From the Yld President
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Pages | 0010 |
| Citation | Vol. 26 No. 6 Pg. 0010 |
From the YLD President
A Year of #PurposeThroughService
BERT HUMMEL
YLD President
State Bar of Georgia
bert.hummel@lewisbrisbois.com
In his often-quoted statement about lawyers' duties, Thomas Jefferson said, "The study of law qualifies a man to be useful to himself, to his neighbors and to the public." In a nation now recovering from the deadliest and economically-destructive health crisis of our lifetimes— while remaining in the grip of political, racial and social division—perhaps this is a time for those of us in the legal profession to heed the call for serving others more than ever.
"Some believe our nation has never been more complex, polarized and siloed than now," writes Leah Teague, associate dean and professor of law at Baylor Law. "We need leaders who have vision, values, integrity and the ability to see beyond the narrow perspectives of one side. We need lawyers to step up and play more active roles in their communities."
For many Bar members—including judges, prosecutors, public defenders, office holders, city, county and state agency attorneys, and others involved in government—public service is a daily, yearround endeavor. Some of us also devote an appreciable number of hours to pro bono legal service, which is an absolute must for low-income Georgians to receive legal presentation and have a fair shake in our justice system.
But those are by no means the only ways that lawyers can serve the public— as well as derive rewarding benefits from that service. Shayda Zaerpoor Le, writing for Law Practice Toay, contends, "Even if you are engaging in community service that has absolutely nothing to do with legal representation at all, every hour that you spend out in your town or your city helps expand your relationship with the local community."
For the past year, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the State Bar of Georgia has kept our focus on doing just that. Under the social media hashtag #PurposeThroughService, our members have made the importance of public service, professionalism and leading by example a special emphasis during these trying times. I want to take this opportunity to celebrate some of our achievements over the past 12 months to better serve the state and our local communities.
Poll Worker Program
The YLD was able to recruit hundreds of attorneys to serve as much-needed poll workers and deputy registrars during the November 2020 general election and January 2021 Senate runoff. These Bar members risked their own health to help ensure our democratic process was able to continue during a time when COVID-19 numbers were rising to their highest levels. Each Bar member who volunteered with their county's Board of Elections, completed poll worker training, worked at their local polling place on Election Day and donated their reimbursement check was eligible to receive six hours of CLE credit. This program has garnered praise from numerous groups, including leaders in our state and across the country. We hope to build on the success of this program in future years to continue to assist our communities.
OFFICERS' BLOCK
In this issue of the Georgia Bar Journal, we asked our YLD officers, "What is the most pressing challenge for the legal profession...
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