From the Yld President
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Pages | 0010 |
by Joshua C. Bell
All Good Things...
When I was sworn in as the president of the Young Lawyers Division, I was very excited. My excitement was only matched with my apprehension of the year to come.
I was scared that the division wouldn't respond to my lofty goals. I was scared that my requests for action would not be met. Looking back on those feelings of fear, I smile and even laugh. I laugh at how wrong I was. The Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia has exceeded my expectations. Your YLD is simply the finest in the nation. The young lawyers that make up this division continue to give more of themselves all the time. There have been thousands of hours that the young lawyers of this state have given to this division and the State Bar.
Maybe the highest praise that was received by the YLD this year was in March in the great city of Savannah. The Executive Committee of the State Bar and the Supreme Court of Georgia were together for their annual retreat. At the retreat, the president of the YLD is asked to give a report of the year's activities. After I gave the report (written and oral) one of the justice's of the Supreme Court said, "Why doesn't the Bar write about this?" Can you imagine how proud I was of the YLD at that moment? The point was well taken.
I won't be able to report everything we have done this year, but I can certainly share some of the highlights.
"I was scared that the division wouldn't respond to my lofty goals. I was scared that my requests for action would not be met. Looking back on those feelings of fear, I smile and even laugh."
Our Aspiring Youth Committee developed a new project this year known as the "Great Debaters Project." Young lawyers trained several young men incarcerated in the DeKalb Regional Youth Detention Center in the art of debate. This culminated in a Great Debate Competition in February, where the debaters were recognized for their hard work and participation in the program. This is a wonderful program that will be used for years to come.
Our Community Service Projects Committee continues to work tirelessly for the State Bar. Some of the activities included a "Zoo Day" event with foster children. The committee also held a backpack and school supplies drive for foster children, staffed concession stands at the PGA tour event in Atlanta for the benefit of the Georgia Center for Child...
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