The Georgia Bar Association forms and presses for higher standards for admittance to the profession, including a written examination. Photo, circa 1890, of the members of the Georgia Bar Association on the Fulton County Courthouse steps.

Fulton County Courthouse, at corner of Hunter (now Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) and Pryor streets. (Source: Atlanta History Center)

Alex C. King and Jack J. Spalding form King & Spalding. The firm will take on and shed many other names, but in 1962 reverts to its original name. (Source: The First Hundred Years/A Centennial History of King & Spalding)

The city directory page lists lawyers of the day.

Asa Candler acquires interest in Coca-Cola Co. He turns to the law firm of his brother, former U.S. congressman Milton Candler (above), for assistance in organizing the company.

Atlanta Law School opens

Oct. 29, 1890 — Tom Woolfolk is hanged in Perry for the murders of nine family members. His original verdict was appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, which ruled that the judge erred by not stopping spectators from repeating "Hang him, hang him" during closing arguments. He again was found guilty at retrial.

Oct. 31, 1890 — The first issue of the Fulton County Daily Report is published.

April 14, 1891 — Pharmacist Asa Candler buys the right to make a tonic and headache medicine called Coca-Cola and then markets it as a soft drink. He will later serve as mayor, help establish Emory University and Central Bank and Trust Co. His children will sell control of Coca-Cola to a syndicate led by Ernest Woodruff. (Source: New Georgia Encyclopedia)

Jan. 29, 1892 — Coca-Cola is incorporated. Pictured: Asa Candler's pharmacy.

Gate City Bank defaults. The bank’s cashier is implicated in an embezzlement scheme. (Source: Atlanta and Its Lawyers)

Jan. 31, 1893 — Coca-Cola is patented.

May 5, 1893 — Panic on Wall Street begins because of the failure of a group of rope manufacturers. The monetary loss triggers a deep depression lasting four years.

View of Five Points in Downtown Atlanta, looking northeast toward Edgewood Avenue, during an exhibition of the streetcar in which free rides are offered. (Photo: Atlanta Historical Society)

Aug. 13, 1893 — "Nancy Hanks," Central Railroad and Banking Co. (precursor to Central of Georgia) rail service between Savannah and Atlanta ended because the rails and rail bed were too rough for high-speed service. A number of the locomotives had left the tracks. Pictured: View of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Special passenger train as it passes through Manchester, Georgia.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Logan E. Bleckley leaves office. Bleckley had little formal education, but began reading the law in his father's office at age 11. He served on the court 19 years, the last seven as chief justice.

July 1, 1894 — Southern Railway Co. is founded from Richmond and Danville Railroad and the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad.

Sept. 12, 1895 — Booker T. Washington makes his famous "Atlanta Compromise" speech at the opening of the 1895 International Cotton Exposition. Washington argues that competition for social equality is folly and that African Americans should pursue progress in agriculture and industry. In return, whites are to provide opportunities in industry for African Americans. The speech receives national attention and is widely praised. Washington’s idea of "gradualism" will be criticized by scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, who in 1897 would begin teaching at what is now Clark Atlanta University. Du Bois urged African Americans to launch legal attacks on racism. (Photo: Atlanta Bar Association)

The state Constitution is amended to add three justices (for a total of six) to the court and to require that justices be elected by popular vote. Pictured: The three-judge court.

Dec. 12, 1896 — First electric lights in Georgia at Brumby’s Drugstore in Athens.

South Pryor Street from East Hunter Street. Many lawyers had offices in Temple Court (second building on left) in the 1890s because it was close to the courthouse. (Photo: Atlanta Bar Association)

The Empire Building also housed several law firms and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. The Empire Building was built in late 19th century at the corner of Marietta and Broad streets. (Photo: Atlanta Bar Association)