Firm History

For more than 70 years, the growth and history of the law firm of Webb, Tanner & Powell has been inextricably woven with that of Gwinnett County. The firm's leadership has been instrumental in Gwinnett's emergence as one of the nation's leading commercial centers.

In 1929, founding partner Marvin Allison opened a law office in Lawrenceville. A dynamic trial lawyer, Mr. Allison was known for his natural ability to determine the essential elements of a case and present them effectively. Active in the organization of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, he served as its first president. Mr. Allison also operated local newspapers in the 1940s and 1950s, providing a news source for the emerging county. Serving as newspaper publisher until his death in 1959, his papers were the forerunners of today's Gwinnett Daily Post. Mr. Allison was also instrumental in the founding of the Gwinnett County Building and Loan Association, which became Gwinnett Federal Savings Bank.

In 1942, Charles Pittard joined the firm. Recognized as an outstanding property lawyer by title insurance companies and his fellow attorneys, Mr. Pittard laid a solid foundation for the firm's specialty practice area of real estate law. He became the first judge of the Superior Court of Gwinnett County in 1960, serving until his death in 1983.

In 1952, Mr. Allison brought Jones Webb into the firm. Today, Jones Webb stands as the dean of Gwinnett's business lawyers. He is a source of knowledge, experience and leadership. In the 1950's, as attorney for Georgia Power Company, Mr. Webb helped put in place the utility infrastructure that fuels the growth of Gwinnett County today. In the 1960's, Mr. Webb served as the attorney for the Gwinnett County Board of Education providing critical advice in the peaceful desegregation of Gwinnett's public schools. For more than thirty years, while serving as a director and attorney for the First National Bank of Gwinnett County and Gwinnett Federal Savings and Loan Association, Mr. Webb was involved in key decisions that provided the capital resources which undergird Gwinnett's business community today.

Shortly after Mr. Allison's death, former assistant U.S. attorney, W. Howard Fowler, joined his childhood friend Jones Webb as a partner in the firm. Mr. Fowler developed and was responsible for a dynamic trial practice until he retired from the firm to head the legal department of the Gwinnett Hospital System in 1989.

It is said that Mr. Allison had a vision for Gwinnett. He saw the importance of a strong community newspaper, solid financial institutions and the advocacy of a chamber of commerce. He was one of the driving forces in bringing prosperity to Gwinnett. For Webb, Tanner & Powell, Mr. Allison's efforts established a heritage of community service and business leadership. This heritage became the cornerstone of the firm's success. Charles Pittard added a standard to the firm that required the careful and meticulous handling of every client's problem. Jones Webb and those partners who followed took Mr. Allison's vision and Judge Pittard's high standards, and built one of Gwinnett's most successful law firms.