About Us

Sanders, Ranck & Skilling, P.C. is a law firm originally founded in 1972 by Alton M. Adams, who began a solo practice that year after working as an associate for a local law firm for a year. Mr. Adams was an honor graduate of Mercer University law school and was joined in the practice by Cecil L. Clifton as an associate in 1975 after graduation from the University of Georgia law school. The two formed a partnership in 1976 known as Adams & Clifton, which was soon incorporated as Adams & Clifton, P.C. which has continued to this day and is now known as Sanders, Ranck & Skilling, P.C.

In 1978, Janney E. Sanders upon graduation from the University of Georgia law school joined the firm as an associate and in 1980 became a partner/shareholder at which time the name of the firm was changed to Adams, Clifton & Sanders, P.C. Russell W. Smith, a graduate of the Georgia State University law school, joined the firm as an associate in 1991 and later became a partner/shareholder and the firm underwent another name change to Adams, Clifton, Sanders & Smith, P.C. In 1998 Mr. Adams left the firm and the firm was known as Clifton, Sanders & Smith, P.C. until 2002 when Mr. Clifton resigned from the firm to assume the position of General Counsel for Pruitt Corporation one of the firm’s largest clients, a company which owns and operates a large number of nursing homes and related businesses in the Southeast.  At that time the firm became known as Sanders & Smith, P.C. and 3 years later Brian C. Ranck, who had practiced a few years in Macon, Georgia, a graduate of the University of Alabama law school, joined the firm as an associate and in 2007 became a partner/shareholder at which time the name of the firm became Sanders, Smith & Ranck, P.C.

Russell W. Smith was appointed as the Chief Superior Court judge for the Mountain Judicial Circuit by Governor Sonny Purdue and sworn in as a judge on April 23, 2010, necessitating his resignation from the private practice of law and from the firm so the name of the firm had to again be changed to Sanders & Ranck, P.C. In May 2010 Matthew D. Skilling joined the firm as an associate, having practiced for nearly 5 years in Albany, Georgia. Matt is a graduate of Mercer University law school. On January 1, 2013, the firm name was changed to Sanders, Ranck & Skilling, P.C. when Matt was named a partner in the firm. Ms. Ann Pickett merged her practice with Sanders, Ranck & Skilling, P.C. on January 1, 2018, when she joined the firm in an of counsel capacity.

Sanders, Ranck & Skilling, P.C. has broad experience and expertise in a wide variety of legal areas, including, but not limited to, corporate, partnership, estate planning, personal injury, family law, real estate, business, banking, government law, probate law, healthcare law, and insurance.

The firm provides full-service, expert, and experienced general practice legal services at reasonable prices. The attorneys and support staff at Sanders, Ranck & Skilling, P.C. participate in numerous professional, governmental, political, and community affairs and actively provide leadership in all such areas. We are committed to the community where we live and practice. The firm is dedicated to providing prompt, high quality, legal services for reasonable fees.