Judge orders lawyers to resolve contract dispute in Barnett’s multiple‑case representation
Loading...
Summary
Judge Tammy Long Hayward criticized private attorneys after conflicting letters and last‑minute withdrawal notices complicated the defense of a jailed defendant, Jovan Eric Barnett, and ordered counsel to clarify who will represent him across multiple cases.
At the July 1 jail calendar in Clayton County State Court, Judge Tammy Long Hayward sharply rebuked defense counsel after competing entries and a last‑minute conflict letter left Jovan Eric Barnett without clear representation for multiple cases.
The judge said the dispute over which attorney would represent Barnett “should not come to me” and called the situation “messy” and “foolish,” telling lawyers they needed to resolve contract and assignment issues among themselves rather than present the argument in open court. “If you take a case, do the case. If you're not gonna take a case, don't take the case,” she said.
Attorneys on the record included Zakiyah Watson Cafe, who had filed the entry in at least one of the defendant’s matters and said she had been working the case; Shaquille Ross told the court she had visited Barnett in jail and that he wanted Watson to remain on the case; and Jay Kim (Lister Holt & Dennis) described the referral and assignment practices that had created confusion when new cases were added. Defense counsel said the office had not assigned attorneys for several later‑arising charges and that payments and retainer arrangements created uncertainty about who would perform court entries on each file.
Judge Hayward asked to see any written conflict documentation on the record and instructed counsel that substitutions of counsel must follow the court’s entry process: until an attorney files an entry, the court will consider the person of record as counsel. She offered to give Barnett a breakout room to communicate privately with counsel and ordered lawyers to coordinate a single representative for any global resolution; the court also reset certain matters and said it would revisit the substitution request only after written confirmation.
The judge referenced the need to review contract terms among attorneys where one firm “assigns” or “contracts” cases to other counsel so the representation does not leave a jailed defendant without timely assistance. She told the lawyers to “work it out” and to avoid bringing “unprofessional foolishness” before the court again.
