The City Attorney's Office provides legal advice and services to the City Manager, Mayor, City Council and city staff to ensure that policies, recommendations and administrative procedures undertaken are legally sound.
It supervises the drafting of all ordinances and the preparation of legal documents, reviews and consults on city services and contracts, and provides legal opinions and counseling to the City Manager, Mayor, City Council and city staff.
At the direction of the City Manager, Mayor or City Council, the City Attorney's Office may provide for appropriate representation for the city in all legal proceedings. The City Attorney's Office would supervise and manage any special counsel, which may be hired for their specific knowledge and expertise.
The City Attorney's Office is staffed by City Attorney Richard A. Carothers and Assistant City Attorney Ronald Bennett, Jr.
Richard A. Carothers
Richard "Dick" Carothers brings nearly 40 years of professional legal experience to his position with the City. That experience includes civil litigation, eminent domain, zoning and land use, civil rights, and labor and employment.
A founding and managing partner of Carothers & Mitchell, LLC, he currently handles and/or oversees the firm's legal work for Gwinnett County, and the City of Lilburn, in addition to Johns Creek.
Prior to the firm's establishment in 1996, Carothers served as the County Attorney and Director of the Law Department for Gwinnett County from 1987-1992. From 1985 to 1987 he served as the Assistant County Attorney for Gwinnett and the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Atlanta from 1977-1985.
He is a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, and Gwinnett County.
He is the Past Chairman of the Local Governmental Section of the State Bar of Georgia and the Past President, City Attorneys Section, of the Georgia Municipal Association. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce for five years.
He was admitted into both the Georgia and Ohio state bars in 1976, following his graduation from Emory University School of Law. He earned his undergraduate B.A. from Denison University in 1973.