Lazega & Johanson LLC

Lazega & Johanson LLC Lazega & Johanson LLC is a boutique law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia specializing in several niche practice areas. Lawyer & Law Firm

GA Senate Bill 406 continues to advance through the legislative process and your help is needed now more than ever to ch...
03/23/2026

GA Senate Bill 406 continues to advance through the legislative process and your help is needed now more than ever to change the trajectory of this bill.

CAI’s Georgia Legislative Action Committee (GA LAC) has been working hard this legislative session to educate lawmakers on the harmful impacts that this legislation would have on community associations across the Peach State. The LAC suggested various amendments to SB 406 and collaborated with the bill sponsor in an effort to improve the bill, but so far, your legislators are not listening. The bill passed out of the Senate with amendments that further weaken HOA communities. The bill also was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee with additional amendments that will raise costs and hurt Georgia's HOAs. It is now necessary to contact your state House members and tell them to OPPOSE SB 406 and prevent the damaging impacts the bill would have on homeowners.

TELL YOUR STATE REP TO OPPOSE SB 406,
https://www.votervoice.net/CAI/Campaigns/135174/Respond

The detrimental provisions in Senate Bill 406 mirror similar legislation in other states, treating HOAs like state-controlled entities rather than private communities. Georgia has always treated associations as private, contract-based, and locally governed. This bill represents a major shift, making it more difficult to recruit volunteer board members, leading to higher costs, lawsuits, and unintended harm.

As written, SB 406 will:
• Raise costs on all homeowners within communities
• Weaken an association’s ability to maintain communities
• Impose duplicative obligations on volunteer community association board members
• Override long-standing private contracts
• Lead to lawsuits that will need to be funded by homeowners like you

Georgia law currently requires all community associations to register annually with the Secretary of State. SB 406 would establish a duplicate registration system requiring some community associations to register a second time, adding costs and creating widespread confusion. The bill also creates a complaints board with investigatory responsibilities but little authority to solve normal HOA disputes. It also lacks critical information about what this will cost or who will pay for it.

Senate Bill 406 also allows the state to limit or stop assessments, fees, liens, and foreclosures. Allowing the state to change association obligations breaks contracts, likely considered unconstitutional, and almost guarantees lawsuits ultimately paid for by homeowners.

Senate Bill 406 imposes a $4,000 minimum for an association to initiate foreclosure. This provision will dilute the only serious enforcement tool associations have to collect on unpaid assessments, shifting the burden to those homeowners who do pay. Associations have real financial obligations, and when delinquencies grow, they can make it difficult to pay for statutory and contractual obligations like insurance, utilities, and amenity maintenance. Finally, amendments added by the House Judiciary Committee interfere with a homeowners association's ability to collect attorney's fees in cases where action must be taken to enforce the rules and regulations of the association. The unintended consequence of this legislative action will be increased costs on homeowners, not the cost savings that legislators envision.

Please act now. Urge your Georgia state House members to OPPOSE Senate Bill 406 and protect Georgia’s community associations.
Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of Georgia’s community associations.
CAI’s Georgia Legislative Action Committee

Last Friday, L&J took to the green for the 2025 Community Manager Golf Tournament alongside our community manager partne...
05/01/2025

Last Friday, L&J took to the green for the 2025 Community Manager Golf Tournament alongside our community manager partners. There's nothing like a day of golf together to remind us how incredible this industry is!

L&J’s litigation team has a new face: Joel A. J. Callins has joined the firm as an Of Counsel attorney! Prior to coming ...
04/02/2025

L&J’s litigation team has a new face: Joel A. J. Callins has joined the firm as an Of Counsel attorney! Prior to coming on board, Joel successfully ran his own private legal practice before entering the public sector to serve as an Assistant County Attorney, Magistrate and Assoc. Civil Court Judge for Macon-Bibb County, and later as a Supervising Senior Attorney in the Litigation Division for the City of Atlanta.

A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, Joel brings 21 years of legal experience to his practice at L&J and his work with the litigation team.

Outside of work, Joel enjoys spending time with family, cooking, sports, and traveling. Welcome, Joel!

