Randy Evans

Randy Evans
Personal details
Born (1958-09-24) September 24, 1958
Dublin, Georgia, U.S.
Political party Republican
Alma mater University of West Georgia (BA)
University of Georgia (JD)

James Randolph "Randy" Evans (born Sep. 24, 1958) is an American lawyer and Republican from Georgia who specializes in professional, legal, and government ethics.[1] Evans is a partner at Dentons, the largest law firm in the world. [2]

Early life and education

Randy Evans was born in Dublin, Georgia on September 24, 1958.[3] Evans grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia,[4] where he graduated from Northside High School in 1976.[1] He was awarded a debate scholarship to West Georgia College in Carrollton, Georgia.[5] Evans was elected in 1979 as President of the West Georgia College Student Government Association.[6] Evans graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in 1980.[1] While a student at West Georgia, Evans volunteered for Newt Gingrich's 1976 losing and 1978 winning campaigns.[1] In 1979, Evans lived in the basement of Gingrich’s Virginia home while he interned for the freshman congressman.[1] Evans graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia in 1983, Magna Cum Laude.[1]

Evans began his legal career at Bondurant, Miller, Hishon & Stephenson, a law firm in Atlanta, Georgia.[7] In 1985, Evans joined Arnall, Golden and Gregory,[8] where he worked for 18 years.[1] In 2003, Evans started working at McKenna Long & Aldridge.[1] On July 1, 2015, McKenna, Long & Aldridge merged with Dentons, where Evans remains a partner and serves on the Dentons US Board.

Political career - National

Evans chaired Newt Gingrich’s campaign organization (the Friends of Newt Gingrich (FONG)) in Gingrich’s successful reelection contests in 1988 and 1990. In 1995, Gingrich retained Evans as his outside general counsel to the Speaker.[4]

After Gingrich stepped down as Speaker at the end of 1998, Evans negotiated a variety of business ventures for Gingrich, including a television contract with FOX News and book contracts for several books, including various New York Times bestsellers.

Evans chaired Gingrich’s companies from their inception in 1999 until Gingrich’s announcement that he was a candidate for President in 2011.[9]

Upon his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1999, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert retained Evans as his outside general counsel to the Speaker.[10] Evans represented Speaker Hastert throughout his tenure as the longest serving Republican Speaker of the House in history including the Bush vs. Gore election in 2000 and the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Beginning in 2002, Evans represented Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (the first Republican governor in Georgia since Reconstruction). Later, Evans nominated Harold Melton to the Georgia Supreme Court. Justice Melton was appointed as the first Republican African-American Justice to Georgia’s Supreme Court.[11]Evans now represents Governor Perdue's successor Governor Nathan Deal. [12]

By 2004, Evans represented most of the leadership in the House of Representatives, prompting the Committee on Standards to question the multi-representation of different members by the same attorney. The House Rules were amended to permit such representations.[13]

Evans has represented former House GOP Conference Chairman J. C. Watts since his last term in Congress. He later served as the Chair of the Board of some of Watt's companies.[14]

In conjunction with Susan Hirschman (former Chief of Staff for Majority Leader Tom Delay) and Bill Paxon (former National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman), Evans designed and formed the first political organization after the effective date of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in order to receive nonfederal money. After challenges by Common Cause, the Federal Election Commission found that the entity - as structured - could accept nonfederal money.[15]

In 2005-2006, Evans participated in the United States Supreme Court litigation known as the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act as counsel to the Speaker of the Congress.[16]

Evans served as a Senior Advisor to Newt Gingrich’s 2012 campaign for the Republican nomination for president until Gingrich’s announcement of his intention to suspend his campaign in late April 2012.[17]

In addition to national political figures, Evans has represented and does represent various current and former elected officials in Georgia and elsewhere.

Political career - Georgia

Evans was elected chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party in 1985, and Chairman of the Sixth Congressional District in 1987 and 1989.

Evans served as General Counsel to the Georgia Republican Party for eight years, beginning with his appointment by then GOP Chairman Ralph Reed in 2001. He was reappointed by Georgia GOP Chairman Alec Poitevint in 2003 and 2005, and by Georgia GOP Chairman Sue Everhart in 2007 and 2009. From 2009-2011, Evans served as Finance Chair to the Georgia Republican Party.

In 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Evans was selected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Evans was appointed and served as the Republican National Committeeman from Georgia for the 2004 Republican National Convention (when Alec Poitevint was Georgia State Chairman). In 2008, Evans served as an Elector for the State of Georgia in the 2008, 2012, 2016 Presidential election.[18][19]

Evans served on the state committee and state executive committee of the Georgia Republican Party for years. From 2003-2016, Evans has served as the chairman of the Georgia Republican Convention.

