A Call to Action

• Citation: Vol. 30 No. 4 Pg. 0086
• Year: 2025
• Pages: 0086

A Call to Action Vol. 30 No. 4 Pg. 86 Georgia Bar Journal May 2025

The Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism wants to hear from Georgia lawyers and judges about your unmet professionalism needs.

BY KARLISE Y. GRIER

Almost since its inception in 1989, the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism has offered grants to support projects or programs that promote legal professionalism. Over die years, the Commission has revised and strengthened its grants program and in 2020, with the help of then Solicitor-General Andrew A. Pinson (now Justice Pinson), the Commission formalized its grant criteria^[1] and the procedures it uses for selecting and awarding grants. As the Commission continues its mission^[2] to enhance professionalism among Georgia's lawyers and judges we are asking to hear from you. One of the things we need your help with is getting ideas and information about what professionalism needs you see as being unmet in your community and suggestions for how the Commission could best help you meet those, possibly in conjunction with the Commission's grants program. Commission member Nekia Hackworth Jones, who chairs the Commission's Grants Committee, observed: "[Former] Chief Justice Michael Boggs has brought unprecedented experience and engagement to the Commission's legal professionalism grants program. This is another example of his lifelong commitment to justice and unwavering dedication to public service. Chief justice Boggs' leadership has poised the Commission to continue its years-long tradition of providing financial support to innovative and impactful professionalism training, initiatives and projects across the state of Georgia."

The Commission's Grants Committee wants to identify professionalism needs your legal community, practice area, local or voluntary bar association, or professional association might have that you believe are not currently being met by current CLE courses, other programming or other projects. For example, are there niche areas of practice or legal professionalism needs of Georgia's lawyers or judges that are deserving of more attention or training on a statewide basis but that might be hard to meet within smaller legal communities or organizations without additional assistance and support? The Commission's Grants Committee would like to hear from you about your ideas and thoughts for ways the Commission can support our Georgia lawyers and judges. As a call to action, we...