From the President
| Citation | Vol. 28 No. 1 Pg. 0006 |
| Pages | 0006 |
| Publication year | 2022 |
A RENEWED COMMITMENT TO PROFESSIONALISM
SARAH B. “SALLY” AKINS, PRESIDENT, STATE BAR OF GEORGIA
SARAH B. “SALLY” AKINS
President State Bar of Georgia president@gabar.org president@gabar.org
Two and a half years ago, COVID-19 took an unprecedented toll on the delivery of justice in our state, and although things are almost fully back to normal now, the effects are still being felt. Two months ago, just before I took office, unauthorized access to the State Bar’s network caused an interruption to some of the means of communication and services to our members.
Our Bar leaders and staff have had to rise to a number of major challenges and make the best of difficult situations over the years. Simply put, we have learned to expect the unexpected, and the 2022-23 Bar year will be no different.
While staying prepared for whatever may come our way over the next 12 months, I am committed to focusing on the core values of our profession and our ongoing mission to serve the public and the justice system. This includes a renewed commitment to professionalism among the members of the State Bar of Georgia.
Active Bar members know the importance of professionalism. Every day, in every area of law practice, we see firsthand examples of attorney professionalism or, hopefully only on rare occasions, a lack thereof.
The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, the first body of its kind in the nation, was created in 1989 by the Supreme Court of Georgia with the primary charge of enhancing professional-ism among Georgia’s lawyers. In part, its purpose is to ensure that the practice of law remains a high calling, enlisted in the service of client and public good. Composed of representatives of the organized bar, practicing bar, judiciary, law schools and the public, the commission serves as the institutional framework for sustaining an environment that fosters professionalism in the legal community.
For Georgia lawyers, two documents— our Lawyer’s Creed and Aspirational Statement—represent higher standards of lawyer behavior than the minimal standards set forth in the Code of Professional Conduct and reflect the understanding that lawyers have relationships with clients, opposing parties and their counsel, the courts, colleagues, the profession and the public.
The aspirational goals bind Bar members together as a community. The mission statement of...
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