Interview by Milind Rugnath | Photos by Matt Odom

Driving down Forsyth Street into the heart of Downtown Macon, it’s impossible to ignore — a colorful mural with a B&W face of Albert Billingslea, once known for his “Cotton Avenue Mafia” civil rights meetings in that very building. One of the names behind the revitalized building honoring Billingslea is Virgil Adams, an attorney and Macon native who fights for a new downtown just as much as he does for his clients. He has a vision for the future of his city.

You grew up here, graduated from Mercer Law, and you’re still heavily involved. Why has community engagement remained a priority throughout your career?

I think it’s important that we get involved in our community, and we give back to the community that has given so much to us. There are people in Macon who helped shape my career, my life, and for them to take the time to do that, I think that’s the least I could do for the next generation.

You’re quite the decorated attorney and advocate. What made you choose your current path?

When I was a senior at Central High School, I had a teacher, Betty Phillips, who taught, I believe it was a business law class at the time… but she took us on a field trip down to the courthouse to sit in and watch a trial. I remember sitting in the courtroom and I was just fascinated about what I saw. They were actually trying a criminal case, and this guy had been accused of assaulting women in the South Macon area and they called him the “Barefoot Rapist” because apparently, he would take his shoes off, leave them outside of a window… And then following that, Ms. Phillips had the DA at the time, Fred Hasty, come speak to our class. So up until that time, the only thing I was thinking about, I wanted to be the next Willie Mays. I wanted to be a ball player. A professional baseball player. But from that point on, I decided I wanted to be an attorney, and I wanted to be one of those attorneys who was in the courtroom just like the attorneys I had seen that day on the field trip. 

You’ve worked in both government and in private practice. How do they compare? 

With government, you know, you can’t escape politics because that’s who you work for: politicians. So you have to be mindful of the different personalities, the goals and objectives of each. You have to still give the advice that you believe is correct… not trying to play favorites or curry favor with any particular politician but just be straight up; tell them what you think, and that’s the bottom line. With private practice, obviously you don’t have the politics involved. You’re dealing with individuals’ lives, people who have had traumatic experiences, and people who need help on an individual basis. And I must say, it’s much more rewarding from a personal standpoint when you do something for an individual that makes a difference in that individual’s life, or that individual’s family member’s life.

Do you have any advice for young lawyers starting out in Central Georgia who hope to build a career? 

It depends on the type of law you want to practice. For example, if you want to be a trial lawyer like me — and as I said before, that’s really how I saw an attorney in the practice of law, being in the courtroom. But if that’s it, what I would strongly advise a young lawyer to do would be to go to work in either a district attorney’s office or a public defender’s office. The reason being those are the two best places for you to get trial experience. Because that’s all they do, is try cases — and that’s what I did. That’s how I honed my skills as a trial lawyer, by working in the district attorney’s office and trying cases, being in front of juries all the time and getting a feel for the courtroom. That served me well when I decided to go out in private practice.

Talk about your investment in Macon. You’re a founding board member of NewTown Macon, whose goal is to revitalize downtown. How has NewTown affected your life and work?

NewTown has been probably the single most important piece or instrument in the development of Downtown Macon. Not probably. I mean, it has been [for] Downtown Macon, and just Macon in general. It has really changed the face of this community. It has had a significant impact on my life and my work because I can look at the difference in downtown since NewTown was established. It has made downtown a vital part of the community for all of us.

You wanted to be photographed at Albert Billingslea’s mural, on the facade of a block of historic buildings you own that connects to the historic Cotton Avenue district. Why here?

Albert Billingslea was a tremendously influential person in my life. He was a mentor and a father-like figure for me. And I’ve said this many times, two of the smartest people I have ever met are Albert Billingslea and Frank Amerson. Albert was a man who had so much influence in Macon, who made such a big difference in Macon, and didn’t seek the credit for it. He was not always out front, but he was a quiet leader. But when he did speak, people listened. I took that to heart. And watching him, I quickly learned that it’s not about how much you say, how loud you talk, but it’s just about being measured. Doing the work, doing the research, knowing what you’re talking about. And then when you speak, having something to say that makes a difference. Because I think when you do that, people listen and people pay attention, and that’s how you gain the respect of a lot of people. Albert was a giant of a man, and me standing under that mural with him looking out over the city, out over me, is a look that I thought was appropriate.

What does your perfect day in Downtown Macon look like?

An overcast fall day, with a nice gentle breeze. No rain and just being able to walk. Go into restaurants, have a bite to eat, a glass of wine, see friends, and just sort of hang out. Not dressed up in a suit, but just hanging out. That would be my perfect day downtownwith my wife, Paula, and perhaps our dog, Kenya.

Is there anything else you’d like to say about being a business owner or developer?

I’m very proud of that. I guess I have to pinch myself because I remember where I came from. Coming up [to] where I am today was totally unheard of. And for me to come from very humble beginnings, a single-parent home, father not in the picture… but to be able to graduate from high school, be the first of my family to actually graduate from college — not go to college, but graduate from college — then graduate from law school and being able to have a law firm that is representative of the kind of business that Macon can be proud of… And then to develop a property in the name of Albert Billingslea along with a good friend, Brian Adams — I think that’s special. It all comes back to giving back to the community and remembering from whence I came.