This Atlanta lawyer has 1.5M followers. He’s not quitting his day job.
Barely 60 seconds after positioning his “Ask A Lawyer” sign along the Beltline one recent Sunday afternoon, Atlanta attorney Cody Randall was approached by the first of many people who recognized him from social media.
The fan on skates paused just long enough to tell Randall, whose Instagram handle is @atlcody, they enjoy his videos, before merging into the throng of people making the most of the spring sunshine. Soon after, another passerby yelled out to Randall that he is doing “a great public service” and to “keep it honest, keep it real.”
It wasn’t long before Randall, a plaintiff attorney with 1.5 million online followers and up to 100 million monthly content views, received his first question. It came from Edlin Veras, an assistant professor of sociology at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia who was visiting Atlanta and said he’s been watching Randall’s videos on TikTok for a while.
Randall shook Veras’ hand, told him their conversation was being recorded and repeated what has become a catchphrase in his spare-time endeavor to connect with and help a wide range of people.
“I’m a lawyer, I’m not your lawyer,” Randall told Veras and the many others who sought his perspective that afternoon.
In the roughly two years Randall has freely offered his thoughts to anyone who asks, he has been careful to explain he’s not giving them legal advice or representing them in any way. He said most people he encounters don’t need a lawyer; they just have a problem that needs addressing and don’t know where to start.
“I do my best to point them in the right direction so they can help themselves,” Randall told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Veras said Randall’s “niche” hobby is interesting and helpful, given the average person doesn’t have access to a lawyer on any given day. He said his question that afternoon was a philosophical one.
“It’s just cool to bounce ideas around with somebody,” he said.
A labor of love
Randall, part of a small team at a personal injury litigation firm with an office in Norcross, said he didn’t set out to become a social media star and keeps that part of his life separate from his work, which he plans to continue.
“I like being an attorney,” he said. “I like helping people. I like advocating for my clients.”
The 37-year-old typically films his content in sneakers, running shorts and a T-shirt alongside Reba, his 6-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog.
He said he first placed his “Ask A Lawyer” sign in public about two years ago, largely because he was bored and wanted to help people in a fun way that allowed him to remain flexible with his spare time. He said he initially had no strategy and, after a while, started recording his interactions and putting edited clips on social media to reach a wider audience.
“Just democratizing access to information is how I look at it,” he said.
Randall, a lawyer since 2019, said he usually spends a few weekend hours in public with his sign and Reba two or three times a month, often on the Beltline close to his home in West Midtown. Every day, he publishes content on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
The social media platforms “require blood,” Randall said, describing the editing and distribution of his content as “a labor of love.”
“The best part is the conversation,” he said. “Going out there on a sunny day, spending time with my dog.”
In a typical month, Randall’s content receives anywhere from 30 million to 100 million views. In a recent week, he gained 19,000 followers on Facebook, where he has built a following of 514,000 account holders in the past year.
“If you don’t post for three or four days, or you post once a day instead of twice a day, then you almost get penalized,” Randall said.
Global recognition
“Love you, man! You’re awesome,” a cyclist shouted at Randall shortly after the lawyer’s conversation with Veras ended and as a small line for his attention started to form. Several others paused their journey along the Beltline to point their cellphones in Randall’s direction.
Joey Kostigen and Katie Dennard, a Marietta couple who recognized Randall from TikTok, waited their turn. Kostigen said he had a question about a speeding ticket.
“It’s always good to get someone else’s input,” he told the AJC.
Getting recognized “an ungodly amount” still comes as a shock, Randall said, adding he was recently offered a free drink from an Australian bartender during a short trip Down Under.
Randall said he is approached by “anyone and everyone” wanting to talk about a variety of things, both personal and general in nature. He said he’s not surprised by what people ask but how willing they are to share intimate details knowing the conversation is being recorded for public distribution.
“I’ve given far more life advice than I ever thought I would give anybody,” he said. “Every single person that I’ve spoken to has genuinely valued our conversation, even when I tell them what they don’t want to hear.”
Originally from Alpharetta, Randall got an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University, then a law degree from Faulkner University in Alabama. He worked for a bankruptcy firm, helping people manage debt, then joined Georgia Trial Attorneys at Kirchen & Grant in 2020.
Randall said he can’t see his hobby replacing his job, though it led to one profitable opportunity where he was asked to help advertise a video game promotion involving prizes from a fictitious will. His growing audience also got him featured on CNN, including several times as a panelist.
Randall said other attorneys he encounters are generally positive about his hobby, though he’s not aware of any imitators.
“I’m going to keep doing this as long as I can,” he said. “I would probably still do this if I stopped practicing.”
About the Author
Journalist Rosie Manins is a senior courts and legal affairs reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
