Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle
3330 Cumberland Boulevard
100 City View, Suite 999
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
Telephone: 770.953.4300
Fax: 770.953.4700
Our Team
Robert D. “Bob” Boyd 
Robert D. “Bob” Boyd has practiced exclusively in the area of family law for the past twenty years. Since 2005, Mr. Boyd has been honored by Atlanta Magazine as one of Georgia’s “Top 100 Super Lawyers” for all areas of legal practice. Since 2003, he has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America guide under Family Law. Mr. Boyd has also been selected by Atlanta Magazine as one of the “Best Lawyers in Atanta” and one of Georgia's "Super Lawyers." He was recognized in Georgia Trend as one of the state’s “Legal Elite.” Mr. Boyd is trained as a ‘Collaborative Lawyer’ in Family Law. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He also served as Chairperson of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia for 2000 – 2001. Mr. Boyd is a 1973 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and served in the Army for seven years as an Infantry officer prior to attending law school. While in the Army, he completed the rigorous training to be an Army Ranger, and was a qualified paratrooper. He graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1983, where he served as editor-in-chief of the West Virginia Law Review.
After graduation from law school, Mr. Boyd practiced with King & Spalding, served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Northern District of Georgia, was a partner with Warner, Mayoue & Bates, P.C. and then with Davis, Matthews & Quigley, P.C. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and its Family Law Section, as well as a member of the West Virginia State Bar.
John L. Collar, Jr.
A graduate of the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, John L. Collar, Jr. is one of Atlanta’s top family law attorneys. After law school, Mr. Collar served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas E. Cauthorn, III, in the Cobb County Superior Court. He then joined as a partner at Cauthorn & Phillips, P.C. in Atlanta. Prior to founding Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, he was a partner at Warner, Mayoue, Bates, Nolen & Collar, P.C.
Mr. Collar is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Family Law Section; the State Bar of Florida, Family Law Section; Cobb County Bar Association, and the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. He serves on the Family Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Board of Directors as Chair (2007 – 2008), and was selected to The Best Lawyers In America (2008); the “Georgia Super Lawyers List” in family law, as published in Atlanta Magazine; Georgia Super Lawyers: 2004 – 2008; and “The Legal Elite, Georgia’s Most Effective Lawyers” in 2006. Mr. Collar is trained as a ‘Collaborative Lawyer’ in Family Law. Mr. Collar is an accomplished author and speaker, and serves on several community boards. A native of Marietta, he is married to Kathy Collar, former law clerk to the Honorable A. Harris Adams, and lives in Marietta with their four children.
Richard M. Nolen
Listed as one of Georgia’s “ Super Lawyers” since 2004, Richard Nolen is highly respected inside and outside the field of law. A University of Alabama Law School graduate, Richard also received his Bachelor’s Degree and his MBA from the University of Alabama. He was previously a partner at Warner, Mayoue, Bates & Nolen and has served the legal community in many capacities through his position as Chair of the Family Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association from 2000 – 2001, as well as through his role as Chair of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia from 2004–2005. He also was President of the Trial Lawyers Association from 1990 – 1991. He has served as Editor of The Family Lawyer and was a former President of the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law Inn of Court.
Jonathan J. Tuggle
Jonathan Tuggle has been recognized as “ Super Lawyer” and “ Rising Star” by Atlanta Magazine and is listed in Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite.” Jonathan is a graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. He previously was a managing partner at Warner, Mayoue, Bates & Nolen. Throughout his legal career, Jonathan has served in leadership positions in the State Bar of Georgia. He is currently serving as a Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the Georgia Bar. In 2004, Jonathan founded the Family Law Committee of the Younger Lawyers Division of the State Bar, which annually raises tens of thousands of dollars for abused and neglected adolescents in Atlanta. He also is a frequent lecturer at professional seminars and continuing legal education courses, and has authored numerous articles on a range of domestic relations issues.
Jonathan and his wife Amber, also an attorney, live in Atlanta with their son, Will. In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys playing golf, cooking, traveling, and following the University of Georgia football.
Connie H. Buffington
A lifetime resident of Cobb County, Connie Buffington graduated cum laude from Georgia State University College of Law in 1989. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Georgia State University. She is honored to have been selected as a Barrister of the Bleckley Inn of Court by fellow members of the Atlanta Bar Association.
Prior to joining Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, Connie practiced with a civil litigation firm in Atlanta, representing clients in state and federal courts in many jurisdictions. Connie resides in Marietta and enjoys spending time with her husband, Steve, and their two sons.
Kathleen B. “Katie” Connell
Kathleen “Katie” Connell is a 2005 graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Since graduating, she has been appointed to the Family Law Section for the State Bar of Georgia Executive Committee, named to the 2008 Child Support Commission’s Child Support Electronic Worksheet Task Force, and was a member of the 2008 Leadership Academy for the State Bar of Georgia. She has been named one of Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite, Georgia’s Most Effective Lawyers.” Katie was formerly an attorney with Warner, Mayoue, Bates & Nolen.
