# Andrew H. Dekle

### Partner

- ahdekle@neillawandassociates.com

- Overview

  ### Overview

  Andrew H. Dekle is a partner at Neil Law LLP who practices primarily in the areas of civil litigation, corporate and employment law, collections, worker’s compensation, and bankruptcy. Having spent his entire career at the firm and having trained with all of its practice groups, Dekle has developed a broad base of legal knowledge that makes him well-suited to counsel individuals, businesses, and government agencies, in a wide range of legal matters and represent them in court. Dekle was named a Super Lawyers Georgia Rising Star in 2017 and 2018 in the area of civil litigation defense and was honored for his appellate work in Georgia Trend‘s 2012 Legal Elite feature, a listing of the state’s top lawyers.

  Dekle’s government experience includes representing the Board of Education for the City of Savannah and the County of Chatham. Through this representation, Dekle has developed a specialty in reviewing and drafting government procurement contracts, having reviewed numerous purchasing solicitations for the District, including construction contracts for the District’s multi-million dollar capital improvement projects. Dekle has also handled personnel and student matters for the District in administrative proceedings, such as proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), and in court. With his litigation experience for the District, Dekle has become well-versed in the doctrines of sovereign and official immunity, important legal defenses for government agencies. Dekle has also represented Bryan County and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”).

  In addition to representing government entities, Dekle also represents business of all types and sizes. He has incorporated several small businesses and counseled them as they have grown and expanded. He, along with his partners, have advised regional businesses and financial institutions in general corporate matters and represented them in litigation. Dekle has also served as local counsel for national and international companies in business disputes, bankruptcy proceedings, collection actions, garnishments, personal injury actions, cargo recovery actions, and intellectual property litigation.

  Dekle also counsels people in need of legal advice for major life decisions, such as signing a new employment contract, starting a business, and preparing a will, advance directive for health care, or power of attorney. He has also represented individuals in a wide variety of court cases, including filing lawsuits to recover money owed on personal notes, filing creditor claims in bankruptcy, and estate and trust litigation.

  Dekle is licensed to practice law in all Georgia courts, and he has been admitted to the federal district courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Georgia. He is also a member of the W. Homer Drake Georgia Bankruptcy Inn of Court, an invitation-only association of Georgia bankruptcy lawyers.

  A Savannah native, Dekle went to Savannah Country Day School where he received the Headmaster’s Award in his senior year. He attended Emory University as a John Emory Scholar where he graduated summa cum laude with degrees in history and French. While at Emory, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded the George P. Cuttino Fellowship to study abroad at University College in Oxford, England. Committed to classical music, he played the violin with the Emory Symphony Orchestra throughout college. His senior thesis on property rights and confiscation laws during the Civil War received highest honors from the history department.

  Dekle graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2010. While at Georgia, he served on the editorial board of the Georgia Journal of Intellectual Property Law. He continued to be involved with the greater university community through his participation in the UGA Philharmonia, serving as concert master in his 3L year.

  Active in the Savannah community, Dekle is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Savannah. Dekle is a member of Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, where his wife, Dr. Monica Harper Dekle, serves as music director and organist. In 2018, Dekle joined the Church’s administrative board. Dekle is also a former member of the Board of Directors for the Savannah Philharmonic Corporation. At various times, he served on the organization’s Executive, Governance, Personnel, Artistic, and Education Committees. Dekle is also a former director of another nonprofit, Wilderness Southeast.

