Christopher S. Cohilas, Chairman

Christopher S. Cohilas graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Criminal Justice from the University of Georgia in 1999. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law in 2002.

Currently, Cohilas is a partner at the law firm of Watson Spence LLP, where he specializes in complex litigation. He is a trial lawyer representing clients in matters ranging from catastrophic personal injury and death to complex business disputes involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and Georgia RICO statute violations.

Prior to joining Watson Spence, Cohilas served as the Chief Assistant District Attorney for Dougherty County. As a prosecutor, he headed Dougherty County’s first ever felony Crimes against Women and Children Unit, while still being responsible for many other serious felony matters. As a prosecutor, Cohilas tried all manner of cases ranging from child murder to public corruption. Under his leadership, the newly formed Crimes against Women and Children Unit raised its conviction rate to nearly 100 percent.

In 2006, the State Bar of Georgia awarded Cohilas the Young Lawyer Ethics and Professionalism award for his work as a young prosecutor.

In 2007, Cohilas was named one of Southwest Georgia’s 40 under 40. He is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Georgia (“LG”), and a 2009 LG Program Chair. Beginning in 2009, Cohilas began his six years of service on the State Bar of Georgia’s Unlicensed Practice of Law Standing Committee.

Locally, Cohilas has served as the past President and Chairman of the Artesian City Sertoma Club, Co-Chairperson of the Martin Luther King Day Celebration Committee, and President of the Darton State College Foundation. In 2006, he was one of the founding members of the Lily Pad SANE Center, a child abuse/sexual assault center that currently serves abused women and children throughout Southwest Georgia.

In January, 2013, Cohilas was awarded the Martin Luther King Day “Dream Award” for his service to the Southwest Georgia community. In November 2014, he was elected by the citizens of Dougherty County to serve as Chairman of the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners. In 2017, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Cohilas to serve as a board member of the Georgia Public Defender Council. In 2019, he was elected chairman of the council. In January 2018, Georgia Trend Magazine named Cohilas one of Georgia’s 100 Most Influential Georgians. In January 2019, after running unopposed, he was sworn in to begin his second term as Chairman of the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners. In March 2019, Cohilas was awarded the Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service. He received the award because of his unwavering leadership and support for the Albany-Dougherty community through three separate Presidentially declared major natural disasters occurring in 2017 and 2018.

Cohilas is a proud father of four children - Christopher, Nicholas, Michael, and Isabella.



Chairman Christopher S. Cohilas

PO Box 2008

Albany, GA 31702

Office: 229-436-1545 or 229-431-2121 x0

[email protected]