| Law firm managing partner knew when the time was right
In the leadup to establishing Georgia-based real estate law firm McMichael & Gray, PC in 2006, managing partner Randy McMichael says a number of market conditions lined up just right, telling him, “Now is the time.”
 “Atlanta, Georgia, is one of those special places where, if you have the right mindset, a lot of opportunity and growth and come your way,” he tells The Title Report. “The thought was, with Atlanta moving forward so quickly, it’d be nice to get a company going and work with some of the friends I’ve made in the industry over the years.
“There were a lot of good relationships with builders that helped get things going, and then we started thinking about how to provide services that are tailored to make sure their customers and homebuyers are satisfied. I felt like if I was going to do it, now was the time.”
Prior to co-founding the firm, Randy, 46, served as the marketing and managing attorney for Trey Inman & Associates, PC from 2004-2006. He began his legal career with Russell M. Stookey, PC in Hiawassee, Ga., in 2003.
In addition to serving as McMichael and Gray’s managing partner, Randy heads the company’s builder and resale divisions, representing developers, builders, lenders and brokers with their real estate and legal needs.
In 1999, Randy graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of arts degree in history and received his doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 2003.
Since its establishment, McMichael and Gray has grown to employ roughly 300 people and now serves more than 30 markets across six states.
Amid the recent market downturn, Randy says positive signs are emerging in his company’s service areas that point to a light at the end of the tunnel.
“The end of last year and beginning of this year was very tough,” he says. “Starting in March, we began seeing some solid growth. Instead of saying, ‘Where do we need to cut?’ we’re back to saying, ‘Where do we need to hire?’ Very rarely do we have a strict ‘let’s maintain’ approach to anything. That goes for marketing, space, you name it. Since March, it’s undeniable we’ve seen increases in activity, revenue and premiums.”
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"Always under promise and over deliver. Try to find ways to bring value to any situation. If you can do those things, it goes a very long way."
Randy McMichael
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Randy is an active member of Perimeter Presbyterian Church, State Bar of Georgia, Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, Mortgage Broker’s Association of Georgia, Homebuilder’s Association of Georgia, and Northeast Atlanta Metro Association of Realtors.
Along with receiving Attorney of the Year for the 2019 OBIEs (Atlanta Home Builders Association Awards), under Randy’s leadership, McMichael & Gray has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Bulldogs (University of Georgia Alumni Business Owners) three years in a row, eight consecutive years as an Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter (one of the Top 100 fastest growing private companies in Metro Atlanta), and nine consecutive years of Best of Gwinnett (Best Real Estate Law Firm).
Outside of the legal profession, Randy enjoys spending time with his wife Valerie and their four children, playing tennis, fishing, and other outdoor activities.
He says a love for tennis is something that manifested during COVID-19-induced lockdowns.
“Tennis was one of those things during that time that let you remain social while still keeping your distance,” Randy says. “It’s great exercise and I guess it was kind of the perfect COVID sport. Although, I hear pickleball gives it a run for its money. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning how to play tennis and have enjoyed the relationships that have come from that.
“An athletic activity, or anything where you’re playing another role, whether that’s father, husband, mentor or student, it makes you more well-rounded and gives you new perspective. Whether you’re winning or not, you compete in a healthy way. Whether it’s family, church, sports, helping people in your community, it helps you serve better in a business capacity.”
According to an annual study from the Physical Activity Council, tennis, like pickleball, boomed during the pandemic with an estimated 21.64 million Americans picking up a racquet for the first time in 2020, up 22.4 percent after several years of stagnant participation numbers.
As with numerous title and real estate firms, the pandemic also contributed to an accelerated pace of adopting new business technology, Randy says.
“I think it’s made the (remote online notarization) and (remote ink-signed notarization) conversation in Georgia real,” he says. “Then there’s still the factor of how various states handle adoption of those things. Our workforce (before the pandemic) was around 90 percent in-office, and now it’s 60-40, 60 percent in-office and 40 percent at home. So, the technology was always there, it was just a matter of putting the security around it to make it appeal to businesses and the consumer.”
Randy offers advice for industry peers who may be preparing to start their own business or seeking ways to navigate a still-uncertain real estate market.
“Always under promise and over deliver,” he says. “Try to find ways to bring value to any situation. If you can do those things, it goes a very long way. It may sound philosophical, but it will translate to practical results you can maintain if the effort is put in. The opportunities are there for the taking.”
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