‘A genuine and sincere person.’ Columbus attorney Ralston Jarrett dies at 33
Ralston Jarrett, a 33-year-old Columbus criminal defense and personal injury attorney, died Thursday night, employees at his law office told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Jarrett, a Columbus native and the son of military parents, graduated from Columbus State University. He received his Juris Doctor from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2017, according to Jarrett’s LinkedIn page.
In a 2020 interview with the L-E, Jarrett credited his former Columbus State professor Robin King with inspiring him to go to law school.
Jarrett worked as an associate under prominent Columbus criminal defense attorney Mark Shelnutt from 2018 to 2020. Jarrett then opened his own firm in 2021.
“Ralston was just a genuine and sincere person, you know, not to mention a good attorney,” Shelnutt told the L-E. “He cared about people.”
In addition to his law practice, Jarrett was also a business owner. He operated Elite Party Bus with his parents, Ralston Jarrett Sr. and Reebe Jarrett.
Friends and family have posted tributes to Jarrett following his death on social media.
Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Gil McBride told the L-E that Jarrett was a “courteous” attorney who worked to start his own practice. The judge said he planned to nominate Jarrett as a member of the Columbus Bar Association this fall.
“(Jarrett) seemed well on his way to doing good things,” McBride said.
The cause of Jarrett’s death wasn’t immediately available before publication.
Breaking news reporter Kelby Hutchison contributed to the reporting of this story.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 12:12 PM.