Hon. R. Michael Gailey, Jr. is a judge for the Putnam County State Court in Georgia. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Nathan Deal in November 2012.
In addition to presiding on the State Court, Gailey has also presided as a municipal judge for the Eatonton Municipal Court, having been elected to the seat by the Eatonton City Council in 2013.
At the time of his appointment, he was the Solicitor-General for Putnam County, a position to which he was elected in 2008.
He has also practiced as a partner alongside his wife, Laura, at The Gailey Law Firm, LLC, since 2003. At the firm, Gailey specializes in civil and criminal litigation, domestic relations and family law, as well as business, banking, and insurance litigation.
In addition to his private practice, he was a solicitor for the Morgan County Magistrate Court (1999 to 2013), Morgan County Probate Court (2000 to 2004), and Eatonton Municipal Court (2002 to 2013).
Gailey received a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from the University of Georgia in 1993. He went on to complete a J.D. at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School in 1995.
Prior to opening his law practice, Gailey spent five years as an assistant district attorney for the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office (1997 to 2002). During that time, he was tasked with prosecuting all criminal cases in Putnam and Morgan County Superior Courts, Magistrate Courts, as well as the Morgan County Probate Court.
His memberships have included the State Bar of Georgia, the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Bar Association, the Putnam County Domestic Violence Task Force, the Georgia Association of Solicitors General, and the National District Attorneys Association.
His civic involvement has included The Circle of Love Domestic Violence Shelter, the Putnam County Law Library, and the Animal Law Program for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
He resided in Eatonton with his wife and their children at the time of his appointment to the bench.