Honoring Outstanding Community and Public Service For 19 years
The 19th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service
February 27, 2018 Auditorium State Bar of Georgia Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
10
19th Annual
Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service
Awards Presentation and
Reception
Sponsored by the
State Bar of Georgia
and the
Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism
Tuesday, February 27, 2018 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Auditorium State Bar of Georgia Headquarters 104 Marietta Street, N. W. - Third Floor Atlanta, Georgia
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
HISTORY OF THE AWARDS
These awards are named in honor of The Honorable Robert Benham who, during his term as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1995 to 2001, focused the attention of lawyers and judges on the community and public service aspects of professionalism. Justice Benham explains:
The public impression of the legal profession is not shaped just in the courtroom. It is shaped in all kinds of activities. When lawyers are involved in community activities, people will see them as neighbors, swimming team coaches, baseball coaches, house builders, and a whole host of other community servants. And if lawyers are also community servants, people will see the legal profession as a community-spirited profession. Such an impression can’t help but benefit the profession and increase the understanding of the role of the law and lawyer.
In 1997, the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia created the Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service to honor lawyers and judges who have made outstanding contributions in the area of community service. The awards were created with the following objectives:
(1) To recognize that volunteerism remains strong among Georgia’s lawyers;
(2) To encourage all lawyers to become involved in serving their communities;
(3) To improve the quality of life of lawyers through the satisfaction they receive from helping others; and
(4) To raise the public image of lawyers.
The First Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service were presented at the Annual State Bar of Georgia Meeting on June 18, 1998, in Atlanta. The 1999 to 2001 awards were given out at the Annual Meetings in Savannah and Kiawah Island, S.C. The presentations moved to the January Midyear Meetings of the State Bar in Atlanta from 2004 to 2006. Since 2007, the awards ceremony has been an independent event held in the Atlanta area or at the Georgia Bar Center in Atlanta, free and open to the public, with increased attendance from the community, and the bench and bar.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
CRITERIA & ELIGIBILITY
Each year the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, in conjunction with the State Bar of Georgia, solicits nominations for the Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service. A wide net is cast, as nominees are solicited from around the State of Georgia and from all ten judicial districts. Any person who is not a member of the Selection Committee may submit a nomination, including members of the public, bar leaders, and fellow legal practitioners. The Selection Committee, consisting of members of the bar and the public, receives nominations, conducts confidential deliberations, and selects award recipients from eligible nominees who meet the award criteria. The Selection Committee generally believes that community or public service is not service to the bar; however, community service can be done through bar-sponsored or related activities or projects. Judges’ service must not be merely doing their judicial tasks, but must be service outside of their official duties. Normally, the award is not given to persons who have served a single cause or single-purpose organization, but to those who have made wide contributions to a variety of causes outside of their professional practice.
General Criteria: Judges and lawyers meet the criteria for these awards if they have combined a professional career with outstanding service and dedication to their communities through voluntary participation in community organizations, government-sponsored activities, or humanitarian work outside of their professional practice. Contributions may be made in any field, including but not limited to: social service, education, faith-based efforts, sports, recreation, the arts, or politics.
Lifetime Achievement Award Criteria: The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest recognition given by the Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service Selection Committee. This award recognizes a judge or a lawyer who, in addition to meeting the criteria for receiving the Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service, has demonstrated an extraordinarily long and distinguished commitment to volunteer participation in the community throughout his or her legal career.
Eligibility Requirements: Nominees must: 1) Be a member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia; 2) Have a record of outstanding community service and continuous service over a period of time to one or more causes, organizations or activities; 3) Not be a member of the Selection Committee, staff of the State Bar of Georgia or Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism; and 4) Not be in a contested judicial or political election in the calendar year in which the nomination is submitted.
DESIGN OF THE AWARDS
The Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service is an original glass sculpture, designed by Patrise Perkins- Hooker, Past President, State Bar of Georgia and former chair and long-term member of the Awards Selection Committee. Since their inception in 1998, the Awards have been produced by Lillie Glassblowers, Inc. of Atlanta. The design features three figures in a cooperative posture holding the seal of the State Bar of Georgia.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
THE HONORABLE ROBERT BENHAM Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia Atlanta, Georgia
Justice Robert Benham is currently the longest serving member of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Appointed by Gov. Joe Frank Harris in December 1989, he was the first African-American ever appointed to the Supreme Court in its more than 140 years. On July 17, 1990, he won statewide election to a full term on the Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice from 1995-2001, elected by his peers. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Benham served on the Georgia Court of Appeals for five years.
