James L. Pannell is a partner who works primarily in the areas of public finance and municipal bonds. He has a broad background in various areas of the law, including litigation, corporate and business law, admiralty, and real estate.

Mr. Pannell maintains active memberships in the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the Maritime Law Association, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, the Savannah Bar Association, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and the Old Warhorse Lawyers Club (Atlanta).

He received a B.B.A. in Economics from the University of Georgia in 1970. That same year, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve (Corps of Engineers) and served in the active reserves until 1978. In 1971, Mr. Pannell served as legislative assistant to United States Senator Richard B. Russell and, after Senator Russell’s death, continued in the same role with U.S. Senator David H. Gambrell. He earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1974.

From 1985 to 1990, Mr. Pannell served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, where he worked on the Ways and Means, Judiciary, Natural Resources, and Health and Ecology Committees. During his time in the General Assembly, he was particularly noted for his work on healthcare, historic preservation, tax, and environmental legislation. He also sponsored several significant local measures, including The Chatham Area Transit Authority Act (1986), reorganizing public transportation in the Savannah area; the creation of the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority (1988); the establishment of the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless (1989).

Mr. Pannell is a past president of both the Savannah Bar Association and the Younger Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Georgia. He has also served in numerous bar-related leadership roles, including on the State Bar Board of Governors, the Judicial Nominating Commission of Georgia, and the State Disciplinary Board.

He is the recipient of the Judge Frank S. Cheatham Professionalism Award from the Savannah Bar Association (2012) and the Traditions of Excellence Award from the General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia (2018).