Wrix McIlvaine
Partner Wrix McIlvaine is an experienced advocate that has battled for justice in trial and appellate courts throughout Georgia for nearly two decades. He is a specialist in criminal defense and regularly takes on difficult and high profile criminal matters in State and Federal Courts. He is recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer and is regularly named as one of the Top 100 trial lawyers in America and as a Top Ten Criminal Defense Attorney by the American Association of Attorney Advocates.
Wrix is a zealous defender of citizen rights and civil liberties under the United States Constitution and is one of the few attorneys in Southeast Georgia that takes on civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. His trial and appellate practice also focuses on representing those who have been seriously injured by medical malpractice, police misconduct, governmental abuse and corporate malfeasance.
As a strong believer in the right to counsel for indigent and underprivileged communities, he is a former supervising trial attorney for the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council and a longstanding member of the Criminal Justice Act panel for the Southern District of Georgia. He also has served as a conflict panel attorney in counties throughout southeast Georgia for over a decade and has volunteered for Georgia Legal Services and Georgia Lawyers for the Arts.
Wrix is a 2002 graduate of the University of Delaware (journalism), earned his Juris Doctor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law (cum laude) 2005, and is a graduate of the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center earning his Master of Laws degree from the University of Augsburg and George Washington University in 2006.
He is a member of the Brunswick Exchange Club, Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church and serves as a Committee Member and Den Leader in scouting.
Areas of Practice
- Federal Criminal Defense
- Serious Violent Felony Defense
- White Collar Criminal Defense
- Civil Rights Litigation
- Civil and Criminal Appeals
- Complex Civil Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Complex Family Law Litigation
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Bar Admissions: Georgia 2006, Georgia Court of Appeals 2008, Georgia Supreme Court 2008, Southern District of Georgia 2010, Middle District of Georgia 2015, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals 2013
Education
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California
- Juris Doctor cum laude – 2005
- The Universitat Augsburg Juristischer Fachbereich, Augsburg, Germany-Munich Intellectual Property Law Center
- Master of Laws
- Major: Intellectual Property
- University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
- B.A.
- Major: Journalism
Representative Clients-Appellate Cases
- Brabant v. Patton, 321 Ga. App 37 (2013), Georgia Court of Appeals
- Simmons v. United States, No. CV613-112, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157734,2015 U.S. Dist. Lexis 45557 (S.D. Ga., 2015), Southern District of Georgia
- Sheppard v. Pierce Cty., 631 F. App’x 718 (11th Cir. 2015), 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Sheppard v. City of Blackshear, 2015 U.S. Dist. Lexis 7362 (S.D. Ga., 2015), Southern District of Georgia
- Schuman v. Dep’t of Human Servs., 354 Ga. App. 509 (2020)
- In the Interest of J. M. S., 334 Ga. App. 142 (2015)
- City of St. Marys v. Reed, 346 Ga. App. 508, 508, 816 S.E.2d 471, 472 (2018)
- Hughes v. State, 341 Ga. App. 594, 595, 802 S.E.2d 30, 31 (2017)
- Green v. State, 295 Ga. App. 468, 468, 672 S.E.2d 414, 416 (2008)
- Alston v. City of Darien, 750 F. App’x 825, 829 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Bennett v. United States, 817 F. App’x 936, 937 (11th Cir. 2020)
High Profile and Other Notable Criminal Cases:
- USA v. James – 2022 Federal Aviation Sexual Assault Case – Southern District of Georgia – Savannah Division – Dismissal before trial 2023
- State v. Johnson – 2022 Murder Case – Glynn County – Acquitted of Malice Murder, Convicted of Felony Murder at Trial – Life with Parole sentence
- USA v. Key – 2020 Drug Trafficking Case – Southern District of Georgia – Brunswick Division – Defense investigation into police corruption led to Dismissal of Indictment 2020
- Attorney General Grand Jury Investigation into Ahmaud Arbery – Ware Judicial Circuit District Attorney not indicted – 2020
- USA v. Colter – 2019 – pharmacist prosecution – avoided Indictment for Drug Trafficking and allowed for entry of plea on “information” for wire fraud, client received probation.
- USA v. Wallace – 2019 – theft of military base weapons/munitions conspiracy – client received 3 months
- State v. Thompson – 2019 – Tattnall – Georgia State Prison Riot Case – Defendant was charged with 14 counts– all but 2 charges dismissed – no additional time to serve in prison beyond parole date
- State v. Akeem Brown – 2018 Murder Case – Glynn County – Dismissed on Pre-Trial Motions 2021
- State v. Deon Gibson – 2018 Sexual Assault case against Sheriff’s Deputy – Chatham – reduced Felony to misdemeanor and 12 months probation.
