Stephen A. Eagleton
Probate Court Greene County
Eagleton’s roots in legal and public service are more than a century old. His great-grandfather was a doctor, and a moving force in the development of St. Louis into a major city. His grandfather was an extraordinary lawyer who was a primary member of the prosecution team at the Nuremberg Trials. He was a civic leader in post-war St. Louis while being on the board of directors for the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club. His father was a prominent physician and the team doctor for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team while his uncle and godfather, Thomas Eagleton, was one of Missouri’s greatest Senators. Although Mr. Eagletons political views differ from his late uncle, the public service lessons he learned from his grandfather and uncle Tom will never be forgotten. They were both some of the most respected and honorable individuals in their profession. After receiving his Law Degree, Mr. Eagleton has continued the family tradition of public service through his work in the legal field as a professional arbitrator/mediator, certified by the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties (OCRL) and National Resolution Center(NRC), both based in Washington DC. Mr. Eagleton is a dispute resolution specialists with over 1000 cases resolved to date. This aspect of his legacy forms the core of Stephen’s legal and public service philosophy.
Mr. Eagleton’s roots in Greene County reach back to the 1980’s when the Lake Oconee area was in it infancy. During this time Mr. Eagleton spent hundreds of weekends at the lake water skiing and camping. Finally, in 2011, Mr. Eagleton became a property owner in Greene County when he was able to purchase a condo. Steve is not a “political insider” or life long State Government employee, rather he provides a highly experienced background with new ideas and a fair approach to the judicial process in Greene County.
Mr. Eagleton’s commitment to the legal profession and the state of Georgia can not be overstated. Since graduating from a top tier Law School in 1996 he has benefited from working with some of the greatest legal minds in the business. During law school he worked for Judge George Gunn in the 8th Federal Circuit. After clerking for Judge Gunn, Mr. Eagleton spent time in the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office and Fulton County State Court. He then worked for Judge’s Bob Cochran, Craig Schwall and others in the Fulton County Courthouse.
In 1998 Mr Eagleton started his current business, Eagleton Mediation Group LLC. To date, Mr. Eagleton has mediated over 1000 cases with dozens of various topics. More recently he has focused his mediation on Labor Law and EEOC cases while being on several highly coveted mediation panels across the country. It is this mediation and strong legal background which makes Mr. Eagleton a perfect candidate for Greene County Probate Court.
Mr. Eagleton considers the Georgia Probate & Magistrate Court to be one of the best in the country. There is only one other state in the country with a higher dollar amount limit in Magistrate Court than Georgia. The fifteen thousand dollar limit provides consumers an excellent means to pursue a remedy when they have been wronged. Without the high limits, citizens of Georgia would have no reasonable means to recover their damages. It makes no sense to pursue a ten or fifteen thousand dollar claim with an attorney because your cost would be too high. A Probate Court Judge must be knowledgeable about the law while also being able to read people and get to the truth. Many plaintiffs who use the Probate Court do not have attorneys or much legal training, so the way they present their case can be difficult to understand. As such, it is imperative that a Probate Judge take their job seriously.
It is increasingly important that the courts in the U.S., and specifically the Georgia Probate Court, adjust to the changes in our communities. Now, more than ever, there are con artist, scammers, and other despicable individuals who will do what they can to take a consumer’s money, or modify a will, deed, or other transference. The Probate and Magistrate Court is the best defense to this behavior. As such, Mr. Eagleton takes this responsibility very seriously.