GSB Vol. 18, NO. 4, Pg. 72. Professionalism Page.

• Author: by Avarita L. Hanson

Georgia Bar Journal

Volume 18.

GSB Vol. 18, NO. 4, Pg. 72.

Professionalism Page

GSB JournalVol. 18, NO. 4December 2012Professionalism Pageby Avarita L. HansonThe Power of One - Dr. James T. Laney and His Vision for Professionalism

We often find that there is much to do and so few to do what needs to be done. You're probably familiar with the phrase, "If you want something done, ask a busy person." But it is not just that person who is busy we should ask. Sometimes we need to ask someone outside of our circle to get a different opinion and insights on tackling issues and challenges. Sometimes we need a new voice to get a new vision.

In the spring of 1988, then Georgia Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall invited a select diverse group of prominent lawyers to a meeting hosted by Emory University's then president, Dr. James T. Laney. This meeting, known as "A Consultation on Professionalism and the Practice of Law," was held on March 31, 1988, at Houston Mill House on Emory University's campus.(fn1) What happened there, after words from Chief Justice Marshall, Dr. Laney and discussion, lead to the formation of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism.(fn2)

Who is Dr. James T. Laney?(fn3) Laney, now Emory president emeritus, is also a former U.S. Ambassador to Korea. He was educated at Yale (B.A. '50, BD '54, Ph.D. '66, L.H.D. Hon. '93) and is an ordained United Methodist minister. He taught at Yonsei University in Korea from 1959 to 1964, and later at Vanderbilt before becoming dean of Candler School of Theology at Emory (1969-77). In 1974 he was a visiting professor at Harvard. He was named president of Emory in 1977 and served for 16 years. He was appointed ambassador to South Korea in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and was instrumental in helping defuse the nuclear crisis with North Korea in 1994. He returned to the United States in 1997 and served for two years as special presidential envoy in Asia.

He has chaired the Harvard Board of Overseers Committee for the Divinity School and has served on the executive committee of the University Council at Yale. He is a trustee of the Henry Luce Foundation in New York and co-chair, with Andrew Young, of Faith and the City in Atlanta. He is a past director of The Coca-Cola Company and SunTrust Georgia. From 1997-2003, he co-chaired the Council on Foreign Relations Task...