Legal Representation for Auburn Residents and Businesses
Auburn is the largest city in Lee County and one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in eastern Alabama, with a 2024 population of approximately 83,000 residents. The city’s economy centers on Auburn University, which employs more than 13,500 people and anchors a growing base of technology, engineering, and advanced manufacturing employers across the city’s research and industrial parks. Auburn shares its court system with Opelika, the Lee County seat, located a few miles to the east.
For Auburn residents and business owners facing a legal matter, The Wright Legal Group serves this community from our Columbus, GA office, approximately 35 miles away via I-85, with attorneys who appear regularly in Lee County courts. We serve Auburn residents from our Columbus, GA office at 3100 Gentian Blvd, Ste 8B, and you can see our full Alabama service area on our Alabama attorney page.
Courts That Handle Auburn Cases
Auburn Municipal Court
Auburn Municipal Court is located at 141 North Ross Street in Auburn and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The court handles traffic citations, municipal ordinance violations, and misdemeanor offenses, including DUI misdemeanors, occurring within Auburn city limits. Citations issued by Auburn Police Division officers are routed here. Citations issued by Lee County Sheriff’s deputies or Alabama State Troopers are routed to Lee County District Court. Your citation paperwork will identify the issuing agency and the correct court.
Lee County District Court and Circuit Court
The Lee County District Court and Circuit Court operate from the T.K. Davis Justice Center at 2311 Gateway Drive in Opelika, a few miles from Auburn. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The District Court handles misdemeanor criminal matters, including most first-offense DUI charges brought by county or state agencies. The Circuit Court handles felony matters and higher-value civil litigation, and also hears appeals from Auburn Municipal Court.
Lee County Probate Court
The Lee County Probate Court is located at 215 South 9th Street in Opelika, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. It handles estate administration, will probate, guardianship petitions, and conservatorship proceedings for all Lee County residents, including those in Auburn. A statewide directory of Alabama probate judges is maintained by the Alabama Secretary of State.
How We Help Auburn Residents
DUI Defense
A DUI arrest in Alabama triggers two separate legal processes at the same time, and understanding both tracks and acting quickly on both is the first thing that matters. If you were arrested by an Auburn Police Division officer within city limits, your criminal case moves through Auburn Municipal Court. If you were arrested by a Lee County Sheriff’s deputy or an Alabama State Trooper, your case moves through Lee County District Court. The administrative case, which determines what happens to your driver’s license, runs separately through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency regardless of which court handles the criminal matter.
You have only 10 days from your arrest date to file a written demand requesting an administrative hearing to contest your license suspension through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Driver License Division. Miss that window and the suspension takes effect automatically before your criminal case is ever heard. If you were arrested for DUI anywhere in Auburn or Lee County, call us the same day.
Our managing attorney spent years as a Forensic Toxicologist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab before founding this firm. We bring direct working knowledge of how breath and blood tests are performed, where errors occur, and what the lab records should show. We examine the legality of the stop, the administration of field sobriety tests, whether implied consent notice was properly given, and whether chemical test results can be challenged on scientific grounds.
Probate and Estate Administration
When an Auburn resident passes away, their estate is administered through the Lee County Probate Court at 215 South 9th Street in Opelika, and we can guide your family through the process step by step. The probate process begins with a petition filed in that court, and the creditor claim period of six months from the date letters are granted sets the minimum timeline for most formal cases.
Smaller estates may qualify for Alabama’s Summary Distribution process if the estate consists entirely of personal property with no real estate and a net value at or below $37,075 for the 2025-2026 period, a threshold adjusted annually by the Consumer Price Index. That process is significantly faster and can often be completed in six to twelve weeks rather than the six to twelve months required for full probate administration.
We assist Auburn families with every stage of the Alabama probate process, from the initial petition through the final accounting, including estates with real property, outstanding debts, business interests, or disputes among heirs. We also handle guardianship petitions for minors and conservatorship proceedings for adults who can no longer manage their own affairs.
Business Law
Auburn’s economy reflects a university town that has grown well beyond its campus roots. The city is home to an industrial park and four technology parks supporting small engine manufacturing, automotive components, fuel cells, and advanced research, alongside a steady stream of startups and service businesses tied to Auburn University’s research output. We provide practical, straightforward counsel to small business owners and professionals who want clear answers without unnecessary delay. Many Auburn business owners operate across the Alabama-Georgia line, employing workers in both states or maintaining vendor and customer relationships with Columbus-area companies.
We assist Auburn business owners with LLC and corporation formation through the Alabama Secretary of State Business Entities Division, operating agreements, contract drafting and review, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, breach of contract claims, partnership and LLC disputes, employment agreements and handbooks, and foreign entity qualification for Georgia-formed businesses conducting operations in Alabama.
