Guardian Law Group, the Sandy Springs, Georgia personal injury firm formally registered as Kaila & Solomon Law Group LLC, is facing two separate lawsuits: a competitor’s suit in Gwinnett County State Court alleging the firm pays illegal “runners” to sign up car accident victims, and a proposed federal class action accusing it of illegal telemarketing. As of mid-2026, both cases remain active, and the runner suit’s fate depends heavily on a pending Georgia Supreme Court decision in a parallel case.
The Runner Solicitation Allegations
Gainesville personal injury attorney Shane Lazenby filed suit against Guardian Law Group in Gwinnett County State Court, alleging the firm paid its “chief runner” an annual salary of $4.8 million to solicit accident victims.1Robbins Firm. Lawyers Group Asks High Court to Allow Lawsuit Over Solicitation In Georgia, a “runner” is someone paid to monitor crashes, obtain victim contact information, and pressure injured people into hiring a particular firm. The complaint alleges Guardian’s operatives track crash events, obtain victim data through “buy crash” services and potentially unauthorized network access, contact victims within hours or days of a collision, and pressure them into signing representation agreements.2Chartwell Law. Case Runners Are Back Because They Never Left and Are Battling It Out in Court
The practice has been illegal in Georgia since 2014, when the legislature passed HB 828, codified at OCGA ยง 33-24-53.3Spooner Law. New Legislation Runners It also violates Georgia Rule of Professional Conduct 7.3, which prohibits lawyers from compensating anyone for client referrals or accepting clients they know were obtained through prohibited solicitation. Disbarment is the maximum penalty.4Clark Cunningham. Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct Rules 7.1-7.3
Guardian Law Group denies the allegations. Defense attorney Craig Kunkes told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the firm “does not pay ‘runners’ or engage in improper client solicitation” and relies on lawful marketing and advertising.5Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Fight Among Georgia Lawyers Over Client Solicitation Reaches High Court Kunkes has characterized the lawsuit as competitively motivated and said Lazenby “has never had any interaction with the firm’s leaders and knows nothing of their business practices.”1Robbins Firm. Lawyers Group Asks High Court to Allow Lawsuit Over Solicitation The case is before Judge Carla Brown and remains pending.
Why the Case Depends on a Georgia Supreme Court Ruling
Lazenby filed a nearly identical class action in March 2024 against a different firm, Cambre & Associates.6Daily Report Online. Georgia Litigators Challenge Illegal Solicitation by Their Personal Injury Competitors The trial court allowed it to proceed, but in November 2025 the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed and dismissed the case.7FindLaw. Cambre and Associates LLC v. Lazenby, Case No. A25A0935
The appeals court found Lazenby’s claims “too attenuated and speculative,” ruling that a lawyer’s “inchoate expectation of being employed by accident victims” is not a property right that can support a civil lawsuit. It also rejected his Georgia RICO claim, holding that any injury to him was too far removed from alleged acts directed at accident victims. While the court acknowledged “the importance of deterring improper solicitation,” it said the remedy lies with the General Assembly and the State Bar, not with private lawsuits between competitors.7FindLaw. Cambre and Associates LLC v. Lazenby, Case No. A25A0935
On June 2, 2026, the Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari in the Cambre case, docketed as Lazenby v. Cambre & Associates, LLC (No. S26G0536), to examine the proximate cause element under Georgia’s RICO Act.8Supreme Court of Georgia. 2026 Granted Cases Oral arguments are scheduled for September 2026.9CaseMine. Lazenby v. Cambre and Associates LLC, S26G0536 The Georgia Trial Lawyers Association has backed the petition, arguing that regulators and prosecutors have failed to curb runner activity on their own.10Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia High Court to Decide Lawyers Alleged Criminal Solicitation of Clients
If the Supreme Court sides with Lazenby, the pending case against Guardian Law Group revives and other Georgia personal injury attorneys gain a clearer path to sue competitors over alleged runner activity. If the court upholds the dismissal, private competitor lawsuits will not be a viable vehicle for policing solicitation in the state.
The Federal Telemarketing Class Action
In March 2025, a proposed federal class action was filed against both Kaila & Solomon Law Group LLC (doing business as Guardian Law) and ClicTree LLC, a marketing company accused of generating personal injury leads for the firm.11Law360. GA Law Firm Hit With Telemarketing Calls Class Action Plaintiff Wesley Newman says he received 41 unsolicited calls from ClicTree featuring prerecorded messages, despite being listed on the National Do Not Call Registry. The suit claims Guardian Law is liable for ClicTree’s conduct because the firm accepted the leads and authorized continued contact even after Newman asked to be placed on a do-not-call list.12MS Law Group. March 2025 Regulatory Roundup
The complaint is brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which allows damages of $500 per violation per class member, tripled to $1,500 for willful violations.12MS Law Group. March 2025 Regulatory Roundup The case remained in early stages as of early 2025.
Consumer Complaints Against the Firm
Guardian Law Group is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and carries an F rating as of mid-2026. Of 16 complaints filed with the BBB over the preceding three years, 12 remain unanswered.13Better Business Bureau. Guardian Law Group BBB Profile
Former clients describe recurring problems: inability to reach assigned attorneys, constant staff turnover, and being ignored after intake. Others allege the firm settled cases without their consent, collected settlement checks without disbursing funds, or failed to provide itemized accounting of medical bills. One complainant alleged the firm used “false doctors” to inflate expenses. Several said they planned to file complaints with the State Bar or hire separate counsel to sue.14Better Business Bureau. Guardian Law Group BBB Complaints
What Happens Next Under Georgia Law
The Georgia General Assembly has passed House Bill 1344, the Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act, which upgrades runner-solicitation violations to felonies carrying fines of up to $200,000 per violation and prison sentences of up to ten years. If signed by the governor, the law takes effect January 1, 2027.15Brooks Law Partners. Georgia Bill Targets Runners and Makes Accident Solicitation a Felony That statute would apply going forward and would not itself resolve the existing civil claims against Guardian Law Group, which turn on the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Cambre case.