My inspiration for becoming a lawyer came from being sued by a debt buyer.

I know exactly what you are going through.

Jillian Sandt, Attorney at Law

If anyone had ever told me that one day I would be a lawyer, I probably would have laughed at them.  Not that there is anything wrong with being a lawyer, it was simply a profession that had never interested me.  I have three Associates Degrees in Computer Sciences and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.  I worked in the insurance industry and had several years of retail management experience.  None of this had anything to do with law.

Like so many of my clients, I experienced tough financial times, particularly around the great recession of 2008 and 2009.  I found myself on the defending side of a debt collection lawsuit.   The legal process fascinated me, and this newly found passion led the way to successfully defending my case.  If you would like to read more about my debt collection case, check out my segment on WSB TV Channel 2 Clark Howard’s show.

After the conclusion of my case, I went on to graduate from Kennesaw State with a Paralegal Certificate with Honors.  I then worked for several years for an attorney who handled a variety of cases, including consumer debt collection lawsuit defense cases and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) cases. As a paralegal for a trial attorney, I learned firsthand how to prepare cases for trial. While working full-time as a paralegal, I enrolled in the part-time evening program at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, where I graduated as Valedictorian of my law school class.  In law school, I practiced under the Student Practice Act in Superior Courts of DeKalb County working on felony criminal cases for a public defender’s office.  I am thankful to have a well-rounded background in legal experience.

Today, I am a lawyer that defends Georgians against the same type of case that I once experienced.  I have defended hundreds of consumer debt collection cases in many of the Magistrate, State, and Superior courts of Georgia.  I have also brought numerous federal lawsuits against badly behaving debt collectors for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Two of those federal lawsuits went all the way to a jury trial with verdicts in favor of my clients.  I cannot say that I found my calling in law – it found me.  I am grateful that I am able to make meaningful positive impacts on my clients’ lives.

As much as I love my job, my greatest accomplishment is at home.  My husband and I have three daughters who are my heart.  Our family lives in McDonough, Georgia.