Attorney
Dermer Appel Ruder, LLC
Norcross, Georgia, 30071
Stephen is from Savannah and has called Georgia home all his life. He graduated in 1980 from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia with a risk management and insurance degree. He obtained his law degree from Emory University School of Law and began his legal career in 1983.
Stephen has been a Trial Lawyer for his entire career. He fights hard to protect his client's rights and obtain the best possible outcome in every case he handles. Stephen started as an associate for several large Insurance Defense law firms representing individuals and businesses in litigated matters.
Stephen then became the Managing Attorney for a major national insurance company. In his role there, he handled both insurance coverage issues and the direct representation of policyholders. After working for the insurance company, Stephen returned to the private law practice as a named law firm partner.
At Dermer Appel Ruder, LLC Stephen continues his now more than 30-year career as a Trial Lawyer. Stephen fights hard every day for the rights of his clients who entrust their legal matters to him. Stephen handles car and truck wrecks, premises liability, product defect, negligent security, wrongful death, construction defect, and other matters involving personal injury or property damage claims.
With his undergraduate degree in insurance and having worked directly in the insurance industry, Stephen is uniquely qualified to know how insurance companies work and how they think. Stephen and his partners work daily either for or against an insurance company to achieve the best result possible. Stephen has tried many cases to verdict and has participated in countless mediations throughout the State. Stephen practices in all State and Federal Courts throughout Georgia.
He is AV Preeminent rated by his peers through the nationally recognized Martindale-Hubbell rating organization. All attorneys and staff at Dermer Appel Ruder take great pride in ensuring that every client is fully informed of everything going on with their case. Our responsibility to you is not something that we will ever take lightly. Stephen is married to Rhonda, his college sweetheart.
They live in Peachtree Corners. Together, they raised two fantastic children who, along with their families, live in the Atlanta area. Rhonda is retired from the Gwinnett County school system where she worked first in special education and then as an assistant principal.
