Jacque D. Hawk

Founding Partner & Trial Attorney

Jacque Dulaine Hawk is the third of four children born to Marion and Catherine Hawk. Born and raised on Milledgeville Road here in Augusta, Ga, Jacque grew up hunting, fishing, and playing sports. Marion Hawk was a brilliant man who was second in his class at Richmond Academy. Marion, shortly after graduating, married and started his family. He and Catherine both worked strenuously to provide for their children. Catherine waited tables and Marion worked as a mechanic and salesman. They led by example and ingrained an ambitious work ethic in Jacque, a work ethic that constitutes an essential thread in the fabric of who he is today.

When Jacque was a child his father, Marion, was nearly killed in two separate accidents. While at the lake enjoying summer, Marion was run over by a boat whose propeller gashed his head rendering him unconscious and bleeding. The wound required hundreds of stitches and numerous surgical operations. In another incident, Marion was trying to help a fellow race-car driver repair his car in the middle of a race. Unbeknownst to Marion, gasoline had been spilled. Out of nowhere the entire car exploded and burst into flames with Marion underneath. He suffered second and third-degree burns over 70% of his body and nearly died. Marion, the “breadwinner,” was now out of work and trying to recover, a process that would take several months. The world didn’t halt at the scene of this accident though. Bills piled up. Savings accounts and change jars were emptied. Fear and uncertainty engulfed the family. Jacque vividly remembers these long months and to this day it brings shivers to him. There is no nostalgia for this time in his life. The effects that those moments have on Jacque are what drive him to fight down to the wire for his injured clients. The families that step into Jacque’s office become his family. The fear and uncertainty of his clients become his anxiety. Their case becomes his case to ensure that they don’t experience what he and his family experienced after those tragic accidents in the midst of seemingly harmless summer days.

By the eighth grade, Jacque was placed in advanced classes. He graduated from Richmond Academy where he won several art awards and was crowned homecoming king. Hawk attended Augusta College, now Augusta University, where he majored in Art & Music. During his time at Augusta College, he became exposed to law and liked it so much that he changed his major to Political Science where he made it into the Political Science Honors Society. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science, he attended Cumberland School of Law, one of the top five law schools in the nation for trial advocacy programs, in Birmingham, Alabama. It took him three years to graduate law school and, immediately after, he passed the Georgia Bar Exam and started his practice in 1984.

The serious nature of practicing law was apparent from the start with Jacque’s first Death Penalty case coming shortly after passing the Georgia Bar Exam. Remaining Death Penalty Certified to this very day, Hawk has handled several high-profile death penalty cases such as: Reinaldo Rivera, Christopher Bowers, Anthony Williams, Narciso Pineda, and others. He has received multiple federal acquittals on behalf of his clients, including two dismissals before trial and a directed verdict of acquittal (Dismissal without putting up any evidence & solely by cross-examining government witnesses). Jacque’s trial performance has been described by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in an appellate decision as “quite stellar.” He has appeared on Dateline NBC and Investigation Discovery for three different shows. A fourth appearance is coming late December 2016.

Mr. Hawk has also been highly successful in felony and misdemeanor state trials.

AWARDS:

• Top 100 Trial Lawyers
• American Trial Lawyers Association
• Distinguished Attorney Rating
• Martindale-Hubbell
• 10 Best in Client Satisfaction
• American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys
• Top Guns for Hire
• Featured in Augusta Magazine
• 10/10 rating, Avvo.com

Jacque’s personal injury practice has been a constant from the very beginning of his career. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States whose membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. Hawk concentrates his practice in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases.

At 30 years old, Jacque took up America’s favorite pastime and his favorite sport, baseball. He played sandlot baseball with the Harlem Astros. The semipro league at that time was a continuation of the old black pro baseball league. He was one of only four white players in the entire league. He continued to play for the next ten years until he was seriously injured in a car accident. Jacque suffered two ruptured disks in his back after being rear-ended by a truck while sitting at a red light. His MRI described the disks as “obliterated.” Out of sheer defiance of the doctor’s orders, Jacque went into work the next day after surgery. It took him an entire year to recover and, as a result, he clearly understands what it means to recover after a devastating injury.

Mr. Hawk has also coached baseball for Master’s City Little League, Episcopal Day School, and a USSSA baseball team. His little league teams won several District 6 titles and the fourteen-year-old team he coached was the runner-up in the Southeastern Regional Championship. His USSSA team was ranked #5 in the nation. He has been an avid fundraiser for Master’s City Little League for several years.