Attorney J Lane Bearden

12/31/2025

Cross-examination is an art. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1410348041102125/?fs=e&fs=e

11/04/2025

Expert inspections the next three days - they don’t advertise doing these on billboards.

10/12/2025

‘Shrinkflation’ is a thing in groceries, and now, apparently, also in auto insurance:

For as long as I remember, State Farm has issued a separate policy for each vehicle in Georgia. A little more paperwork - but a huge benefit for policy owners with multiple cars, because the owner could ‘stack’ liability and underinsured/uninsured (UIM/UM) coverage, one policy on top of the others, in the same household. For example, with $250k coverage on uninsured motors coverage, and 4 cars in your family, you could stack them (using ‘added-on’ UIM coverage) to total $1m, in case someone hit you with minimum or no liability coverage.

I switched to State Farm Mutual auto coverage many years ago, mainly because of this ‘stacking’ benefit. (Also because the local agent is my friend, but mainly to get the stacking benefit). However, as of Nov 1, State Farm will no longer allow ‘stacking’ of policies: Now only one policy will be issued per household.

So, in this example, with 4 family cars insured at $250k, you no longer have $1m in liability or uninsured/underinsured coverage, you only have $250k. In other words, State Farm insured (like me) are about to lose 75% coverage.

Will premiums go down because of that huge change? Not much. I think we will save $15.00 per month, in exchange for losing $750,000 in liability and UM/UIM coverage.

A shocking number of people out there are driving around with minimum ($25k) liability coverage, or nothing at all. For those keeping track, $25k will now cover about one trip to the local emergency room. Legislation needs to be passed to keep up with inflation.

Now might be a good time to review your policies, and ask your local insurance agent some hard questions. An ‘umbrella’ policy is one of the best deals out there - but it doesn’t make up for the stacking they just cancelled. Be careful out there!

- Lane

08/21/2025

If Kemp’s so-called ‘tort reform’ was passed to help average Georgians, why are only the insurance companies celebrating? You know why …

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's political organization took to social media to tout his success in limiting lawsuits in a way Georgians could understand.

08/18/2025

This week we are going to mediation in a very serious personal injury case, where I represent the plaintiffs (injured party).

I generally like mediation - I am a trained mediator, and have probably been in mediation over 100 times in my career.

The only question is whether both sides are prepared, and whether everyone (attorneys, clients, insurance adjuster), can really focus on what a jury will do, if the case goes to trial.

07/16/2025

These billboard lawyers - ugh!

07/07/2025

Good practice.

05/20/2025

Happy birthday to the hardest working lawyer I know - my sister Lynn!

05/10/2025

These days I appreciate more than ever the teachings of one of my political science professors, Gordon Lloyd, at the University of Redlands. He was particularly insightful when teaching about The Federalist Papers. Tonight, for example, I was reviewing my notes from class in the 1970s, on The Federalist, Paper #47 (Madison) Par 3. Prof Lloyd was so right - and Madison was so perceptive!

Lloyd was a meticulous scholar who loved life, liberty, and America.

03/20/2025

“Tort Reform” in Georgia is just an attempt to help the insurance companies. There are a lot of problems with the proposed law, but this is a pretty good summary.

I wish we could say that 99% of defendants sitting on the other side are represented by the insurance companies, and that only insurance companies will be paying out compensation to victims, but the law doesn’t allow ‘the whole truth’ in these cases. This law would only make it worse.

I’m breaking down how Georgia’s proposed SB68 bill could strip away your right to sue and make it harder for victims to get justice.This bill would limit lia...

02/09/2025

For about 20 years I was wearing three hats: An attorney in private practice, a part-time judging position (that started off at a day a week, grew to 4 days a week) and a volunteer coach of high school speech and debate. I loved every minute of it, but had to step away from two of those (coaching and judging) to focus on my law practice.

This weekend I received a very kind reminder how much the speech and debate community still means to me: Voted into the Georgia Forensics Coaches’ Hall of Fame. Wonderful induction comments by one of my former students and forever friend, Kaitlin DeFoor. Celebrated with my wife Carol, who was ‘team mom’ for a generation of kids, and is at least as deserving of the award as I am.

Now back to the law office, hoping to right a few wrongs!

02/09/2025

Studio called and wants the rights to a civil case I had a few years ago where I represented the victim against her adopted father in a molestation case. Gordon County jury awarded her a record verdict of 3.6 million and judge set aside the adoption. I have reached out to my client and she feels it may be instructive for other girls in abusive situations to see that they can strike back through the judicial system, so we are in touch with studio producers. I hope for her sake, and others like her, that this becomes something inspirational.