Catie Blackwell

President

Grisham, Poole & Carlile

Catie Blackwell, a seventh-generation Cherokee County resident, was admitted to practice in the state of Georgia in 2021. Catie attended the University of North Georgia for her undergraduate degree and the University of Georgia for law school. She is the former Staff Attorney to Judge David Cannon, Jr. in Cherokee County Superior Court and is currently an Associate Attorney with Grisham, Poole & Carlile, handling a caseload of misdemeanor and felony criminal cases as well as family law cases.

Michael Burns

Vice President

Kayla Upchurch

Secretary

Grisham, Poole & Carlile

Kayla Upchurch was admitted to practice law in her beloved home state of Georgia in 2019. Kayla attended Georgia College and State University for her undergraduate studies while also a member of the Lady Bobcats basketball team. Following graduation from Georgia College, she went on to attend and graduate from the University of Georgia School of Law. Kayla’s experience includes working in Governor Nathan Deal’s Office of Executive Counsel, interning as a law clerk with the Honorable Philip C. Smith in Forsyth County, and years of practicing family law exclusively before taking a position as an associate attorney at Grisham, Poole & Carlile, P.C. in Canton. Kayla focuses primarily on handling family law cases across North Georgia, while also offering criminal defense and Guardian ad Litem services in Cherokee County.

Alex Hofstetter

Treasurer

Burns Smith Law Group

Alexandra Hofstetter was admitted to practice law in the state of Georgia in 2024. She grew up in Cherokee County and graduated from Cherokee High School in 2017. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Georgia College & State University and became the first in her family to earn a Juris Doctor when she graduated from Mercer University School of Law. She practices criminal defense and is currently working as an Associate Attorney with Burns Smith Law, P.C.

Honorable David L. Cannon, Jr.

Eric A. Ballinger