Roberts Clay Milling, II

Roberts Clay Milling II, a native New Orleanian, passed away Saturday, October 9th, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 55. Clay is survived by his parents, R. King and Anne McDonald, and two sons, Roberts Clay III and William Paul. He was born on April 25th, 1966. A student at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and graduate of Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Clay later graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he earned a BA in Economics (1988) and a JD (1991). While in law school, he was one of the few Vanderbilt law school students who served as both a member of the Moot Court Board and the Editorial Board of The Journal of Transnational Law. He also attended the London School of Economics.

After graduation, he joined Alston & Bird in Atlanta, where he concentrated in medical malpractice and products liability defense. Committed to serving those most in need, he became a founding member of Henry, Spiegel Milling, LLP where he continued his career as a trial lawyer. Clay served on the Executive Committee of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Constitutional Challenge Committee. In addition, he was a Chairman of the Georgia Civil Justice PAC and was the Georgia State Delegate to the American Association for Justice. He received the accolade of an AV rating throughout his career. Clay was named to Georgia’s Legal Elite by Georgia Trend magazine, and in 2013, he received the Wiedemann & Wysocki Award from the American Association of Justice.

Despite his professional success, his sons, Clay and Will, were where his heart rested. He spent countless weekends with his family and friends at their home in Atlanta and in Cashiers, North Carolina. In addition, he was an active parent at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School and Morris Brandon Elementary, regularly leading fundraising initiatives or cheering on the sidelines at sporting events. A lifelong musician, he was the guitarist in law school for the Boo Radleys and in Atlanta played for Dean Drive Five. His sons followed his love of music, both playing in bands throughout college at the University of Georgia. He was an avid pilot who enjoyed flying for both business and family trips.

Clay was joyous, quick-witted, funny, charming, warm, and fun-loving. He was full of life and will be missed by many. He is survived by his brothers, R. King, Jr. (Cara) and Michael Delery (Caroline), and the mother of his children, Jayne Ann Waggener, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nephews, and nieces.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Shatterproof.org, an organization supporting those facing addiction. (http://www.shatterproof.org/nationalmemorial/roberts-milling); Covenant House New Orleans, an organization serving the needs of homeless children (http://www.covenanthousenola.org); or a charity of your choice.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, October 15th at 11a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 631 State St. Visitation will begin at 10a.m.