GSB Vol. 17, NO. 1, Pg. 58. Past President of the State Bar Receives Distinguished Service Award.

• Author: by Derrick W. Stanley

Georgia Bar Journal

Volume 17.

GSB Vol. 17, NO. 1, Pg. 58.

Past President of the State Bar Receives Distinguished Service Award

GSB JournalVol. 17, NO. 1August 2011Past President of the State Bar Receives Distinguished Service Awardby Derrick W. StanleyThe Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor bestowed by the State Bar of Georgia for conspicuous service to the cause of jurisprudence and to the advancement of the legal profession in the state of Georgia.

The 2011 recipient, James B. "Jimmy" Franklin of Franklin, Taulbee, Rushing, Snipes and Marsh LLC in Statesboro, who served as president of the State Bar of Georgia in 2001-02, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award, presented during the Annual Meeting of the State Bar on June 4 at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Franklin received special praise for his leadership during the acquisition and completion of the Bar Center headquarters in downtown Atlanta, including "visionary financial decisions" that enabled the State Bar to retire the debt on the building last August, five years ahead of schedule.

"The positions and actions taken by Jimmy Franklin during his term as president have proven correct in subsequent years," said outgoing State Bar President S. Lester Tate 111 in making the presentation. "The Bar Center has become known as the nations finest such facility and is an outstanding, permanent contribution to the justice system and source of pride for all present and future Bar members." Franklin made many trips to Atlanta to steer the State Bar of Georgia through the protest of a citizens' group, news media scrutiny and legal challenges with the Atlanta Tree Commission and in Fulton County Superior Court toward a successful conclusion, ultimately upheld by the Court of Appeals of Georgia. The Bar Center parking garage has blended beautifully with the motif of the original building, the trees have been replaced and the aesthetic quality of the area has been enhanced. Franklin was also instrumental in raising more than $4 million in donations from multiple foundations and a cy pres award for the public education facilities in the Bar Center.

Franklin is a graduate of Georgia Tech and earned his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He has practiced law in Statesboro for 48 years and has served as chairman of the Georgia Southern University...