- Education & recognition

  ### Education & recognition

  - Emory University, B.A., History, Summa Cum Laude
  - University of Georgia School of Law, J.D.
  - Editorial Board Member, Georgia Journal of Intellectual Property Law
  - Admitted to practice: Georgia; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; All Georgia State Courts
  - Georgia Trend Magazine Legal Elite
- Activities & affiliations

  ### Activities & affiliations

  - Member: State Bar of Georgia; American Bar Association; Savannah Bar Association; General Practice Section, State Bar of Georgia; Appellate Practice Section, State Bar of Georgia; W. Homer Drake Georgia Bankruptcy Inn of Court, Associate
- Publications & presentations

  ### Publications & presentations

  - Bibler Masonry Contractors, Inc. v. J. T. Turner Constr. Co., Inc., 340 Ga. App. 490 (2017) (obtaining summary judgment in favor of the Savannah Law School in connection with a dispute with a subcontractor).
  - Evans v. Williams, 341 Ga. App. 226 (2017) (reversing a court that failed to issue express written findings of fact and conclusions of law on a recusal motion).
  - MMA Capital Corp. v. ALR Oglethorpe, LLC, 336 Ga. App. 360 (2016) (holding that a trial court properly granted summary judgment in favor of MMA Capital Corp. on a suit to recover money owed a $2 Million Promissory Note and related personal guaranties and holding that the trial court should have awarded additional damages for post-default interest and late fees).
  - The Coastal Bank v. Rawlins, Georgia Court of Appeals Case no. A15A1951 (2016) (holding that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue the Coastal Bank)
  - Madge v. Savannah-Chatham Cty. Pub. Sch. Dist., 773 S.E.2d 771 (Ga. 2015) (affirming summary judgment in favor of the school district in an employment dispute)
  - Warnock v. Savannah-Chatham Cty. Pub. Sch. Dist., 2014 WL 3973922 (S.D. Ga. Aug. 13, 2014) (granting summary judgment in favor of the school district in an employment dispute).
  - Barnwell v. TPCII, LLC, 295 Ga. 153 (2014) (affirming the trial court’s denial of a motion seeking to set aside a judgment in a quiet title action)
  - Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Loncon, 2012 WL 12883228 (S.D. Ga. Oct. 29, 2012) (granting summary judgment in favor of the FDIC on suit on a note and personal guaranty)
  - Merry v. Robinson, 313 Ga. App. 321 (2011) (setting aside a default judgment against an individual in excess of $1 Million because of the indivisibility of judgments rule).

1. overview
2. education
   & recognition
3. activities
   & affiliations
4. publications
   & presentations

### Overview

Andrew H. Dekle is a partner at Neil Law LLP who practices primarily in the areas of civil litigation, corporate and employment law, collections, worker’s compensation, and bankruptcy. Having spent his entire career at the firm and having trained with all of its practice groups, Dekle has developed a broad base of legal knowledge that makes him well-suited to counsel individuals, businesses, and government agencies, in a wide range of legal matters and represent them in court. Dekle was named a Super Lawyers Georgia Rising Star in 2017 and 2018 in the area of civil litigation defense and was honored for his appellate work in Georgia Trend‘s 2012 Legal Elite feature, a listing of the state’s top lawyers.

Dekle’s government experience includes representing the Board of Education for the City of Savannah and the County of Chatham. Through this representation, Dekle has developed a specialty in reviewing and drafting government procurement contracts, having reviewed numerous purchasing solicitations for the District, including construction contracts for the District’s multi-million dollar capital improvement projects. Dekle has also handled personnel and student matters for the District in administrative proceedings, such as proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), and in court. With his litigation experience for the District, Dekle has become well-versed in the doctrines of sovereign and official immunity, important legal defenses for government agencies. Dekle has also represented Bryan County and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”).

In addition to representing government entities, Dekle also represents business of all types and sizes. He has incorporated several small businesses and counseled them as they have grown and expanded. He, along with his partners, have advised regional businesses and financial institutions in general corporate matters and represented them in litigation. Dekle has also served as local counsel for national and international companies in business disputes, bankruptcy proceedings, collection actions, garnishments, personal injury actions, cargo recovery actions, and intellectual property litigation.

Dekle also counsels people in need of legal advice for major life decisions, such as signing a new employment contract, starting a business, and preparing a will, advance directive for health care, or power of attorney. He has also represented individuals in a wide variety of court cases, including filing lawsuits to recover money owed on personal notes, filing creditor claims in bankruptcy, and estate and trust litigation.