Katie graduated with a B.S.B.A. in Accounting from Auburn University, and received her Masters in Accounting from Auburn University. A native of Savannah, Ga., Katie now lives in Atlanta with her husband, Justin, and is a proficient white water kayaker.
Julia N. Haesemeyer
Julia N. Haesemeyer received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin — Madison in 2005 and law degree from Emory University School of Law in 2008. While in law school, Ms. Haesemeyer served as a managing editor of the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. She also held a field placement position with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, where she worked to represent victims of domestic violence. Before joining Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, Ms. Haesemeyer practiced business litigation with an Atlanta firm.
Ms. Haesemeyer is admitted to practice law in Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia and the U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association and the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers. Originally from Wisconsin, Julia now lives in Atlanta.
Margaret R. Martin “Of Counsel”
A native Georgian, Margaret R. Martin graduated in 1992 Phi Beta Kappa with honors and Magna Cum Laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. In 1995, Ms. Martin graduated Magna Cum Laude from Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana. Ms. Martin has practiced family law exclusively since graduation. Prior to joining Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, she was an associate at Warner, Mayoue, Bates, and Nolen, P.C., for eight years. Ms. Martin is admitted to practice law in Georgia, and she is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. Ms. Martin is trained as a ‘Collaborative Lawyer’ in Family Law. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Chris, and their three children.
Whitney D. Mauk
Originally from the Louisville, Kentucky area, Whitney D. Mauk graduated from Indiana University School of Law in 1999. Before joining Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle as an associate, Ms. Mauk moved to Indianapolis and began her practice in civil litigation, which included divorce and family law.
Ms. Mauk is admitted to practice law in Georgia and Indiana. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Ms. Mauk is an experienced speaker in the areas of legal ethics and health care litigation. She lives in Atlanta.
Andrea B. Seliski
Andrea Seliski graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill in 2004. She graduated from UNC’s School of Law in 2008, where she volunteered in the Legal Assistance Clinic, was voted into the Order of Barristers, and was a successful Moot Court competitor and executive board member. Prior to joining Boyd, Collar, Nolen & Tuggle, she was an associate at a metro Atlanta firm, practicing civil litigation, including business, trust, and tax law.
Ms. Seliski is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia, as well as the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Georgia. She is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association and Georgia Association for Women Lawyers and lives in Midtown.
Dawn R. Smith “Of Counsel”
Dawn Smith has represented children and families for over 20 years. Immediately prior to joining the firm, Ms. Smith was Deputy Director of Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, where she was responsible for administration of the city’s largest Pro Bono family law program. In this role, Ms. Smith worked in partnership with the judges of the Fulton County Family Court to provide trained Guardian ad Litems in contested custody matters. Ms. Smith has trained Guardian ad Litems throughout the state and has lectured on their role nationally. Ms. Smith is frequently appointed by the Court to serve as Guardian ad Litem in family law cases.
In addition to her expertise in family law, Ms. Smith is recognized as one of the leading advocates for the educational rights of children with disabilities. She currently serves as Board Chair of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, the national membership organization for special education attorneys and advocates. She has pursued actions on behalf of children in state and federal trial courts as well as in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Smith is a frequent lecturer both nationally and locally on the rights of children. At the firm, Ms. Smith provides quality legal services on behalf of children with disabilities and lends her expertise in this area to all of our family law endeavors.
Ms. Smith is a 1985 graduate of North Carolina State University and a 1989 cum laude gradute of Georgia State University College of Law, where she served as Style Editor on Georgia State Law Review. She served as Law Clerk to United States District Court Judge Marvin H. Shoob and subsequently was appointed Special Administrative Master for the Court. Dawn was a partner in the firm Zimring & Smith LLC and was later appointed Administrative Law Judge for the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings.
Dawn is a 1996 graduate of Leadership Atlanta, Founder of Cool Girls, Inc., served on the Board of the Greater Georgia Chapter of the Autism Society of America and was on the Advisory Board of Emmaus House. She also has served as Senior Warden and member of the Vestry of Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and is a current member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Dawn is married to Robin Griffith, has two sons and resides in Atlanta.
Amy K. Sullivan
A native New Yorker, Amy K. Sullivan graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science in 1998. In 2001 she graduated from Emory University School of Law, receiving the Custer-Tuggle Award of Excellence from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Ms. Sullivan has practiced family law exclusively since graduation. Prior to joining Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle, she was an associate at Lawler, Tanner, Zitron & Pachman, P.C.
Ms. Sullivan is admitted to practice law in Georgia, in the Supreme Court of Georgia and the U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia — Family Law Section and the Atlanta Bar Association — Family Law Section. Ms. Sullivan is a Barrister in the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law Inn of Court and has co-authored several articles on family law and divorce topics. Recognized by Atlanta Magazine as a "Super Lawyer: Rising Star," Amy lives in Marietta with her husband, Steve, her son, Sam, and their two dogs, Spencer and Gracie.