Our Attorneys

Kevin T. Shires was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Mr. Shires earned his Juris Doctorate from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in 1997. Mr. Shires was admitted to the Georgia Bar and Alabama Bar in 1998 and the Louisiana Bar in 2006. Mr. Shires is admitted to practice in all the Federal Courts in Georgia and Alabama and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to the formation of Shires, Peake & Gottlieb, LLC, Mr. Shires was a partner at Lueder, Larkin & Hunter, LLC, where he defended commercial transportation claims, automobile claims, premises liability claims, product liability claims, vertical transportation claims (elevators and escalators), fire loss claims, first-party claims, and other general liability claims. Prior to his six years with Lueder, Larkin & Hunter, Mr. Shires was with the Atlanta office of Vernis & Bowling and a prominent law firm in Birmingham, Alabama, where he represented insurance carriers and self-insureds in F.E.L.A. railroad liability claims, automotive liability claims, commercial transportation claims, and environmental/toxic tort cases.

Mr. Shires is an active member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (“TIDA”) and attends the annual Northwest Arkansas Trucking Conference.

Mr. Shires is an active member of the Defense Research Institute and is a member of the Trucking and Products Committees. Mr. Shires has extensive experience in jury trials on both the state and federal levels and has authored several appeals. Mr. Shires also has an extensive trial practice in taking cases to conclusion with juries.

Mr. Shires is also an active member of the prestigious Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), an inclusive, collaborative organization that promotes and furthers the highest standards of claims and litigation management, bringing together thought leaders throughout the industry. In 2014 Mr. Shires completed CLM’s rigorous Litigation Management Institute and received his certification as a Claims Litigation Management Professional. He is also a member of the Trucking committee with CLM.

Mr. Shires’ hobbies and interests include spending time with his wife, Amanda, and their three children, Austin, Foster and Sybil, and following his beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Joseph C. “Tripp” Peake, III, is a civil trial attorney with more than 20 years of significant experience handling matters on behalf of corporate, individual, insurance, and governmental clients. During such time, Mr. Peake has successfully litigated a wide range of complex civil claims and commercial disputes, as well as actions resulting from the negligence of others.

Mr. Peake is a focused, hands-on attorney who works closely with his clients to ensure that their goals are achieved. Mr. Peake’s areas of practice include complex civil and commercial litigation, contract disputes, business torts, trade secret, confidential information and restrictive covenant disputes, fraudulent business practices, fiduciary duty litigation, construction and real property disputes, labor and employment claims, as well as personal injury, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, vicious animal, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death claims.

Prior to establishing Shires Peake & Gottlieb, Mr. Peake was a partner with Stout Kaiser Peake & Hendrick, where he successfully litigated numerous complex civil, personal injury, and commercial matters garnering millions of dollars in judgments and recoveries for his clients. Before that, Mr. Peake was a partner with Jarrard & Davis, where he provided counsel to Forsyth, Cherokee, Barrow and Franklin Counties.

Mr. Peake received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia in 1995, and his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1998. He is admitted to practice in all State and Superior Courts in Georgia, as well as the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Mr. Peake is a member of the State Bar, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Fulton and Forsyth County Bar Associations, Leadership Resource Team, Lawyer’s Club of Atlanta, and a 2007 graduate of Leadership Forsyth. Outside of work, Mr. Peake enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, reading, live music, and UGA football. He and his wife, Emily, reside in Cumming, Georgia, with their three daughters, Caroline, Whitney, and Sara Cate.

Mr. Peake has authored several materials on employment law, including “Discrimination in the Workplace: Claims, Cases & Prevention” and “Cost Saving Measures that Impact Personnel,” as well as a presentation to the Georgia Local Government Personnel Association Spring 2010 conference entitled “Issues that Keep Local Governments in Court: Case Studies on Liability.” Mr. Peake also co-authored “Fraud in the Application – The Insured’s Perspective,” an ICLE presentation at the 18th Annual Insurance Law Institute Conference.

As a founding partner of Shires Peake & Gottlieb, LLC, Joe Gottlieb brings over 38 years of legal experience to the firm. Joe’s practice is centered on franchise and small business transactions. The depth of knowledge that he contributes to client matters completes the wide range of legal services offered by the firm to both businesses and individuals. He is regarded by his peers as a team-oriented attorney who has an aptitude for finding cost-effective solutions to legal problems faced by his clients.

Joe’s franchise law practice serves both early stage and national franchisors, as well as prospective and established franchisees, providing the preparation and registration of Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), advice and consultation on structure and expansion strategies for franchisors as well as the review and negotiation of franchise agreements for prospective franchisees. Joe provides services to small businesses and their owners in entity selection and formation, agreements between owners as well as purchase and sales of businesses. Joe serves as outside “general counsel” to many of his business clients.

Joe grew up in New York and graduated from SUNY Binghamton with honors in 1976 and obtained his law degree from St. Louis University in 1980 where he was a member of the St. Louis University Law Journal. He has practiced law in the Atlanta Georgia area since 1980. Joe, his wife Sherry and their assorted dogs and cats live on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia.

Alexandria F. Jackson was born and raised in Troy, Alabama. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Ms. Jackson earned her Juris Doctorate from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 2023, where she served as Vice President of the Student Bar Association. While in law school, Ms. Jackson also earned her Master of Business Administration degree through Samford University’s joint degree program. She is licensed to practice in Alabama (and Georgia).

Ms. Jackson is passionate about providing the best possible experience to each client she has the privilege to work with. Her areas of practice include complex civil and commercial litigation, contract disputes, business torts, construction and real property disputes, labor and employment claims, personal injury claims, and wrongful death claims. In addition, Ms. Jackson defends commercial transportation claims, first-party claims, and other general liability claims.

When she is not practicing law, Ms. Jackson enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, painting, and watching Alabama football.

Olivia ‘Brooke’ Durden was born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Destin, Florida. She received her Juris Doctorate from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in May of 2020, completing her final year at Georgia State University’s College of Law. Ms. Durden also received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Augusta University in 2017, where she was the founding President of the Masters of Public Administration Student Association, Graduate Student Counsel Senator, and member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Troy University in 2015, Ms. Durden also competed in Division One College Tennis during her collegiate tenure.

As an attorney, Ms. Durden has been able to transform her competitive athletic spirit into zealous advocacy on behalf of her clients. She specializes in civil tort litigation and has handled cases in a variety of areas, including commercial and automotive litigation, catastrophic injury and wrongful death, general liability, insurance coverage, premises liability, professional liability, subrogation, trucking liability, and bad faith litigation. Ms. Durden is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.

When she is not practicing law, Ms. Durden enjoys spending time with her family and friends, attending live sporting and musical events, as well as participating in the Atlanta Law Tennis Association.