A lifelong resident of Georgia, Justice Benham was born to Jesse Knox Benham and Clarence Benham in Cartersville, Georgia. He obtained a B.S. in Political Science from Tuskegee University in 1967, and also attended Harvard University. In 1970, he obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia, Lumpkin School of Law. He obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia in 1989.
After completing law school, Justice Benham served in the U.S. Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Captain. He then served briefly as a trial attorney for Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. He later returned to Cartersville, where he engaged in the private practice of law. He served as Special Assistant Attorney General, and enjoyed two terms as the President of the Bartow County Bar Association.
Justice Benham is a member of the American Judicature Society, the Lawyers’ Club of Atlanta, the National Criminal Justice Association and the Georgia Bar Foundation. He is a Trustee of the Georgia Legal History Foundation. He is past Vice President of the Georgia Conference of Black Lawyers, a former board member of the Federal Lawyers Association and of the Georgia Association of Trial Lawyers. He is also the former chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Drug Awareness & Prevention and a member of the National Conference of Chief Justices. He is a member of the Federal-State Jurisdiction Committee and a member of the Governor’s Southern Business Institute.
Justice Benham is married to the former Nell Dodson of Cartersville and they have two sons. An avid woodworker, Justice Benham enjoys spending his leisure time with his sons, making wooden toys and music boxes.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
THE HONORABLE P. HARRIS HINES Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia Atlanta, Georgia
Harris Hines was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia on July 26, 1995, by Governor Zell Miller to succeed Willis B. Hunt, Jr., former Chief Justice. He was sworn in as Chief Justice on January 6, 2017 by Governor Nathan Deal. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Hines served as a Superior Court judge and a State Court judge in the Cobb Judicial Circuit.
An Atlanta native, Chief Justice Hines graduated from Henry W. Grady High School in 1961. He graduated from Emory University in 1965 and received his Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law in 1968. In 2017, he was made a member of Emory Law 100, which is for Emory graduates who have made extraordinary contributions.
Chief Justice Hines was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1968. He is also a member of the American Bar Association and the Cobb Judicial Circuit Bar Association. He is President of the Old War Horse Lawyers Club, an Emeritus Master of the Joseph Henry Lumpkin Inn of Court, which is associated with the University of Georgia School of Law, a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Georgia School of Law, and a fellow of the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia. He is a graduate of the National Judicial College.
After graduation from law school, Chief Justice Hines clerked for Judge E. A. Wright, Senior Judge of the Civil Court of Fulton County, for one year. He then joined the firm of Edwards, Bentley, Awtrey & Parker of Marietta, Georgia as an associate and later became a partner. Chief Justice Hines was appointed to the State Court of Cobb County by Governor Jimmy Carter and was later elected to the Superior Court of the Cobb Judicial Circuit.
Today, as Chief Justice, he chairs the Judicial Council, which is the policy-making body for Georgia’s judicial branch and is made up of all classes of courts. Prior to becoming Chief Justice, he served 16 years as Chair of the Supreme Court’s Committee on Justice for Children. He is the Court’s liaison to the General Assembly, the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism and the Office of Bar Admissions. He was appointed in 2015 as a member of the Judicial, District Attorney, and Circuit Public Defender Compensation Commission.
Chief Justice Hines is a former Trustee of the Kennesaw State University Foundation, a member and Past Distinguished President of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta and a Past Distinguished Lt. Governor of the Georgia District of Kiwanis International. He served on the inaugural Board of Directors of the Cobb-Marietta Girls Club and is a Past President of the Cobb County YMCA. He has participated in the Leadership Georgia and Leadership Atlanta programs and was selected as Cobb County’s Most Admired Community Leader in 1993. In 2016, he was named Cobb County Citizen of the Year. He received the Big Voice for Children Award from Voices for Georgia’s Children in 2015, and in 2016 and 2017, Georgia Trend Magazine named him as “One of the 100 Most Influential Georgians.”