Dekle is licensed to practice law in all Georgia courts, and he has been admitted to the federal district courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Georgia. He is also a member of the W. Homer Drake Georgia Bankruptcy Inn of Court, an invitation-only association of Georgia bankruptcy lawyers.

A Savannah native, Dekle went to Savannah Country Day School where he received the Headmaster’s Award in his senior year. He attended Emory University as a John Emory Scholar where he graduated summa cum laude with degrees in history and French. While at Emory, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded the George P. Cuttino Fellowship to study abroad at University College in Oxford, England. Committed to classical music, he played the violin with the Emory Symphony Orchestra throughout college. His senior thesis on property rights and confiscation laws during the Civil War received highest honors from the history department.

Dekle graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2010. While at Georgia, he served on the editorial board of the Georgia Journal of Intellectual Property Law. He continued to be involved with the greater university community through his participation in the UGA Philharmonia, serving as concert master in his 3L year.

Active in the Savannah community, Dekle is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Savannah. Dekle is a member of Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, where his wife, Dr. Monica Harper Dekle, serves as music director and organist. In 2018, Dekle joined the Church’s administrative board. Dekle is also a former member of the Board of Directors for the Savannah Philharmonic Corporation. At various times, he served on the organization’s Executive, Governance, Personnel, Artistic, and Education Committees. Dekle is also a former director of another nonprofit, Wilderness Southeast.

### Education & recognition

- Emory University, B.A., History, Summa Cum Laude
- University of Georgia School of Law, J.D.
- Editorial Board Member, Georgia Journal of Intellectual Property Law
- Admitted to practice: Georgia; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; All Georgia State Courts
- Georgia Trend Magazine Legal Elite

### Activities & affiliations

- Member: State Bar of Georgia; American Bar Association; Savannah Bar Association; General Practice Section, State Bar of Georgia; Appellate Practice Section, State Bar of Georgia; W. Homer Drake Georgia Bankruptcy Inn of Court, Associate

### Publications & presentations

- Bibler Masonry Contractors, Inc. v. J. T. Turner Constr. Co., Inc., 340 Ga. App. 490 (2017) (obtaining summary judgment in favor of the Savannah Law School in connection with a dispute with a subcontractor).
- Evans v. Williams, 341 Ga. App. 226 (2017) (reversing a court that failed to issue express written findings of fact and conclusions of law on a recusal motion).
- MMA Capital Corp. v. ALR Oglethorpe, LLC, 336 Ga. App. 360 (2016) (holding that a trial court properly granted summary judgment in favor of MMA Capital Corp. on a suit to recover money owed a $2 Million Promissory Note and related personal guaranties and holding that the trial court should have awarded additional damages for post-default interest and late fees).
- The Coastal Bank v. Rawlins, Georgia Court of Appeals Case no. A15A1951 (2016) (holding that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue the Coastal Bank)
- Madge v. Savannah-Chatham Cty. Pub. Sch. Dist., 773 S.E.2d 771 (Ga. 2015) (affirming summary judgment in favor of the school district in an employment dispute)
- Warnock v. Savannah-Chatham Cty. Pub. Sch. Dist., 2014 WL 3973922 (S.D. Ga. Aug. 13, 2014) (granting summary judgment in favor of the school district in an employment dispute).
- Barnwell v. TPCII, LLC, 295 Ga. 153 (2014) (affirming the trial court’s denial of a motion seeking to set aside a judgment in a quiet title action)
- Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Loncon, 2012 WL 12883228 (S.D. Ga. Oct. 29, 2012) (granting summary judgment in favor of the FDIC on suit on a note and personal guaranty)
- Merry v. Robinson, 313 Ga. App. 321 (2011) (setting aside a default judgment against an individual in excess of $1 Million because of the indivisibility of judgments rule).

### Practice Areas

- Banks & Financial Institutions
- Business & Corporate Law
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Law
- Education Law
- Employment Law
- Foreclosures & Workouts
- Intellectual Property & Technology
- Malpractice & Professional Liability
- Products Liability
- Transportation & Logistics
- Workers Compensation