When Jennifer Giles was young, she was torn between pursuing law or architecture. It wasn’t until her third year as an undergrad that she decided to focus on the former. Family law in particular caught her attention because it would allow her to help others through tough times; a lot of the job is listening and empathizing with people. As a partner and owner of VanLanduyt Giles Greer, LLC, Ms. Giles handles a variety of topics, including divorce, adoption, custody disputes, protective orders, and child support. She strives to avoid litigation whenever possible, especially when there are children involved, but clients know they can count on her to be there for them whatever their needs. She is fluent in Spanish and has experience guiding Spanish-speaking clients through complex legal matters and is a certified mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, among other assets.
One of the highlights of Ms. Giles’s career was when she served as an attorney at Atlanta Legal Aid right out of law school. The organization works with people who can’t afford representation, and Ms. Giles was responsible for aiding victims of domestic violence. She found helping those clients get out of toxic situations to be extremely rewarding. Ms. Giles is also proud of her current position; she is not only practicing law, but thriving as a business owner as well. Looking to the future, she hopes to expand the firm with her partners.
Ms. Giles prepared for her endeavors by earning a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and international relations from Heidelberg College (now Heidelberg University) in 2002 and a JD from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 2005. She also became admitted to practice in the State of Georgia, trained to represent children as a guardian ad litem in disputed custody matters, and trained in collaborative divorce law. To keep in touch with her peers, she joined prominent organizations like the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, the DeKalb Bar Association, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia, and the State Bar of Georgia.
In recognition of her hard work and achievements, Ms. Giles was named a Rising Star by SuperLawyers in 2014 and was listed in “Top 40 Family Lawyers under 40 in Georgia” by the American Society of Legal Advocates between 2013 and 2014. She attributes her success to being grounded and nice; she strongly believes in the golden rule, treat others as you’d like to be treated.