Barbara A. Marschalk is a seasoned trial lawyer whose practice is focused on defending corporations, institutions, insurers, and individuals in complex, high-exposure litigation throughout Georgia. With nearly three decades of experience with the Firm, Barbara has built a reputation as a formidable courtroom advocate and strategic advisor, particularly in matters involving catastrophic injury, wrongful death, professional liability, institutional liability, and other high-stakes disputes.
Barbara has extensive experience defending claims against churches, national and local youth-serving organizations, and other nonprofit institutions. She also represents healthcare providers, long-term care facilities, attorneys, corporations, and insurers in medical malpractice, legal malpractice, product liability, premises liability, and general tort litigation.
A veteran litigator, Barbara has successfully managed and tried cases in courts across Georgia. She is routinely entrusted with matters involving substantial financial exposure, significant reputational risk, and intense public scrutiny. Throughout her career, she has defended numerous high-profile cases that have attracted local, statewide, and national media attention, earning the trust of clients facing some of their most challenging legal crises.
Barbara’s depth of trial experience extends beyond her client work. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University College of Law, where she teaches Trial Advocacy, a required second-year course focused on courtroom skills and trial strategy. She is a Member of the Bleckley Inn of Court and serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. Barbara is also a former Committee Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and has devoted significant time to mentoring future trial lawyers through Georgia State University College of Law’s nationally respected mock trial program.
Recognized throughout Georgia as an authority on trial practice, Barbara authored two chapters of the Georgia Civil Trial Procedure, LexisNexis Practice Guide (2011–2012 Edition): Planning and Delivering Opening Statements and Planning and Conducting Cross-Examination. Her extensive courtroom experience has also made her a sought-after speaker at local and national seminars on trial advocacy, long-term care litigation, risk management, and complex civil litigation.
Known for being both tenacious and practical, Barbara develops litigation strategies tailored to her clients’ business objectives, whether through aggressive trial advocacy or efficient resolution. Her professionalism and skill have earned widespread recognition, including an AV Preeminent® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, selection as a Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star, and inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Insurance Law since 2018 and Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants since 2024. She was recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” in the Best Lawyers in America in 2023 for her work in Insurance Law.
In 2008, the Fulton County Daily Report named her one of Georgia’s “Twelve Lawyers to Watch,” describing her as a “force of nature” who “gets to the merit of the case … and focuses on the issues that matter.” As one plaintiff’s attorney aptly observed: “For every Plaintiff’s lawyer, there has to be a Barbara Marschalk.”