Today, Jamie Platt Lyons and Carlie Jackson hosted some of our partners at Community Management Associates for a lunch a...
03/27/2025

Today, Jamie Platt Lyons and Carlie Jackson hosted some of our partners at Community Management Associates for a lunch and learn. It's always a pleasure to invite our industry colleagues to keep learning and growing alongside us!

We're looking forward to the next one!

The L&J family keeps growing! Join us in welcoming Talithia Martin to the firm. An alumna of Cleveland State University,...
03/20/2025

The L&J family keeps growing! Join us in welcoming Talithia Martin to the firm. An alumna of Cleveland State University, where she earned a degree in Political Science, Talithia went on to graduate from Emory University School of Law in 2024.

During her tenure as an Emory law student, Talithia participated in the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, served as an editor for the Emory University International Law Review, and received the Pro Bono Medal for contributions to legal volunteering services.

Outside of contributing to L&J’s general practice, Talithia volunteers in the metro-Atlanta area and enjoys attending art events. We’re so thrilled to have you, Talithia!

A huge milestone! As proud partners of Georgia's CAI chapter, seeing these numbers reach such heights is a true reflecti...
03/13/2025

A huge milestone! As proud partners of Georgia's CAI chapter, seeing these numbers reach such heights is a true reflection of all the hard work and support this professional community puts into our industry.

For many years, L&J has had the pleasure of being along for the ride, and we can't wait to see what's on the horizon!

We are excited to share a significant CAI milestone—we’ve officially reached 50,000 members. This achievement is a testament to the strength, dedication, and passion of an incredible community of industry professionals and volunteers.

Thank you for being part of this journey! With your continued support, CAI will grow stronger and accomplish even greater things together.

Just a throwback to last month when L&J's Christine Khano hosted a Galentine's Day Tea with some of our manager partners...
03/11/2025

Just a throwback to last month when L&J's Christine Khano hosted a Galentine's Day Tea with some of our manager partners. Hearts all around!

Our team loves getting to spend time with the people who make our industry great!

The Georgia Legislature is considering bills—SB 107 and SB 108—that would have serious effects on associations all acros...
03/05/2025

The Georgia Legislature is considering bills—SB 107 and SB 108—that would have serious effects on associations all across Georgia. If these bills were to pass, they would raise costs for homeowners, make community governance more difficult, add costly bureaucracy, and provide significant obstacles to protecting your community's finances.

Among some other effects are: requiring associations to refund previously waived assessments, establishing a Community Association Ombudsman's Office to oversee elections, investigate complaints, and recommend fine waivers.

Your voice matters! Please contact your senators as soon as possible and join us in urging them to OPPOSE SB 107 and SB 108. Legislators are primarily hearing from critics of community associations, so make your voice heard.

CAI needs your help opposing two bills that would significantly impact community associations like yours. The Georgia Legislature is considering two critical bills—SB 107 and SB 108—that would be devastating for community associations in the...

Happy Mardi Gras! Because of the occasion, we had to throw back to our incredible Manager Appreciation Party this past N...
03/04/2025

Happy Mardi Gras! Because of the occasion, we had to throw back to our incredible Manager Appreciation Party this past November. What a time we had! From Bourbon Street to Cafe du Monde, there were plenty of beads and king cake to go around.

To all of our managers—we always enjoy celebrating our partners in this industry!

Help us welcome Brent Stamps to L&J. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and Georgia State University’s College of Law, ...
02/21/2025

Help us welcome Brent Stamps to L&J. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and Georgia State University’s College of Law, Brent brings years of legal expertise to L&J’s collections team.

Beginning his career as a staff attorney with the Cobb County Superior Court, Brent went on to work with firms representing commercial landlords and later practiced on his own representing metro-Atlanta hospital systems and other creditor clients. Brent draws on over 20 years of experience when serving L&J’s community association clients.

Outside of L&J, Brent can be found volunteering at his daughter’s schools and at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.

We’re so lucky to have you, Brent—welcome to L&J!

Address

1510 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard , Building Two, Ste. 20
Atlanta, GA
30318

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lazega & Johanson LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Lazega & Johanson LLC:

Share