Born in 1943, Chief Justice Hines is the son of James Reuben Hines, a native of Leslie, Georgia, and Edith Hawkins, a native of Gray, Georgia Chief Justice Hines is married to the former Helen Holmes Hill of Talladega, Alabama. They reside in Marietta and have two children and four grandchildren. Chief Justice Hines is an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Marietta and has served as Clerk of Session. He is an Eagle Scout.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
BRIAN D. “BUCK” ROGERS Partner Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC Atlanta, Georgia
2017-2018 President State Bar of Georgia
Buck is a partner at Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC. He is a P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer Standards and Training) Certified Guest Lecturer, Commercial Motor Vehicle Collisions and Law, and holds a Class “A” Commercial Driver’s license. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Georgia in 1990 and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1994.
He is a graduate of the National College of Advocacy, the Ultimate Trial College in Washington, D.C., and the Trial Lawyers College. He is a Master in the Lamar Inn of Court.
Buck is the 55th President of the State Bar of Georgia, was President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association for 2013-2014, and served on the Atlanta Bar Association’s Continuing Education Committee.
He is primarily a civil attorney representing victims of catastrophic claims. In 2006, Buck was selected as one of the “14 Under 40” by the Fulton County Daily Report. Since 2008, he has been named by Georgia Super Lawyers magazine as a Georgia Super Lawyer and was included in the list of Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers from 2011 to 2016. Buck was also named to the list of Best Lawyers in Georgia for 2015-2016.
He has devoted himself to community service, including serving on the Board of Directors for Road Safe America (trucking safety advocacy group), Chair of the Board of Directors of the Civil Justice PAC, Inc., State Council of Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD), for which he is the Chair of Leadership, and the Shepherd Spinal and Brain Injury Center, where he is a Trustee and serves on both the Auxiliary and Advisory Boards.
Buck is also on the faculty of the Trial Skills Clinic at the University of Georgia. In addition, Buck worked on the Georgia Fire Fighter Task Force as well as the Georgia Department of Transportation’s “Secondary Collision Avoidance” initiative. He trains Georgia State Patrol Trooper cadets regarding cross-examination at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia.
Buck is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the American Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Trial Lawyers. He is a sustaining member of the Interstate Trucking Litigation Group, and an associate member of the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists, Inc.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
NICOLE C. LEET Partner Gray Rust St. Amand Moffett & Brieske LLP Atlanta, Georgia
2017-2018 President Young Lawyers Division State Bar of Georgia
Nicole C. Leet is a partner with Gray, Rust, St. Amand, Moffett and Brieske in Atlanta, Georgia. She practices civil defense litigation focusing on products liability, premises liability and construction liability. An active litigator, Nicole has been solo or lead counsel on multiple cases leading to a defense verdict at trial.
Nicole received her J.D., cum laude, from Cumberland Law School, Samford University. Nicole is able to frequently use her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University in defending against questionable causation claims.
Nicole’s practice includes defending hotels, retailers, convenience stores, general and subcontractors, and product manufacturers against claims brought at all levels. Nicole has been successful in defending cases at both the trial court and appellate levels.
Nicole is admitted to practice in both state and federal courts across Georgia, including the State Bar of Georgia, the Court of Appeals of Georgia, the Supreme Court of Georgia, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Nicole values service to the profession and the public, serving in many roles across the state. Nicole is currently the President of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and serves on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia as well as various other committees. She is also active and serves in roles with GAWL (Georgia Association for Women Lawyers), GDLA (Georgia Defense Lawyers Association); DRI (Defense Research Institute), and the Atlanta Cumberland Alumni. Nicole volunteers with Hands on Atlanta, a United Way community organization.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
WILLIAM “BILL” J. LISS Business Editor WXIA-Television News Atlanta, Georgia
William “Bill” J. Liss reports from the 11Alive Help Desk, investigating and resolving consumer, community and city/county/state services issues and airing his reports on 11Alive evening newscasts.
In addition, Bill serves as 11Alive Business Editor, bringing the latest business and consumer news to viewers. Bill joined WXIA in 1989 as part of the 11Alive Morning News team, airing a daily “Money Matters” report for more than 18 years.
An attorney and active member of the Bars of the State of New Jersey and the District of Columbia, he was also admitted to practice before the Federal and District Courts and the United States Supreme Court. Bill is an honorary member of the Atlanta Bar Association, and serves on the Selection Committee for the Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service of the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism and the State Bar of Georgia.
