Historic Macon

ANDERSON,
WALKER &
REICHERT, LLP
❖
The original letterhead for Lanier &
Anderson, the precursor to today’s
Anderson, Walker & Reichert.
There is a historic relationship between the
law firm of Anderson, Walker and Reichert and
the city of Macon, deeply rooted in cultural and
educational contributions and public service.
Anderson, Walker and Reichert’s stated primary
mission is “rendering excellent legal services to
clients” which includes representing clients in court
as well as keeping them out of court. That
philosophy, accompanied by a strong emphasis on
integrity and community betterment, has been the
tradition in a law practice spanning three centuries.
Honoring this heritage, lawyers at Anderson,
Walker & Reichert consider law a profession, not a
business. Meeting clients’ needs is their primary
reward: getting paid to do so is a bonus.
The firm traces its origins to 1849 when
Robert Sampson Lanier and his brother-in-law
William Henry Anderson began practicing law
together in the growing and prosperous city of
Macon. Lanier was born in Athens after his father
moved from North Carolina to establish hotels
along the burgeoning southern frontier, among
them Macon’s Lanier House. Lanier met Anderson
in college in Virginia and married Anderson’s sister
Mary Jane in 1840. In 1842, they became parents
of the poet and musician Sidney Lanier. A much
younger brother, Clifford Anderson came to
Macon to be close to his kin after being orphaned
and left penniless in 1845. Undaunted by his
circumstances, the youngster educated himself by
reading the classics, and then law, while working
at the Lanier family’s downtown hotel.
Formal legal education was rare in those days.
Aspiring lawyers trained in the offices of other
lawyers, reading law books and observing the
practice of their mentors. They were required to
appear before a Superior Court judge for “examination;”
if they passed, they were admitted to the
bar. William Henry Anderson died unexpectedly
at twenty-eight; nevertheless Clifford continued to
study under Robert Lanier; was admitted to the
bar in 1852 at age nineteen, and immediately
joined Lanier’s practice, known then and for many
years after as “Lanier and Anderson.” Age
difference was never a problem. The two men had
complementary talents and were admired for
industry, amiability, intellect, and probity. In an era
when lawyers tended to practice alone or to
change partners frequently, only Lanier’s death in
1893 ended their remarkable partnership.
The firm’s involvement in public service got
off to an early start in 1856 when Clifford was
named judge of the newly established City Court
of Macon. After serving a year he recommended
that it be abolished. Subsequently, he was elected
to the Macon City Council, and later to the state
legislature and Confederate Congress. He was
Georgia’s Attorney General from 1880-1890,
earning praise from notables like former
governor Nat Harris who described him as
“probably the ablest, and on many accounts the
most remarkable practitioner before the bar at
this time in the state.” When Mercer established
a law school in 1878, Anderson became a
A NDERSON, WALKER & R EICHERT
T HROUGH 158 YEARS OF M ACON H ISTORY
Lanier & Anderson
1849
Lanier, Anderson & Anderson
1891
Anderson & Anderson
1893
Anderson, Anderson & Grace
1897
Anderson & Grace
1899
Ryals, Grace & Anderson
1909
Ryals & Anderson
1912
Ryals, Anderson & Anderson
1925
Anderson & Anderson
1937
Anderson, Anderson & Walker
1941
Anderson, Anderson, Walker & Reichert
1953
Anderson, Walker & Reichert
1959
72 ✦ HISTORIC MACON