Georgia State Senator John F. Kennedy, LAW '90, was named one of 2015's Legislators of the Year by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Kennedy was recognized specifically as the top freshman legislator. During his freshman year, Kennedy supported several policy initiatives, including education reform, transportation funding and legal reform. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce presents its Legislator of the Year awards annually after the conclusion of the legislative session.
Graduating from Mercer University with both his bachelor's degree and law degree, Kennedy resides in Macon and works for the firm James, Bates, Brannan and Groover LLP. He practices in the areas of civil litigation, trial work, business advice and fiduciary law. He has significant experience in complex commercial litigation, business transactions, business disputes and railroad law. He was elected to the Georgia Senate in 2014 to represent Senate District 18. Kennedy previously served as President of the Macon Bar Association, is currently a member of the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia and serves on the Board of Visitors for the Law School.
When asked about his Law School experience and how it prepared him for public office, Kennedy said, “I really consider it a privilege to have gone to Mercer. I had a wonderful experience from the student body experience, to the faculty, to the educational foundation it gave me.”
He also recalls what makes him proud to be a Mercer Law alumnus, “I'd like to say that when you come across Mercer Law graduates, they are good people, doing good across the state. Whether it's service in the judicial role or public service, or someone who is a hometown practitioner or has risen to very successful levels in business and industry. But when you peel behind the lawyer label, and look at who they are, they're good people.”