Alabama requires all LLCs to maintain a registered agent with a physical in-state address and to file an Initial Business Privilege Tax Return within two and a half months of formation. The Alabama Business Privilege Tax scales based on net worth, though entities with a calculated liability at or below $100 are fully exempt from both payment and the filing requirement for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023.
Traffic Violations
Where your traffic citation is heard in Auburn depends on who issued it, and we appear regularly across our Alabama service area to fight citations and criminal traffic charges. Citations issued by Auburn Police Division officers within city limits are heard at Auburn Municipal Court at 141 North Ross Street. Citations issued by Lee County Sheriff’s deputies or Alabama State Troopers are heard at Lee County District Court at the T.K. Davis Justice Center in Opelika. Your citation paperwork will identify the issuing agency and the court.
Paying a citation is an admission of guilt that adds points to your driving record. Alabama’s point system suspends your license when you accumulate 12 or more points within any rolling two-year period, with suspensions ranging from 60 days to 365 days depending on the total. Reckless driving is a criminal offense in Alabama carrying a mandatory minimum of five days in jail, a fine of up to $500, and 6 points on your record, the highest single-violation value on the standard schedule.
Commercial driver’s license holders face federal disqualification standards significantly stricter than the standard suspension schedule. Serious violations committed in a personal vehicle count toward CDL disqualification the same as violations in a commercial vehicle. If you hold a CDL, speak with an attorney before paying any citation.z
Personal Injury
Alabama applies a pure contributory negligence standard, one of the strictest in the country. If you are found to bear any portion of fault for an accident, even one percent, you are generally barred from recovering any compensation at all. That standard makes thorough documentation and early legal involvement critically important from the moment an accident happens.
We handle personal injury matters for Auburn residents involving car and truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, premises liability and slip and fall claims, and wrongful death. I-85, US-280, and the Shug Jordan Parkway corridor carry significant traffic volume through Auburn, including substantial game-day and university-related congestion, and have been the site of serious accidents involving commuters, students, and commercial vehicles. If you were hurt in a crash, do not give a recorded statement to any insurance adjuster before speaking with us.
Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. My citation was issued by an Auburn police officer. Where is my court date?
A. Citations issued by Auburn Police Division officers within city limits are heard at Auburn Municipal Court, located at 141 North Ross Street, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Citations issued by Lee County Sheriff’s deputies or Alabama State Troopers are heard at Lee County District Court at the T.K. Davis Justice Center in Opelika. Your citation will identify which court applies.
Q. I was arrested for DUI in Auburn. What do I need to do first?
A. Call us immediately. The 10-day window to request an administrative hearing to contest your license suspension begins the day of your arrest. That deadline cannot be extended, and missing it means your suspension takes effect automatically before your criminal case is resolved. Contact us the same day so we can file the request on your behalf right away.
Q. Where is the Lee County Probate Court, and does Auburn have its own office?
A. The Lee County Probate Court is located at 215 South 9th Street in Opelika, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and serves all of Lee County including Auburn. If the estate qualifies for Summary Distribution, the current net property threshold is $37,075 for the 2025-2026 period.
Q. How far is your Columbus office from Auburn?
A. Our Columbus, GA office at 3100 Gentian Blvd, Ste 8B is approximately 35 miles from Auburn, typically 35 to 40 minutes via I-85. Consultations are also available by phone and video if traveling is not convenient.
Q. I was hurt in an accident on I-85 or near campus in Auburn. What should I do?
A. Seek medical attention first, even if you feel fine at the scene. Some injuries take time to present. Document the scene, collect the other driver’s information, and contact us before speaking to any insurance adjuster. Alabama’s contributory negligence rule means that anything you say early on can be used to assign you a share of fault and eliminate your right to recover entirely.
Q. I am starting a business near Auburn University. What do I need to do first?
A. The first steps are selecting the right business structure, filing formation documents with the Alabama Secretary of State, designating a registered agent with a physical Alabama address, and filing your Initial Business Privilege Tax Return within two and a half months of formation. We assist Auburn business owners with every step of the formation process and with ongoing legal needs after the business is up and running.
Ready to Talk
If you are facing a legal matter in Auburn or anywhere in Lee County, we are ready to help. Tell us what happened and we will give you a clear, honest picture of your options and what comes next. No pressure, no obligation, and no cost for that first conversation. Visit our Contact Us page for office hours, directions, and additional ways to reach our team.
Don’t Go Wrong, Choose Wright.
844-766-4534
Visit us at 3100 Gentian Blvd, Ste 8B, Columbus, GA 31907.
Serving Auburn and Lee County from our Columbus, GA office.