The law firm of Stone & Baxter, LLP was founded in 1996 by Ward Stone, Jr. and D. Mark Baxter. Mr. Stone and Mr. Baxter have practiced together since 1986. Stone & Baxter, LLP was created as a vehicle to facilitate the concentration of their practices in the areas of general business law and transactional representation, commercial real estate, business financial restructuring and Chapter 11, telecommunications, regulatory compliance and administrative procedure, environmental law and commercial and industrial construction dispute resolution. Their goal was to establish a firm dedicated to providing high quality, prompt, efficient and cost-effective legal services to its clients while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Three of the firm’s partners have been named in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America and have been distinguished as “Georgia Super Lawyers” by Atlanta Magazine.

In 2005, the firm gained three valuable additions in Jerome L. Kaplan, Ronald C. Thomason, and James P. Smith. Messrs. Kaplan, Thomason and Smith’s practices concentrate in the firm’s areas of practice and the firm welcomes them and their clients to the practice. The addition of these experienced attorneys enhances the firm’s capabilities to handle larger matters within its areas of concentration.

The nine-attorney firm represents business and individual clients. The attorneys in the firm collectively possess more than 200 years of legal experience. The firm’s office is located in the heart of historic, downtown Macon within walking distances of all state and federal courts, and is easily accessible from the Atlanta Airport (ground shuttle and limousine service available), I-75, and I-16. Macon, Georgia is serviced by commuter air and two general aviation airports. The firm’s attorneys are admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in the State of Georgia and several are admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Attorneys from the firm regularly appear for clients in arbitrations, Bankruptcy and other Federal Courts throughout the United States

While the firm's primary focus is general business law, individual attorneys practice in complementary practice areas, including Administrative Law, Arbitration and Mediation, Banking Law, Bankruptcy Law (Corporate Chapter 7 and 11), Business Finance (Real Estate, Inventory, Etc.), Business Litigation, Business Organization, Commercial Law and Litigation, Construction Law, Creditor Rights, Environmental Law (Underground storage tanks, water resources, etc.), International Law, Petroleum Marketing Law, Probate, Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning, Telecommunications Law (Regulatory Law and Litigation), and Zoning, Planning, and Land Use.

The attorneys of Stone & Baxter, LLP actively serve the local community, taking leading roles in religious, political and bar association activities. Our attorneys are also involved in civic organizations and charities, including the Macon Civic Club, Kiwanis Club, Sertoma Club, Historic Macon Foundation, Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences, Cannonball House, and the Ronald McDonald House.