Megan Pownall Wyss | Cobb Circuit, Post 6

Candidate Statement

I live my professional life along the ideal that if service is beneath you, leadership is beyond you and that a true leader is a servant of all. I worked hard over the past five years forging relationships within the State Bar, including more than four years of leadership roles within the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and the State Bar as a whole. I’ve been privileged to attend every YLD meeting and State Bar Annual Meeting for the past five years, with the exception of one when my daughter was born. My experience as a leader within the State Bar, as well as my dedication to being present and participating within the State Bar itself, makes me an ideal candidate for the Board of Governors. I am not only familiar with the functioning of the State Bar and the Board of Governors, but I am connected with its staff and lawyers across the state. This knowledge and interconnectedness are necessary to effectively lobby and advocate for the goals and objectives of the Cobb County legal community.

As a member of the Board of Governors, I can promise that I will show up with excitement, passion and dedication to furthering the Cobb County legal community. I have already proven over the past five years that I show up for my section members and committee members. Those experiences prove that I will actively participate in the governance of our profession with everything I can for as long as I can. I can also promise to be a listening ear for Cobb County attorneys who wish to express their thoughts on the issues facing our community and advocate for the best interests of our profession. I would be honored if you would elect me to represent Cobb County on the Board of Governors.

Education

• Purdue University, May 2010
• Villanova University School of Law, May 2013

Personal/Family

• I currently reside in Marietta, Georgia, with my husband, Adam, and our daughter, Felicity, and the best dog in the world, Duey. I am loyal to two sports organizations—anything Purdue, and the Atlanta Braves.
• Along with my passion for law, I also have a passion for history and family genealogy. I love exploring historic and cultural locations across Georgia. My family’s claim to fame is having an ancestor who served in George Washington’s Lifeguards.
• My dedication to servant leadership has guided me through my time at Purdue, Villanova and beyond. I continue to give back outside of my professional life as a member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, dedicated to education and historic preservation. I had the privilege of being named the “Most Outstanding Junior” by my DAR chapter in 2018.

Professional Background, Bar Activities, Civic Activities

• I am a partner with the boutique family law firm of Boyd Collar Nolen Tuggle & Roddenbery, LLC (BCNTR). Before practicing full-time family law, I worked in child advocacy and personal injury. In 2014, I joined the firm LaScala Law, LLC, where I worked for four years before joining BCNTR.
• I have been honored to serve in leadership positions within the State Bar of Georgia for more than four years. I have served on the Family Law Section Executive Committee for three years, beginning as a Young Lawyers Division (YLD) representative and continuing on as the chair of sponsorships for the Family Law Institute. 
• I served as the chair of the YLD Family Law Committee in 2021-22 where we focused on increasing membership and connecting with new judges across the state. I moved on to the YLD Board of Directors in 2022 and am currently in my third year in that position.
• I am the recipient of the 2022-23 YLD Joe Dent Hospitality Award and the 2023-24 Award of Excellence for Dedication to the YLD. I am also a 2020 graduate of the YLD Leadership Academy.
• I authored “Young Lawyers and the Stay-At-Home Parent Conundrum” which was the cover article for the March 2023 issue of The YLD Review. I was a speaker at the 2022 Family Law Institute and will present at the 2025 Nuts and Bolts of Family Law CLE.
• I was listed as a Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Family Law in 2024 and a Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2022 and 2023.

Main Issues Facing the State Bar/Position

• Involvement: Attorney involvement continues to be one of the biggest issues facing the State Bar. My position is that we should focus on the interconnection between Section involvement and involvement of the State Bar as a whole, as well as focusing on bridging the gap between YLD and “Big Bar” involvement.
• Mental Health: Attorney and legal professionals’ mental health continues to be a struggle for our profession and the State Bar. While we have amazing programs in place for attorneys, the Bar should focus more resources on awareness of these programs and how we can encourage utilization.
• Transparency: Transparency around the governing and fiscal responsibilities of the State Bar is a challenge we are currently facing. I would focus my time on the Board of Governors making sure all members have access to information about how the State Bar functions, how decisions are made and where our money is utilized—whether that be through our license fees, section dues, sponsorships or donations.