Active in the Atlanta civic community, Liss currently serves on the Board of the Atlanta Fire- Rescue Foundation and has served on the boards of the Northside Hospital Foundation, Inroads Atlanta and the Emory University Board of Visitors. He also has served on the boards of Literacy Action and the Center for Entrepreneurship at Clark Atlanta University. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at the Emory University Graduate School of Business and the Clark Atlanta Business School. Liss is also media counsel for the non-profit worldwide Explorers Club.
Since joining WXIA, Bill has received numerous Emmy Awards and was on the 11Alive News Team that won the prestigious national Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting. He is the recipient of the Silver Circle Award from the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and was named the 2012 Broadcaster of the Year by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
Bill serves as a volunteer attorney with the Georgia Justice Project, assisting clients with criminal record restrictions and other significant legal matters. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and is active with programs with the Veterans Administration and the USO in Atlanta.
He is a graduate of Rutgers University and holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Seton Hall University. Bill and his wife Debbie have two children.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
THE HONORABLE ROBERT W. CHASTEEN, JR. Chief Judge Cordele Circuit Superior Court Fitzgerald, Georgia
The Honorable Robert W. Chasteen, Jr. serves as a Superior Court Judge for the Cordele Circuit in the Eighth District of Georgia. Judge Chasteen practiced law for 35 years before making the decision to run for election to the bench in 2004. He has been re-elected three times since then, in 2008, 2012, and 2016. He currently serves as Chief Judge of the District.
Judge Chasteen’s colleagues know that he has never viewed his service as a judge as a “retirement job,” but rather a platform that has given him additional standing to become an even more active leader in his community and his profession. As Judge Chasteen’s nominator declares, “I know of no one who gives back more selflessly - and joyfully - than Judge Chasteen. It is just the way he is and the way he views his role as a lawyer, a judge, and a humble leader in the community at large.”
Judge Chasteen grew up in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and attended the University of Georgia, where he earned a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, in 1966. He then graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1969, cum laude. While a law student, he was inducted into the Phi Beta Phi honorary society, served as Research and Projects Editor of the University of Georgia Law Review, and was recognized on Honors Day as being in the Top 5% of his class. After he was sworn in to practice law in 1969, he and his family returned to Fitzgerald where he started a law practice, Mills & Chasteen. Judge Chasteen served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1970, and he served honorably in the local Georgia National Guard from 1970 to 1975, where he attained the rank of Second Lieutenant. He served as Ben Hill County Attorney from his commencement of the practice of law in 1969 through 2004.
Judge Chasteen has long been an active member of the community through sports, church, and civic endeavors. Judge Chasteen has been an active member of Central United Methodist Church in Fitzgerald since 1969. He taught a junior high Sunday School class for 17 years, and several of his former students have honored him by asking him to perform their weddings. He has served as Lay Leader, Member and Chairman of the Administrative Council, member of the Board of Trustees, Chairman of Staff Parish Relations Committee, and Chairman of the Homecoming Committee, and he is currently Head Usher of early service and Usher Captain for regular service. He has also served as substitute preacher on numerous occasions. Judge Chasteen has been a member of Gideon International for several years and serves as a visiting preacher in area churches.
One of Judge Chasteen’s joys is sponsoring and organizing youth activities in the community. Because of some of the heartbreaking situations he witnesses in the courtroom, Judge Chasteen is of the strong opinion that the youth of this generation need to be encouraged to commit to a lifetime of worship and service. He is a founding member of LOVE OUT LOUD 365, a group of men who serve as mentors for area youth. He serves as Chairman of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes, creating opportunities for students to attend Christian camps and inspirational events.
As Chairman of the Board of Colony Bank of Fitzgerald from 2004 to 2017, Judge Chasteen oversaw one of the key economic engines of Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County that benefited consumers and local industry alike.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
THE HONORABLE ROBERT W. CHASTEEN, JR. (continued)
Judge Chasteen also served as President of the Fitzgerald Rotary Club, twice received its Service Above Self Award, and was named a Paul Harris Fellow in honor of his 43 years of perfect attendance. His other civic positions have included President of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Planning and Zoning Commission. For his civic and professional achievements, he received the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Chamber of Commerce in 2016.
Judge Chasteen has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Department of Leisure Services since 1978. In addition to serving on the board of directors, he has coached youth football. During his tenure on the board, the services provided by the Department have expanded from all forms of youth sports to activities for the elderly.