He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission and as the Republican National Committeeman from Georgia. He previously served as a member of the five-person Georgia State Election Board for 10 years.[20]

Publications

J. Evans & S. Klevens, Georgia Legal Malpractice Law – 2017 (ALM 2016)

S. Berry, J. Evans, C. Lyle, T. Trotta & K. Guinn, Insurance Coverage for Intellectual Property, Personal and Advertising Injury, Media and Cyber Claims (LexisNexis 1st Ed. 2016)

J. Evans & S. Klevens, Georgia Legal Malpractice Law – 2016 (ALM 2015)

J. Evans & S. Klevens, Georgia Legal Malpractice Law – 2015 (ALM 2014)

J. Evans & S. Klevens, California Legal Malpractice Law – 2014 (ALM 2014)

J. Evans, J. Berry & R. Besaw, Appraisal in Property Damage Insurance Disputes, Process, Law, and Strategy (Claims & Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance - 2014)

S. Klevens, J. Evans, A. Clair, The Lawyer’s Handbook (ALM 2013)

J. Evans & S. Klevens, Georgia Legal Malpractice Law – 2014 (ALM 2013)

C. Carroll, J. Evans, L. Patton, J. Zimolzak, Climate Change and Insurance (American Bar Association - 2012)

J. Evans & J. Berry, Georgia Property and Liability Insurance Law (West - 2012 Edition)

J. Evans & S. Klevens, Georgia Legal Malpractice Law (ALM 2011)

J. Evans & J. Berry, Georgia General Liability Insurance (Bold Legal Publishing 2010)

J. Evans, Practical Guide To Legal Malpractice Prevention (Eighth Ed. 2000)

J. Evans & A. Morris, The Practical Guide to Purchasing Legal Malpractice Insurance (Third Ed. 1999)[21]

J. Evans, ‘Practical Guide To Legal Malpractice Prevention’ (7th Ed. 1999)

Evans & Morris, ‘Guidelines for Purchasing Legal Malpractice Insurance’ (3rd Ed. 1999)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robert Luke (November 2, 2003). "INSIDE METRO BUSINESS: UPCLOSE: JAMES RANDOLPH EVANS Lawyer keeps politics on high road of ethics". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D.2.
  2. ↑ http://www.dentons.com/en/global-presence.aspx
  3. ↑ “New defender a tireless worker, longtime friend, political ally,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 16, 1997.
  4. 1 2 “Gingrich’s New Lawyer Described as Longtime Ally, Workaholic,” Fulton Daily Report, December 20, 1996.
  5. ↑ Douglas County Sentinel, January 21, 1997.
  6. ↑ “New defender a tireless worker, longtime friend, political ally,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 16, 1997; “Evans Outlines New Goal,” The West Georgian, October 3, 1979
  7. ↑ http://www.dentons.com/en/randy-evans
  8. ↑ “Gingrich’s New Lawyer Described as Longtime Ally, Workaholic,” Fulton Daily Report, December 20, 1996; “New defender a tireless worker, longtime friend, political ally,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 16, 1997.
  9. ↑ “Arnall, Golden, Gregory, LLP Just Lost Their Entire Political Law Practice...”. The Political Vine. 2003-10-08. http://www.politicalvine.com/news/newsview8963.html. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  10. ↑ “Lawyer keeps politics on high road of ethics,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 2, 2003, p. D2.
  11. ↑ http://www.gasupreme.us/biographies/melton.php
  12. ↑ http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/07/03/randy-evans-the-georgia-man-in-the-middle-of-the-rnc/
  13. ↑ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/T?&report=hr422p1&dbname=111&
  14. ↑ “Lawyer keeps politics on high road of ethics,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 2, 2003, p. D2; “Arnall, Golden, Gregory, LLP Just Lost Their Entire Political Law Practice...”. The Political Vine. 2003-10-08.
  15. ↑ “Arnall, Golden, Gregory, LLP Just Lost Their Entire Political Law Practice...”. The Political Vine. 2003-10-08. http://www.politicalvine.com/news/newsview8963.html. Retrieved 2008-02-12
  16. ↑ https://books.google.com/books/about/Speaker.html?id=XpR3AAAAMAAJ
  17. ↑ https://gop.com/leaders/national-committeeman-randy-evans-ga
  18. ↑ "dailyreportonline.com"
  19. ↑ http://www.p2012.org/parties/committees/rnc12.html
  20. ↑ http://www.mckennalong.com/professionals-774.html
  21. ↑ http://www.sgrlaw.com/resources/trust_the_leaders/leaders_issues/ttl5/916/
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