Meet Your Team

Carter Weathington

Attorney

Attorney Carter Weathington focuses his law practice on catastrophic personal injury and medical malpractice matters. Prior to representing individuals and their families injured by negligence, Carter began his legal career at a national civil defense firm defending large corporations, hospitals, physicians, and insurance companies in a variety of personal injury, medical malpractice, negligent security, and wrongful death cases. Carter then spent five years at a premier medical malpractice firm defending physicians and hospitals in medical malpractice cases and matters with the Composite Medical Board. Through his prior experience, Carter has intimate knowledge of the way the cases are defended and how insurance companies evaluate them.

After years of handling substantial litigation for defendants, Carter decided to follow his heart and focus his career on assisting families who have experienced catastrophic loss.

In recognition of his advocacy of his clients, Carter has been recognized as a 2022 Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch and 2023 Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch.

Carter obtained his law degree from the University of Georgia where he graduated cum laude. Prior to law school, Carter graduated from Auburn University with a major in political science.

Carter enjoys spending time with his wife, Haylee, and their son, John.

Melinda Schwartz

Senior Paralegal

Melinda joined Bryan in 2017 bringing 18 years of legal experience. She began her legal career as a Senior Litigation Paralegal for State Farm Insurance Companies where she handled complex bodily injury claims for 17 years prior to retiring from the company and venturing into another area of law. Melinda then handled commercial litigation matters related to arson & fraud, bad faith, insurance coverage, and property insurance as a Senior Paralegal at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers. Melinda graduated from Georgia Southern University with a business degree and later earned her Paralegal Certification from the National Center for Paralegal Training. She is the mother of two sons and her Boxer puppy, Zoe. Melinda is also the proud grandmother to three granddaughters, Olivia, Ellie, and Colette. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, college football, baking, and needlework. Melinda is an active member of the Linus Project and donates all her handcrafted needlework designs for distribution to local children in hospitals, shelters, and other social service agencies.

Kristen Pounds

Paralegal

Kristen joined The Baer Law Firm in February of 2024 bringing seven years of legal experience. She graduated from Georgia State University with a pre-law degree and a minor in Spanish. Kristen has focused her legal career on personal injury law, starting as an intern with Wood Craig Miller LLC during college and most recently working at Kenneth S. Nugent, PC Attorneys at Law. She is the mother of two children, Emilia and Gabriel, who are her pride and joy. Kristen loves spending time with friends and family. Her weekends consist of being a soccer mom, exploring with her kiddos, and trying different restaurants. Kristen is also bilingual and enjoys traveling to different countries.

Vanessa Simkowitz

Support Paralegal

Vanessa joined The Baer Law Firm in February 2024 and is a recent graduate of Georgia State University. She graduated with honors earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Vanessa plans to attend law school in the coming years. Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys drawing, painting, and working in any creative field. She recently adopted a tuxedo cat named Alphie who is excellent at tearing apart furniture.

Holly Baer

Firm Operations

Holly is the wife of Bryan Baer and the mother of their two wonderful children, Ellison and Brooks. In addition to running The Baer Household, Holly helps Bryan run The Baer Law Firm. She is excited for the opportunity after taking a brief break from her 20-year career in the financial services industry. Holly graduated with honors from the University of Alabama. In her spare time, she volunteers at their children’s schools and their family church.