Annual Meeting Returns to Georgia's First City
| Jurisdiction | Georgia,United States |
| Pages | 0022 |
| Citation | Vol. 29 No. 1 Pg. 0022 |
| Publication year | 2023 |
GBJ I Feature
Annual Meeting Returns to Georgia’s First City
BY STEPHANIE J. WILSON
Board of Governors and Bar members alike were thrilled to be back in Savannah—Georgia's first city—for the 2023 Annual Meeting. This is always a special time for members of the State Bar of Georgia to not only attend to the business of the Bar but also to spend time with colleagues, friends, family members and guests for an unforgettable weekend that is the perfect mixture of meetings and merriment.
Opening Night Festival
Under the threat of rain, the outdoor Opening Night Festival was moved in-
(Left to right) Board of Governors member Oto Ekpo and Justice Verda Colvin at Saturday's Presidential Inaugural Gala.
doors, but that didn't stop guests from enjoying a relaxing and fun-filled evening dedicated to good food, great music and a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Festival activities included face painting, a balloon artist, an inflatable bounce house and more. A DJ was on hand to play tunes from oldies to current hits to keep the crowd entertained.
Weekend Bar Business
Even with the temptation of strolls along River Street for fresh pralines or a visit to one of Savannah's many art galleries, museums or historical sites, the main objective of the weekend was the business of the Bar. A number of sections and committees scheduled meetings in which they reviewed the business of the Bar year while they looked forward to the work and challenges of the next. CLE seminars on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afforded all present the opportunity to explore topics like setting and honoring boundaries, intellectual property rights enforcement or the annual installment of the war stories series. Balancing out the business of the day were the evening events that seamlessly incorporated networking and socializing in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. Beginning with the Opening Night Festival on Thursday, members and their guests could choose to attend one, two or all of the events depending on their interest and affiliation. Receptions hosted by law school alumni groups, sections and other organizations afforded attendees the opportunity to enjoy time with friends and colleagues that they may not have seen in quite some time (or at least since the previous year's meeting). More formal events included the YLD Dinner and SwearingIn Ceremony on Friday and the Presidential Inaugural Gala on Saturday.
Board Meeting Highlights
The June 9 plenary session began with special recognition by President Sarah B. "Sally" Akins of members of the judiciary, past presidents of the Bar and other special guests, in addition to recognizing and honoring retiring Executive Committee members and Board of Governors members. Following a few business items, President Akins invited Justice Charlie Bethel to the podium to present the Juvenile Law and Child Advocacy Awards. The Judge Willie Lovett Award for Advancing the Field of Juvenile Law was presented to Hon. Vincent Crawford, a judge of the bench of the DeKalb County Juvenile Court. The Chief Justice Harris Hines Award for Outstanding Advocacy for Children in Dependency Proceedings was presented to Dale Austin, a lawyer in the Mountain Judicial Circuit, and posthumously to Brenda Ford-Pratt, a case manager with the Tift and Turner County Division of Family & Children Services office. Ford-Pratt's daughter, Shan, was present to accept the award in memory of her mother.
President Akins welcomed Susan Coppedge, executive director, Georgia Legal Services Program, to present a replica check in the amount of $794,655 representing the voluntary contributions made by Bar members to GLSP's 2022 "And Justice for All" campaign.
Next, Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs delivered the State of the Supreme Court of Georgia address followed by the State of the Court of Appeals of Georgia address by Chief Judge Brian Rickman, the State of the Office of Governor by Executive Counsel David Dove on behalf
of Gov. Brian Kemp and the State of the Georgia House Judiciary Committee by Rep. Stan Gunter (R-Blairsville).
Outgoing YLD President Ronald Edward "Ron" Daniels reported on the activities of the Young Lawyers Division. He took time to highlight the extensive work of the YLD members and committees in presenting impactful CLEs and programming, for their service to the public and the profession, a successful Signature Fundraiser benefiting Middle Georgia Justice and GLSP, and the 12th Annual Legal Food Frenzy which raised $829,239 or the equivalent of more than 3.2 million meals for food-insecure Georgians.
President Akins then gave the Memorials Report.
During the plenary...
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