Hakim Hilliard
Hakim Hilliard is an attorney and principal with Hilliard Starkey Law, an Atlanta-based law firm where his practice focuses on matters of public policy and regulatory affairs.
With a mix of public and private experiences as a lawyer, beginning with his first position as an attorney with the City of Atlanta Law Department, the keen understanding Hakim has developed of how government works and, in particular, how government processes intersect with private interests, have allowed him to provide a specialized brand of the strategic guidance and counsel for his clients for the last twenty-five years. In 2017, Hakim joined his friend and former colleague, Rory Starkey to create Hilliard Starkey Law, a boutique law firm that has grown exponentially since it was started.
Hakim especially enjoys his role as a counselor and strategic advisor to his clients, relying upon his knowledge of the law and the public policy that drives it to assist them in achieving their objectives.
While Hakim takes great pride in the work he does as a lawyer and counselor to his clients, his greatest passion can be found in the opportunities he has to serve the community.
Away from his law practice, Hakim approaches life with the same passion. A part of a family with several generations of educators, Hakim has made it to point to always be involved with community services organizations that serve children. In addition to serving on various boards and parent teachers associations, in 2009, Hakim became one of the founders of the C.T. Vivian Male Scholars Program, an organization of men who get together weekly with African American boys, ages 6-16 years old, to support their growth and development.
Hakim is a graduate of both The Lovett School and Morehouse College in Atlanta. After receiving his law degree from The Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, Hakim returned to Atlanta in 1993 to begin his career. He has served as a law clerk to a trial judge in Fulton County Superior Court, Atlanta, Georgia, an assistant city attorney with the City of Atlanta, an associate at various private law firms, including McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP (now “Denton’s”), where he was a partner for several years. After returning to government service for a short time, as the Chief of Staff to the CEO Of DeKalb County, Hakim joined his current colleague to form Hilliard Starkey Law in Atlanta.
All things considered, Hakim’s best work has been his time with his nine-year old daughter, Asa Pearl Hilliard, his greatest love and most faithful inspiration.