Inspiring Conversations with M. Denzell Moton of Moton Legal Group

Today we’d like to introduce you to M. Denzell Moton.

Hi M. Denzell, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from Aiken, SC, which is a small city situated near the border of South Carolina and Georgia, commonly known as the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). Growing up, I always wanted to be a lawyer. Most of my initial curiosity for the law stemmed from my uncle Hardwick Story, who was a Vietnam Veteran. Uncle Hardwick knew just enough about the law to be dangerous. When having conversations with him, you would always have to fact-check him for accuracy. As a result, the more time I spent with him, the more my interest in the law grew. As a teen, I would shadow attorneys and go to city council meetings to gain more experience and familiarity with the law.

In 2014, I graduated from the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a specific focus in Leadership, Development, and Social Change. I applied to several law schools but did not get into my top choices. Disappointed, I began to doubt if law school was for me. At the time, one of my college advisors suggested a Master’s Program at Wake Forest University centered around legal education, Master of Legal Studies. In 2015, I completed the program and reaffirmed my decision to continue my pursuit of a career in the legal field.

Despite my rediscovered passion for the law, my “dream schools” still did not accept me into their programs. As a result, I returned to Aiken, where I taught middle school for a year. This was one of the best experiences of my life, and it quickly reassured me if I could get a classroom of 30 6th graders to listen to me for 50 minutes, I could get a jury to listen to me as well. While teaching, I began reapplying for schools. One of the schools I applied to was Cumberland School of Law, Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The school was never initially on my radar, but a good friend of mine suggested I look into it. As suggested, I checked out the school and quickly fell in love. After completing the school year, I enrolled at Cumberland School of Law and began my first year.

During my time at Cumberland, I would serve as a legal writing teaching fellow, an Office of Admission Student Ambassador, Chief Justice of the school’s Honor Court, a member of the legal fraternity Phi Alpha Delta, and a championship-winning member of the school’s top-ranked trial team. After graduation, I started my legal career working at a large multi-state personal injury law firm. It was during this time I had my first opportunity to practice personal injury law. Over the next several years, I gained invaluable experience handling and litigating various types of cases.

Regardless of where I worked, I was unable to shake the entrepreneurial calling. Finally in September of 2022, I began the Moton Legal Group, LLC, where I serve as the Founding Partner and CEO. At MLG, we handle personal injury and business law cases in a variety of Southeastern states.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been far from smooth. There have been multiple times where I doubted if I would go to law school at all. There have been times where I have had to make tough choices about staying at certain firms or whether I wanted to continue to practice the same type of law. There have been times where I had to break tough news to clients that I would not be able to help them due to certain circumstances.

The business of law is difficult in itself. The process of getting the firm off the ground was a challenge as well, but in the words of Robert H. Schuller, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Moton Legal Group, LLC?
Moton Legal Group LLC is a virtual boutique law firm that specializes in personal injury and business law matters. The firm handles personal injury cases related to: car accidents, pedestrian accidents, trucking accidents, dog bites, premises, slip and fall, and more.

The firm handles business matters dealing with: business agreement drafting, contract review and analysis, business formation, outside general counsel, and business litigation.

Our firm handles cases throughout the Southeast, with a specific focus on Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The motto of the firm is “Innovative Counsel, Exceptional Representation.” What does this mean for our clients? This means we are constantly looking for new ways to get better through the use of cutting-edge technology and techniques to act in our client’s best interests. This also means we provide high-end customer service to our clients, teaching them throughout the process. Our goal is what makes us different from most other firms. Our goal is for every client to leave informed and empowered in case they find themself in the same or similar situation in the future.

We want every client to feel and experience the personal touch of a small firm and not to feel like just another case with one of the large firms. To help with this experience, our firm offers free consultations to evaluate claims/cases/needs and ensure that we are good fits to work together.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Overall, I believe myself to be a big risk taker. Going out on your own as an attorney is a huge risk. You are leaving the security and reassurance of a steady paycheck, while betting on yourself. However, the faith I have in my Lord Jesus Christ and the faith I have in my abilities leads me to believe I will do great in this entrepreneurial space.

Another large risk that ultimately propelled me to where I am today was in taking the North Carolina Bar Exam after graduating law school. My wife and I were in professional school at the same time. She was in medical school in South Carolina, and I was in law school in Alabama. We graduated the same year, and my wife had to continue her education as a resident. We did not know where she was going to match, but her first choice was a hospital in Charlotte, NC. Recognizing that she and I did not intend to reside in Alabama after graduation, I had to decide where I would take the bar exam. The bar exam, commonly referred to as “the Bar,” is the exam required by states in order to practice law in that state. These exams require lengthy applications and expensive fees to participate. In addition, they have strict deadlines for applying.

Unfortunately, all of the deadlines fell before my wife knew exactly where she would be spending the next several years for training. I eventually elected to take the NC Bar, only to find out a few weeks later that my wife and I would be relocating to Atlanta, GA. While this would eventually require me to take another Bar exam for the State of Georgia, due to the high exam score I received on the NC exam, I was able to transfer the score to both Alabama and South Carolina, allowing me to practice in those states as well. As a result, I am barred in four states, which is uncommon for most attorneys.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://motonlegalgroup.com/
• Instagram: @motonlegalgroup
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLGAtlanta/

Image Credits
Divine Eye Media