Professionalism Page
| Publication year | 2020 |
| Pages | 0068 |
| Citation | Vol. 25 No. 6 Pg. 0068 |
21st Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service
The Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism is pleased to recognize lawyers and judges who have made significant contributions to their communities, demonstrating the positive contributions of members of the Bar beyond their legal or official work.
BY KARLISE Y. GRIER
When you hear Justice Robert Benham (retired) speak about the involvement of lawyers and judges in community service, you immediately understand why he says he has "been rabid" about the topic. In his view, community service is a way of transforming how the public" ”and lawyers" ”views the role of lawyers in our society. In 2019, Justice Benham recalled that the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism established the Awards for Community Service in his name because "we wanted the community to see lawyers as servants of the community. We've encouraged lawyers to become involved with the boy scouts, the girl scouts, the civic clubs, the business leagues, and become part and parcel of the community." When lawyers become involved in their communities, Justice Benham believes they have a better feeling about the practice of law, and the community fosters a better feeling about lawyers.
Since 1998, the commission has presented the awards to honor Georgia lawyers and judges who have made significant contributions to their communities and demonstrate the positive contributions of members of the Bar beyond their legal or official work. The commission planned to continue its tradition of honoring lawyers at the 21st Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service ceremony on March 14 in Atlanta, an event that would give the legal community an opportunity to honor an exceptional group of lawyers and judges who volunteer in numerous ways in the community. Additionally, attendees were to hear Justice Benham speak following his retirement from the Supreme Court of Georgia on March 1, 2020, after 30 years of service. Unfortunately, due to the public health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the commission canceled the ceremony in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved. At the time of writing this article in April, a statewide shelter-in-place order was in effect, and it appeared likely that the order would be extended. Therefore, the commission had not yet discussed or made plans for a...
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