Sherry V Neal

Sherry V Neal

Neal & Wright LLC
  • Estate Planning
  • Georgia
Review This Lawyer
Badges
Claimed Lawyer ProfileSocial Media
Biography

SHERRY V. NEAL is the managing member of Neal & Wright LLC. Experienced in both the private and non-profit legal sectors, Sherry specializes in assisting families who want to grow through adoption. Sherry's practice includes all types of adoption, including finalization of agency placements, relative adoptions, stepparent adoptions, second parent adoptions, "readoption" or domestication of foreign-granted adoptions, and other domestic or international adoption matters. She is a frequent speaker on issues related to adoption and Title IV-E adoption assistance benefits.

Sherry also provides legal services in the area of estate planning, focusing on middle income estates and special needs trusts. This practice includes assisting clients with advance directives, powers of attorney, and designations of standby guardians.

Through these practice areas, Sherry's goal is to assist her clients with creating families and protecting the rights of family members, particularly those with special needs.

As an outgrowth of her adoption practice and because of her commitment to assist all families, Sherry is an associate member of the Georgia Association of Licensed Adoption Agencies, a member of Voice for Adoption, and a member of the Stonewall Bar Association. Sherry is also involved with several organizations that focus on legal issues affecting children, particularly children who are involved in some way with the judicial system, including the Children in the Courts Committee for the State Bar of Georgia.

In addition to her practice-related involvement, Sherry is a member of the State Bar Women & Minorities in the Profession Committee and the DeKalb Bar Association. Sherry also serves as a mentor to new lawyers through the State Bar Transition into Practice Program and is Director of CLE for the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.

Outside of the legal arena, Sherry heads up the Lake Claire Parents Association and has been active in a number of civic organizations, including the Peachtree-Atlanta Kiwanis Club.

Sherry graduated summa cum laude from Wesleyan College, where she played soccer and sang in the Washboard Band. She graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she was a member of the Women Law Students Association and the Georgia Law Review.

Sherry's partner in life and work is Daniel S. Wright. They and their daughter make their home in the Lake Claire neighborhood of Atlanta. In addition to chasing her daughter around the park, Sherry's personal interests include yoga, reading, crocheting, playing a wicked game of Rock Band with her husband, sister, and brother-in-law, playing the (real) piano, and travel.

Practice Area
Estate Planning
Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
Additional Practice Areas
  • Adoption
  • Adoption Assistance Benefits
  • Special Needs Trusts
  • Unsealing Adoption & Sealed Original Birth Records
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
Georgia
Placeholder image for jurisdictions.
11th Circuit
Placeholder image for jurisdictions.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Placeholder image for jurisdictions.
Professional Experience
Director, Grandparent/Relative Caregiver Project
Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
-
Associate Attorney
Kilpatrick Stockton
-
Education
The University of Georgia School of Law
J.D. | Law
-
Honors: Cum Laude, Georgia Law Review, Vasser Woolley Scholar, Phi Kappa Phi Fellow
The University of Georgia School of Law Logo
Wesleyan College
B.A. (1996) | Biology, Philosophy
-
Honors: Summa Cum Laude, President's and Dean's Lists, Presidential Scholar, Alumnae Award for Leadership
Activities: Intern for Senator Sam Nunn, Intercollegiate Soccer, Washboard Band
Placeholder image for education.
Awards
Award of Achievement
State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
Award of Achievement
State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
Outstanding Alumna Award
Monroe Academy
Power of One Volunteer Award
AARP Georgia
Special Recognition for Service
Project Healthy Grandparents
Outsanding Young Alumna
Wesleyan College
Distinguished Service Award
Peachtree Atlanta Kiwanis Club
Outstanding Kiwanian Award
Georgia District Kiwanis International
Best Service to the Bar Award
State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
Outstanding Kiwanian Award
Georgia District Kiwanis International
Distinguished Service Award
Peachtree Atlanta Kiwanis Club
Professional Associations
Georgia Association of Licensed Adoption Agencies
Associate Member
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Stonewall Bar Association
Member
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
DeKalb Bar Association
Member
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Decatur Business Association
Member
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
Director for CLE
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
State Bar of Georgia Women & Minorities in the Profession Committee
Advisor
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Voice for Adoption
Member
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
State Bar of Georgia Children and the Courts Committee
Advisor
- Current
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Peachtree Atlanta Kiwanis Club
Member
-
Activities: Served as Secretary, President-Elect, President, Immediate Past-President, and Chair of Rising Leaders Initiative
Placeholder image for professional associations.
Publications
Articles & Publications
Getting to Give: Strategies to Maximize Your Impact in the Community
Georgia Bar Journal
To Grandmother's House We Go: Children in Kinship Care
American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Children's Rights Litigation Committee Newsletter
Interstate Jurisdictional Issues - The UCCJEA and the UCCJA
ICLE
Websites & Blogs
Website
Website
Blog
Musings of a Not-So-Stay-at-Home Mom
Contact & Map
118 East Maple Street
Decatur, GA 30030
US
Telephone: (678) 596-3207