Recent News

Col. John P. Sinnott (1931 ““ 2012)

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Col. John P. Sinnott.  He will be greatly missed by all that knew him.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Colonel (AUS RET) John P. Sinnott, 81, of Valdosta died Thursday, December 20, 2012 at his home. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 17, 1931 to the late John Patrick Sinnott and E. Muriel Zinkand Sinnott. Col. Sinnott is a 1953 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and had a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the U. S. Air Force Institute of Technology and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase School of Law. As a Chief Patent and Trademark Counsel for American Standard, he prosecuted and argued to a successful decision the land mark case In Re American Standard, TTAB, 1984, 223 USPQ 353 and 1984 TTAB Lexis 148. In 1999, Col. Sinnott moved to Valdosta, Georgia and became of Counsel to the Langdale Vallotton, LLP Firm. He was an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University’s Law School in Newark, New Jersey for twelve years and earlier had been an Adjunct Lecturer at New Jersey Institute of Technology, also in Newark for ten years. Col. Sinnott’s hobbies include writing articles on military topics, many of which have been published, for example, in “Sea Power”, “Military History” and “Military Heritage”. He co-authored the book “To Paris! 1914 Then and Now.” His publications include books on World Patent Law and Practice, Product Fraud: Counterfeit Goods Suppression and A Practical Guide to Document Authentication. Col. Sinnott was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.

Survivors include his wife, Rose Marie Sinnott of Valdosta, his son and daughter in law, Dr. James A. Sinnott and Anita Sinnott of Valdosta, his daughter and son in law, Jessica M. Sinnott, Esq. and William Joseph Cotreau, Esq. of West Grove, Pennsylvania, his grandchildren, Jeannette Holian of Atlanta, GA, T. J. Sinnott of Valdosta, John Sinnott of Waynesburg PA, Nicole Marie Sinnott of Valdosta and Alexander John Sinnott of Valdosta.

Funeral mass will be held at 12 Noon on Saturday, December 22, 2012 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church with Father Dan O’Connell officiating. Graveside services with military honors will be held at 10am, Monday, December 24, 2012 at Andersonville National Cemetery in Andersonville, GA. A wake service will be held on Friday at 7pm at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church with visitation to follow until 9 pm. In lieu of flowers memorials should be made to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Building Fund or to Hospice of South Georgia. Carson McLane Funeral Home.

Langdale Vallotton partner, Rob Plumb, obtained a settlement against a local sheriff’s department in the high five figures in a case of racial profiling where our client was falsely accused, but never charged, with a crime.  We believe this is one of the largest settlements in this area for a case of this type where there was no arrest or imprisonment.  Our client is very pleased to have been vindicated.

Attorneys Tina Folsom and Jessica Young, along with staff members Marie Bennett, Amelia Hidy, and Judy Jordan volunteered at The Haven.  The group wrapped Christmas presents in support of The Haven’s Adopt A Family program.

Amelia Hidy completed a volunteer training class in September and dedicated time to the non-profit organization, collecting monetary donations at the Valdosta Mall in early December.

The Haven is a non-profit organization, which provides 24-hour emergency temporary shelter and services in South Georgia for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with a commitment to also serve non-English speaking victims.
The Haven serves the immediate primary needs of the clients including food, clothing, legal advocacy, mental health assistance, and referral for medical care.
The Haven interfaces with local, state, and national resources; provides transitional assistance along with the re-education of the victim and family in order to promote a non-violent lifestyle; and educates all aspects of the local community regarding family violence and sexual assault.

valdostahaven.org

Fellow Georgia attorneys recently selected Pope Langdale & Bill Nijem to be included in Georgia Trend’s 2012 Legal Elite.  Georgia Trend has published the Legal Elite annually for the past ten years.  Voting is done by active members of the State Bar of Georgia, whose practice areas correspond to twenty areas featured by Georgia Trend.  Pope Langdale received the honor in the area of Personal Injury Litigation, and Bill Nijem received the honor in the area of Real Estate Law.  Langdale Vallotton, LLP congratulates Pope and Bill on being recognized by their peers as elite attorneys in the State of Georgia.  Honorees are listed in the December 2012 edition of Georgia Trend magazine, which can be found online at www.georgiatrend.com.

Langdale Vallotton proudly announces sponsorship of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts’ 2012-2013 Presenter Series.  Performances include King Michael, Nunset Boulevard, Hooray for Hollywood, and A Chorus Line.
The Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission, Inc. (LVAC), dba the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, is committed to promoting and celebrating the visual, literary and performing arts by serving as a regional center for personal growth, education, entertainment and community dialogue.  The Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission was chartered in 1962 as an outgrowth of Arts, Inc.  It was reorganized in 1978 as a private non-profit corporation.
http://turnercenter.org/

Langdale Vallotton, LLP is pleased to welcome M. Bradley Soshnik to its firm as Chief Operating Officer.  As a longtime resident of Valdosta, Brad joins the firm from Reames & Son Construction Company, Inc., where he focused on accounting, employee benefits, and information technology.  Prior to employment at Reames, Brad worked for Jim Hinton Oil Company and Glenn Sales Company in Atlanta, Ga.  Brad will work with attorneys and staff at Langdale Vallotton, LLP to improve efficiencies and oversee daily business operations.  His experience in reducing costs and operations management will strengthen Langdale Vallotton’s commitment to providing clients with the best service possible.
Brad received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking & Finance from the University of Georgia in 1999.