Stacey Godfrey Evans
Partner, Wargo French LLP
University of Georgia, A.B. ’00, J.D. ’03
Atlanta, GA
Stacey Evans grew up in Ringgold in the northeast corner of Georgia. She was raised by a single mother who never finished high school. “I knew we were poor, but I did not fully understand what that meant.”
“The first memory I have of dreaming really big was in second grade. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. And the school everyone talked about was the University of Georgia.”
Stacey became the first in her family to go to college. She is a proud Double Dawg, having earned her bachelor and law degrees from UGA. “I didn’t know you were supposed to pick a safety school. I did not apply anywhere else.”
Stacey graduated at the top of her class in law school. As an attorney, she has represented numerous clients in complex litigation and has represented victims of domestic violence pro bono.
In one particular high profile case, Stacey successfully represented two whistleblowers in a Medicare fraud case against a major dialysis clinic chain that settled for $495 million dollars. This was the largest non-intervened whistleblower Medicare fraud case in history.
“The first four years of my daughter’s life involved this case. I only took a week and a half of maternity leave. I was literally burning the candle at both ends. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We were fighting a multi-billion dollar company and they were coming at us with everything they had. But it did work out. It was a lesson to go for it. If you believe in something just go for it.”
“This case has given me more flexibility to do the cases I want to do. I feel more comfortable taking on bigger challenges and bigger cases and can just pick and choose the battles I want to fight.”
Stacey is currently running to represent District 57 in the Georgia House of Representatives. She ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018 after representing District 42 in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011-2017. Her proudest legislative accomplishment is successfully passing legislation to restore cuts to the HOPE Grant program because she knew the impact it would have on students like her.
“I barely made it through even with tuition and fees covered and at the time a book allowance. I worked as a telemarketer and waitress. I had the PELL grant and loans. But there was nowhere else to go to get the money I needed to stay in school.”
In 2015, Stacey endowed a scholarship for first generation college graduates attending UGA’s law school. The scholarship pays full tuition for all three years.
Stacey was listed in the Fulton County Daily Report’s list of 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in 2015, Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 list in 2012, the University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 list in 2012.
Stacey met her husband, Andrew, at UGA Law School. They have two children, Ashley and Jack, and currently reside in the Morningside neighborhood of Atlanta.