J. Anderson Ramay, Jr. a/k/a Andy Ramay moved to Hazlehurst with his family in 1991 when he was in the 7th grade and later graduated from Jeff Davis County High School in 1996. After high school, Andy attended Georgia Southern University from 1996 to 1998. During the summer of 1998, he worked as an engineering intern at Plant Hatch in Baxley, Georgia. In 1998, Andy transferred to The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, where he received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating from Georgia Tech, he returned home to Hazlehurst to work for Amercord, Inc. in Lumber City, Georgia, as a mechanical engineer. When Amercord, Inc. closed permanently in 2001, Andy moved to Macon, Georgia, to attend the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. During his tenure at Mercer, Andy interned with Ken W. Smith, P.C. in Hazlehurst, the Bibb County Probate Judge, Honorable William J. Self, II, and the law firm of Bush, Crowley, Leverett & Leggett, LLP in Macon, Georgia. Andy was a member of the Christian Legal Society and served as President during his third year in law school. In 2004, he earned his Juris Doctorate Degree and graduated from Mercer University in the top 20% of his class. After graduation, Andy remained in Macon and practiced law for five years with the law firm of Bush, Crowley, Leverett, and Leggett, LLP. In 2009, Andy and his wife, Shemane Ramay, moved back to Hazlehurst, Georgia in order to raise their family in the same small town they grew up in. Andy practiced with the law firm Ken W. Smith, P.C. and the law firm of Smith, Ramay and Bennett from 2009 to 2016. On December 1, 2016, Andy started The Ramay Law Firm which is located at 28 South Williams Street in Hazlehurst, Georgia.
In addition to representing clients, Andy is also actively involved in his local community. Andy and his family are active members of Southside Baptist Church in Hazlehurst, Georgia. Additionally, Andy currently serves as the vice-chairman of the local board of education. Andy was previously the chairman of the Jeff Davis County Library board and continues to serve as a member of the board. Andy is a trained medical first responder and firefighter through the Jeff Davis County Fire Department. Andy also serves as a public information officer with the Jeff Davis County Emergency Management Association. While in Macon, Andy supported the Macon Bar Association by volunteering to teach a class on ethics for incoming law students at Mercer University and also assisted with mock job interviews at the law school. Andy was one of 50 young lawyers selected out of over 400 applicants to be a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Leadership Academy for the Young Lawyers Division, and Andy has also been an officer of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyers Division for the middle district of Georgia.
