GSB Vol. 17, NO. 4, Pg. 22. Diversity Program Showcases Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and 6th Circuit Judge Bernice Donald.

• Author: by Marian Dockery

Georgia Bar Journal

Volume 17.

GSB Vol. 17, NO. 4, Pg. 22.

Diversity Program Showcases Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and 6th Circuit Judge Bernice Donald

GSB JournalVol. 17, NO. 4December 2011Diversity Program Showcases Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and 6th Circuit Judge Bernice Donaldby Marian DockeryKing and Spalding hosted the 2011 Diversity Reception, featuring Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, selected by GOVERNING Magazine as a "2011 Public Official of the Year." Hon. Kimberly Esmond Adams of the Fulton County Superior Court engaged her fellow Howard Law School alum in a 60-min-ute conversation regarding the successes of his administration, the challenges that lie ahead for the city and his plans to serve two terms as Atlanta's mayor. Reed provided the audience with a wealth of information regarding his administration's accomplishments and challenges.

A native son of Atlanta's southside, Reed came from a family of four boys, all seeking different career paths and possessing different talents. But his father always wanted one of his sons to pursue law as a career and lead the city as mayor, and Reed was able to realize that dream.

In speaking to the group, Reed proclaimed that diverse attorneys who are recruited by law firms should commit to working for a minimum of seven years so that law firms get a return on their investments. The difficulty of retaining diverse attorneys is a two-way street, Reed said, and law firms must provide diverse attorneys opportunities to grow by giving them challenging work assignments and visibility with their clients.

State Bar Annual CLE and Luncheon

The annual CLE met Sept. 28 at the Bar Center. The program opened with "The Judiciary's Role in Sustaining and Increasing Diversity in the Profession," featuring a distinguished panel of jurists moderated by the first African-American woman to serve on the Court of Appeals of Georgia, Hon. M. Yvette MiHer. Joining Miller on the panel were Hon. Anne Barnes, Court of Appeals, who was the first woman to be elected in a statewide judicial race without having been first appointed to the bench; Hon. Ural Glanville, Fulton County Superior Court, colonel, JAG Corps, U.S. Army Reserves; and Hon. Dax Lopez, DeKalb State Court, who is the second Hispanic on that court to serve as trial judge.

Corporate panel members discussed "Strategies to Diversify Outside Counsel,"...