R. Walker
Garrett

Meet R. Walker Garrett

R. Walker Garrett is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Georgia, and a graduate of St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School. He graduated magna cum laude from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, in May 2007 with a degree in Political Science and minors in Business Administration and History. While at Huntingdon, he played varsity tennis, starting at both singles and doubles. Mr. Garrett earned his Juris Doctor from Mercer University School of Law in May 2010, along with a Certificate in Advanced Legal Writing, Research, and Drafting. While at Mercer, he received the CALI Award for the highest grade in Advanced Legal Research and served as a research assistant to Tax Professor Monica Armstrong.

Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Garrett joined a boutique litigation firm specializing in catastrophic injury litigation and Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) cases, representing injured railroad union workers. Mr. Garrett is licensed to practice in the State and Superior Courts of Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Alabama state courts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He also represented hundreds of businesses and individuals in claims arising from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, recovering millions of dollars for clients throughout the Gulf Coast. Mr. Garrett joined Morgan & Morgan in August 2018, where he continues to represent individuals harmed by the negligence and wrongful actions of others.

Mr. Garrett is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and has chaired educational seminars for fellow attorneys. He also served on the Board of the General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia, where he was editor and a contributor to Calendar Call magazine, a statewide legal publication. As part of the Section's commitment to community service, he was the first city captain for the "Ask-a-Lawyer" pro bono service day in Columbus and continues to lead the event each year.

In the community, Mr. Garrett served two terms as Board Chairman of The Literacy Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to ending illiteracy in the Chattahoochee Valley. He continues to support the organization by taking adult literacy students to the Georgia State Capitol to meet their legislators during Literacy Day. Mr. Garrett is a former member of the Rotary Club of Columbus and previously served on its Board of Directors. He currently serves on the boards of the Direct Services Corporation (Meals on Wheels), the Hamilton Cemetery Association, and the Alabama Zeta Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni Volunteer Board, where he serves as Treasurer. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for his alma mater, Huntingdon College, where he is a member of the Institutional Advancement Committee. Mr. Garrett previously served on the boards of the Greater Columbus Young Professionals, Georgia Watch, the Convention & Trade Center Authority, the Huntingdon College National Alumni Association, and the Columbus Museum Contemporaries. Additionally, he is a member of the Columbus Inn of Court and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. At First Baptist Church of Columbus, he serves as an usher, an ordained deacon, and a member of the Advisory Committee.

In 2013, Mr. Garrett received the "Five Under Forty Award" from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Columbus and the Valley magazine. In 2016, he received the "40 Under 40 Award" from Columbus Magazine. In 2017, The Literacy Alliance and Columbus Technical College established the R. Walker Garrett Literacy GED Scholarship in recognition of his commitment to improving adult literacy, helping individuals who otherwise could not afford to take the GED examination. He was also named Huntingdon College's Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year in 2017. In 2023, Mr. Garrett was recognized as one of Georgia Trend magazine's "40 Under 40" honorees. He has also been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star, an honor reserved for no more than 2.5% of practicing attorneys under the age of 40.

In 2016, Mr. Garrett was elected to the Columbus City Council, representing District 8. Columbus, Georgia, operates under a consolidated city-county government serving more than 200,000 residents. After first winning a special election to fill the unexpired term of Councilor C. E. McDaniel and then winning election to a full four-year term, he has since been reelected and is now serving his third elected term on the Columbus City Council.