Professionalism Page

• Publication year: 2024
• Citation: Vol. 30 No. 1 Pg. 0070
• Pages: 0070

Professionalism PageVol. 30 No. 1 Pg. 70Georgia Bar JournalAugust 2024

24th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service

The awards ceremony was held in April at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in Atlanta.

BY KARLISE Y. GRIER

Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs, Supreme Court of Georgia, and Justice Robert Benham.

There is an irony about the Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service that some members of the Benham Awards Selection Committee have periodically discussed. The irony is the fact that Georgia is fortunate to have many outstanding lawyers who provide extraordinary service to their communities; however, following in their footsteps sometimes appears unattainable. In fact, Justice Benham was heard to remark at 24th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service (CSA24), that he was unsure he would have been selected to receive the award named after him, if he had been nominated for the 2024 awards. I doubt, however, that knowing he might never receive an award for his service would have prevented Justice Benham from living a life of service.

Each year, when I personally work to learn details about the service of the award recipients, I am amazed by the volume and quality of their accomplishments. I believe the award recipients are truly remarkable—and sometimes in-timidating—individuals when I consider the impacts of their accomplishments. Nevertheless, as you read this article and contemplate the volunteer service of the award recipients, I ask you to think about your unique gifts, talents and treasures, and ask yourself what one small thing can I do to serve my community because inspiring other attorneys to community service is in fact one of the most important purposes of the community service awards.

In this article, I have highlighted some of the "bigger" accomplishments of the award recipients, but I ask you to think about some of the "smaller" aspects of service of the award recipients that are perhaps within the reach of us (myself included) mere mortals. I can't cook much at all, especially not like Judge Kathy Palmer can, but I know there are several attorneys among my acquaintance that can cook and perhaps make meals for their church members or bake cakes for children baptized in their church. Perhaps you won't be a legislative advocate like Vickie Kimbrell, but if you love animals, maybe you can help care for a pet for a victim of domestic violence who can't take their pet with them to a shelter. Perhaps you can't chair the board of an organization for at-risk children, like Judge Cheveda McCa-my, but maybe you can read to an at-risk child in an organized program once per year. We can't all be like Sam Olens and help steer the passage of hate crime legislation, but maybe we can encourage folks in our networks to participate...