Jones' Final Remarks to the Board of Governors

• Jurisdiction: Georgia,United States
• Citation: Vol. 27 No. 1 Pg. 0036
• Pages: 0036
• Publication year: 2021

Jones' Final Remarks to the Board of Governors Vol. 27, No. 1, Pg. 36 Georgia Bar Journal August, 2021

Feature

The bylaws of the State Bar of Georgia specify the duties of the president. One of the responsibilities is to "deliver a report at the Annual Meeting of the members of the activities of the State Bar during his or her term of office and to furnish a copy of the report to the Supreme Court of Georgia." Following is the report from 2020-21 President Dawn M. Jones on her year, delivered June 11 at the State Bar's Annual Meeting.

BY DAWN M. JONES

2020-21 President Dawn M. Jones presents her final remarks to the Board of Governors during the plenary session of the Annual Meeting.

How it started. I began this particular journey five years ago when I ran for secretary of the State Bar of Georgia. It was a contested election. I was the person who made it contested, as a good friend had entered the race first. At the time, all of my knowledge about running for a State Bar officer position resulted from working with others on their campaigns, beginning with Past President Patrise Perkins-Hooker. I also knew I had the support of many friends and organizations including Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and Gate City Bar Association.

I wasn't sure if I would win. In fact, I was prepared to lose to my good friend, learn valuable lessons and run successfully next time. I did not really have a plan beyond getting my name and qualifications out there, crossing the state to meet with Bar members, to talk to them, to see what their needs and concerns were and how I could help. I had no idea at the time, but I quickly recognized the "benefits" of a contested election and how it forces a candidate to work for each and every vote earned. Among other campaigning activities and gatherings across metro-Atlanta, I campaigned across the state for two months, crisscrossing Georgia in my car, staying at local hotels, often carrying portable office equipment in my trunk to work from the road. It was an incredibly valuable experience for me, and it certainly highlighted how the concerns and needs of our members vary from region to region. During those two months of campaigning on the road, I meet with local bar associations, with lawyers and judges, with non-lawyers who served on various Bar-related committees and boards. I met with people from all over the state, people whom I would not have had the pleasure and opportunity to meet had I not run in a contested election. As a bonus, my appreciation for the beauty and character of every corner of our state grew.

In meeting with at least three to four groups in two to three cities each week for two months, I enjoyed a number of unexpected surprises and pleasures. I received extremely warm receptions and often welcome baskets containing local fare. Bar members, some old friends and some new acquaintances, volunteered to walk me around and introduce me in each of those meetings, at each of those association events, in numerous cities and counties throughout the state. I saw our State Bar of Georgia in a new and different light, and I learned so much about who we are as Bar members and as people. That is how I started this journey.

Today, I end my presidency of the State Bar of Georgia presiding over the only in-person meeting of the Bar year, our very first hybrid meeting and the first Annual Meeting of our Bar in two years. And the bonus here, added to those firsts, is that we are still here. We have survived.

We are not only surviving, but we are thriving together. I am grateful for the journey and for the support, leadership, guidance, cajoling and prayers that I have received over the course of this year. It was an incredibly challenging and traumatic year, and it demanded more from us as individuals and as a profession than we could have ever anticipated. I am grateful for the journey and worked daily to do my very best to benefit the Bar, its members and the public as your president. In spite of...