- State v. Devon Carter – 2017 – Camden County – Conspiracy/Oath of Office Felony case against a Police Officer – successfully quashed the Indictment and achieved dismissal of the case
- State v. Gregory Gilchrist – 2017 Home Invasion/Armed Robbery/Gang Activity casce – Defendant acquitted of Gang Activity and convicted of Home Invastion/Armed Robbery
- USA v. Cain – 2017 Heroin Trafficking Case – Southern District of Georgia – – Brunswick Division – Defense Motion to Suppress lead to reduction to misdemeanor possession 2018
- State v. Keith Johnson – 2014 Murder Case – Chatham – reduced to party to the crime of Aggravated Assault 2018 with 5 year sentence
- State v. Jermaine Thomas – 2013 Murder Case – Glynn County – Reduced to Manslaughter
- State v. Karimah Elkins – 2013 Murder Case – Glynn County – Tried in Cobb County – Convicted of Tampering, Acquitted at trial of False Alibi and Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon
- State v. Timothy Sapp – 2012 Murder Case – Camden County – Directed Verdict dismissing Felony Murder Count 2014
USA v. Earl Dart – 2011 Disability Fraud Case – Southern District of Georgia – Brunswick Division – Defense investigation lead to Dismissal of Indictment 2012 - State v. Randall Dearman – 2011 F.E.A.R. Domestic Terror Organization/Murder Case – Liberty – 29 counts of street gang activity, burglaries and other felonies reduced to 15 years probation 2013
- State v. Gregory Stabile – 2011 Armed Robbery/Home Invasion Case – Succesfully Moved for Mistrial caused by State, subsequently plead to reduced charges and 5 year sentence
- State v. Deon Rountree – 2009 Armed Robbery case – Glynn – Acquittal at Trial
- State v. James Fuller – 2009 Murder Case – reduced to Involuntary manslaughter and attempted armed robbery
- State v. Greg Boone – 2008 Murder Case – Glynn County – Acquittal at trial 2010
- State v. Greg Simpson – 2006 Murder Case – McIntosh – Convicted at Trial – Life with Parole sentence
- State v. Ernest Clayton – 2009 Drug Trafficking Case – Liberty – Acquittal 2010
- State v. Bennett – 2006 Drug Trafficking Case – McIntosh – Accused of trafficking 2 kilos of cocaine, defense investigation led to dismissal before trial – 2009.
- State v. Corey McDowelll – 2006 Burglary/Criminal Damage/Lewd and Lascivious Case – Glynn – Acquittal 2007
- State v. Travis Cummings – 2006 Drug Trafficking Case – Glynn – Acquittal 2006
- State v. Renico Guyton – 2007 Armed Robbery – Wayne – Acquittal 2008
- State v. Mario Mangram – 2007 Vehicle Theft/Felony Eluding case – Glynn – Acquittal 2007
- State v. Greg Kemp – 2007 Drug Trafficking Case – Glynn – Acquittal 2007
- State v. Tameka Lawrence – 2008 – Armed Robbery – Glynn – Convicted at trial receiving Life w/o Parole, vacated on Motion for New Trial, reduced to robbery by intimidation and released on time served
- State v. Theodore Steenwerth – Child Molestation – Camden – Hung Jury and not re-tried on Child Molestation
Honors and Awards
- Recognized as one of the Top 40 Trial Lawyers Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers – 2013, 2014
- Rising Star by Georgia Super Lawyer magazine in 2014-2019
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers
- Appointed by Gov. Sonny Purdue to serve on the McIntosh County Board of Elections 2010
- Named as one of America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys – Georgia Top 100 – 2019
- Named by the American Association of Attorney Advocates – Top 10 Attorney for Criminal Defense – Georgia – 2022
- Named by Top Lawyers of Georgia – Named Georgia Rising Star – 2015
- Georgia Bar – Young Lawyers Division – Award of Achievement 2009
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL)
- Glynn County Bar Association
Past Employment Positions
- McIlvaine Law Group, Managing Partner, 2009 – 2016
- Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, Supervising Trial Attorney, 2006 – 2009
Pro Bono Activities
- Georgia Lawyers for the Arts
- Georgia Legal Services
Languages
- English
Fraternities/Sororities
- Sigma Chi