defense, and personal injury.

Rafe Banks III

Rafe Banks is a former District Attorney of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit and has specialized in criminal defense law since the late 1980s. Rafe has tried well over 500 jury trials in his distinguished career.

Randall (Randy) A. Meincke

Randall (Randy) A. Meincke has been practicing law in Forsyth County since 1996, focusing entirely on estate matters and litigation. He handles wills, financial power of attorney, advance directives, trusts, and other estate planning documents, as well as probate and estate administration. Mr. Meincke can also assist with guardianship or conservatorship for incapacitated adults and represents clients in estate litigation. He served as a full-time Forsyth County juvenile court judge from 2016 to 2018. He was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1975 and has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since then, and the Forsyth County Bar Association since 1996. He is a graduate of Mercer University, earning his Juris Doctor in 1975 and Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He is also involved in various pro bono and volunteer activities.

Jacob Stidham

Jacob Stidham is a tenacious and skilled attorney who focuses exclusively on criminal defense, representing clients in Lawrenceville, Cumming, and the surrounding areas of north Atlanta, Georgia. He defends individuals charged with a variety of serious traffic offenses, such as DUI or driving without vehicle registration or insurance, and criminal offenses including drug offenses, assault and battery, armed robbery, sex crimes, and offenses involving minors. Jacob has extensive trial experience, having handled many jury trials across Georgia at both state and federal levels, and also handles criminal appeals. His expertise in Georgia DUI is reflected in his membership with the National College for DUI Defense. Jacob is committed to protecting his clients’ rights and ensuring they fully understand the legal process, working tirelessly to secure the best possible outcomes.

Amy M. Carter

Amy M. Carter has been practicing law since 2003, starting her legal career on the West coast. She practices family law and a specialized area of criminal law, and is a Certified Mediator and Guardian Ad Litem. Her personal experience with divorce and parental alienation, including her daughter's mental health struggles, deeply informs her compassionate approach to family law. She focuses on helping families through stressful times, aiming for restoration and clear paths forward. Amy also handles special victims cases in criminal law, including sex crimes, child pornography, and child physical abuse, having previously prosecuted these cases. She is selective about the criminal cases she takes, approaching them with a unique defense dynamic as a female attorney and mother of four. She was remarried in 2021 and is a devoted wife and mother.