Mike Bowers Again Named to Top 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine

Georgia Trend magazine, Georgia’s leading statewide business publication, has again named Michael J. Bowers, a Balch & Bingham LLP partner, as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Georgians. Bowers is a regular on the list having been named from 1990-1997 while serving as Georgia’s Attorney General and again in 2003 and now 2012.

The statewide list, formerly known as the “Power List” draws from a broad cross section of leadership in business, civic, non-profit, government and professional services circles. The complete list appears in the January 2012 edition of Georgia Trend. The magazine will recognize and honor the Top 100 as well as the Georgian of the Year at a luncheon banquet on January 25th at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta.

Bowers law practice focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis representing individuals or private entities in conflict with governmental agencies. He recently successfully argued the unconstitutionality of the State Charter School Commission in the Supreme Court of Georgia as well as led a Special Investigative Team, appointed by then Governor Sonny Perdue investigating cheating by public school administrators and teachers on standardized tests in the City of Atlanta and Dougherty County School Systems.

Quoting from the magazine: “…Bowers had a herculean task ahead of him. The Atlanta Public School system had been accused of unethical and potentially illegal actions, so then-Gov. Sonny Perdue asked him to start digging. After an exhaustive 10-month review, the former attorney general of Georgia helped uncover one of the largest cheating scandals in the country.”

The CRCT investigation and ongoing criminal prosecution have resulted in the suspension or removal of nearly 200 educators and administrators in two school systems involved in altering tests. Bowers also chaired the Judicial Nominating Commission and Judicial Qualifications Commission during the Perdue administrations. He joined Balch & Bingham in 1998 after nearly serving nearly four terms as Georgia’s Attorney General, first appointed in 1981. Bowers became a Balch & Bingham partner in 2000.

In addition to his influence in Georgia, Bowers law practice extends across the country, and he has successfully argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as multiple appellate and federal district courts. Other honors and professional recognition include: Best Lawyers in America (2003-present), Super Lawyers (2004-2009), Georgia Super Lawyers Top 100 (2009), Georgia’s Best Lawyers for Bet the Company, Mass Tort and Commercial Litigation and annually listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.