HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Brunswick and Savannah, is pleased to announce that partner John M. Tatum has been recognized by The Daily Report as the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Daily Report is a primary source for news about the courts and the profession of law for the state of Georgia.

Tatum joined HunterMaclean in 1995 and served as managing partner from 1998 through 2009. He concentrates his practice on business litigation including business torts, contractual and commercial disputes, fraud cases, RICO, ERISA, business governance and financial disputes, intellectual property disputes, and class actions.

He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, ERISA Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Trusts & Estates Litigation. Tatum was named Lawyer of the Year for 2012 in Bet-the-Company Litigation for Savannah. He has been recognized as one of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite and as a Georgia Super Lawyer for Business Litigation. He is also AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Tatum is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Eleventh Circuits; the U.S. Court of Claims; the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Georgia; and all Georgia courts. He served as a member of the Lawyer Advisory Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 1998 to 2002. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, American Bar Foundation, and Georgia Bar Foundation; a member of the American Judicature Society and the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association; and an associate member of the American Association for Justice.

Tatum has played an instrumental role within the community. He served on the board of directors of SunTrust Bank of Savannah from 1988 to 2012. His many civic commitments include serving on the CEO Council for the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, as chairman of the board of directors for Union Mission, and as Clerk of Session for First Presby­terian Church. In addition, he serves on the board of directors for the Savannah Community Foundation and the Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity, as an elected member of the Savannah Benevolent Association, and as the treasurer of the Eleventh Circuit Historical Society. He is also a past member of the National Moot Court Competition Committee. Tatum and his wife, Ann, recently served as chairs of Union Mission’s annual fundraising event, Raising Hope, which raised record amounts for the organization.

Tatum graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1965 and Bachelor of Laws in 1968 from the University of Georgia. During law school, he was a justice on the Honor Court and served as decisions editor for the Georgia Law Review from 1967 to 1968.