From the Executive Director
| Jurisdiction | United States,Federal |
| Citation | Vol. 28 No. 5 Pg. 0014 |
| Pages | 0014 |
| Publication year | 2023 |
Delivering Results
DAMON E. ELMORE
Executive Director State Bar of Georgia damone@gabar.org
I wanted to take a moment and share an update on our Bar operations. I am grateful to the incredible staff and team that I get to work alongside, who work tirelessly to overcome obstacles, innovate and deliver outstanding results in support of our members. We are extremely excited about recent success in our CLE, Governmental Affairs, High School Mock Trial, ICLE, Meetings and YLD departments. So many are doing good work, and it shows.
We are continuing to support State Bar President Sally Akins and her work this year with an emphasis on professionalism and good lawyering. You'll surely hear more about this from better sources, but thanks to her efforts and the efforts of the Committee on Professionalism, we have seen a best-in-class convocation focused on this important topic, and, in March, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a proclamation recognizing April 2023 as Legal Professionalism Month. Those are big deals.
If you were unable to join our Spring Board of Governors meeting in Pine Mountain, Georgia, that meeting is generally focused chiefly on setting a proper license fee level. This year, the Board accepted the recommendation of the Executive and Finance committees to leave the fees at the current levels for all categories of membership.
This is remarkable work, and we are grateful to them considering inflationary pressures and rising costs. Always keep in mind that Georgia license fees remain some of the lowest in the country, particularly for states like ours where the Bar performs regulatory functions in addition to the programs and support we provide our members.
This is no doubt a result of year-after-year responsible management by our State Bar leaders and volunteers. It has been the collective effort of past and present State Bar presidents, Board members, Finance Committee chairs, executive directors and staff to continually control costs, prioritize efficiencies, remain mindful of future budgetary needs and explore options that may bring in non-license-fee revenue.
Attention to the future is what my recent executive director's report focused on, and something that our current work keeps as a top priority. As a result, the State Bar is able to serve Georgia lawyers with member services and practice area support through our sections; maintain...
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