John Claeys was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, before moving to Athens to attend the University of Georgia. He received a B.A. from UGA in 2019, thereafter moving north to New Haven, Connecticut, upon accepting a position with the National Student Leadership Conference at Yale University.
While working towards his Juris Doctorate at the Georgia State University College of Law, Mr. Claeys interned at the Augusta Richmond County District Attorney’s Office, and worked as a graduate research fellow, assisting Professor of Law, Dr. Y.S. Lee, in conducting and composing extensive legal research. Through his efforts with Dr. Lee, John’s work is cited and acknowledged in several scholarly works and legal course textbooks, including Law and Development: Theory and Practice 2nd Edition, Last Call for Civil Rights: Towards Economic Equality, Managing Covid-19: Legal and Institutional Issues, and more.
Mr. Claeys is an Oglethorpe Legal Society member, as well as a member of the Atlanta Bar Association, and a Family Law group member of the American Bar Association.
Outside of his work at W. Calvin Smith II, P.C., John enjoys expanding his knowledge of history, competing in chess matches, traveling, and cheering on his Georgia Bulldogs.
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