From 1996 to the present, Judge Chasteen has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation. Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, formerly Ben Hill- Irwin Technical School, helps develop a work force for local industry, as well as providing other types of technical and vocational training that is vital to the community. The Foundation is probably the strongest support organization of any in the community, and the success of the college is due, in large part, to the efforts of the foundation and the leadership provided by Judge Chasteen.
As a servant-leader in his community, Judge Chasteen also volunteers as a group leader during the community’s Habitat for Humanity “Great Day of Service,” which is a day set aside to build pride in the community while helping to make minor repairs to homes, build wheelchair ramps and clean up debris. At other times, he serves on the Christian Kitchen Board, which oversees the kitchen as they prepare meals for the hungry citizens in the Fitzgerald community.
As a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Judge Chasteen also believes in service to his chosen profession. He considers his election as President of the State Bar of Georgia to be his greatest professional achievement, enabling him to represent the lawyers of the State of Georgia in various capacities across this state as well as surrounding states. In addition to his service as President of the State Bar of Georgia, Judge Chasteen has served on numerous Bar committees, including the Judicial Nominating Commission, the Board of Governors, the Executive Committee, the Committee on Legislation, the State Disciplinary Board Investigative Panel. He has served as Chair of the ICLE Board of Trustees, Chair of the Bench and Bar Committee, Chair of the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia; and Chair of the Georgia Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, to name a few.
Last, but certainly not least, Judge Chasteen served on the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism from 1995-1996, and served on the Chief Justice’s Community Service Task Force from 1998 through 1999.
As one of Judge Chasteen’s endorsers says: “Judge Chasteen’s dedication to his community goes back to his high school days and continues through this moment. Literally everyone who lives or works in this community has benefitted directly or indirectly from Judge Chasteen’s activities. From jobs to recreational activities to literally having a hot meal, Judge Chasteen has never missed an opportunity to help. All this is simply evidence of his highest level of integrity, intelligence, diligence, persistence, honesty, and love of his community and its citizens.”
Judge Chasteen and his wife of almost 52 years, the former Margaret Mills of Fitzgerald, have two children and three grandchildren.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
AVARITA L. HANSON, ESQ. Legal Consultant Atlanta, Georgia
Avarita L. Hanson has served both the legal community and the community at-large for more than 39 years through service with many organizations. She retired last summer as the Executive Director of the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, a position she held for eleven years. Her varied professional experience in legal and law-related environments includes legal education, private law practice, judiciary, legal aid and government (state, county and municipal). Her endorser says, “over the years, I have learned from Avarita, and watched in awe, as her commitment to serving the community has pushed her to canvass the country as a servant leader. . . . She taught me ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’”
Prior to coming to the Commission, Hanson was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, where she chaired its Admissions Committee and advised the Black Law Students Association that now bears her name. She is credited with assisting the school with achieving ABA accreditation. Before academia, she headed special legal projects for the Health and Consumer Services Section of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, was an Associate Judge Pro Hac Vice for the Fulton County Juvenile Court, Clerk to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, and Pro Bono Project Director for the State Bar of Georgia and Georgia Legal Services Program. Prior to and in between government positions, she engaged in private law practice.
Avarita earned her A.B. degree in Afro-American Studies from Harvard University (Radcliffe College) in 1975, finishing at the top of her class magna cum laude with highest honors and was elected and remains the Treasurer of the Radcliffe Class of 1975. She received her J. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.
Admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1979, Avarita first practiced as an Associate Attorney with Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston, Texas. While in Houston, she was an officer of the Black Women Lawyers Association, Houston Lawyers Association, and served on the Board of the YWCA of Greater Houston. In 1982, Avarita relocated to Atlanta, worked with the City of Atlanta’s Purchasing and Real Estate Department, was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1984, then entered private practice. She immediately became engaged with community service through several organizations, particularly the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), Gate City Bar Association and Ben Hill United Methodist Church. She assumed leadership quickly with GABWA, serving as its fourth President in 1985. She founded the Legal Ministry at Ben Hill United Methodist Church, where she served on its Board of Trustees and Property Committee. Gate City Bar’s 1991 President, her administration earned the State Bar of Georgia’s top local bar award.
Many community organizations have benefitted from Hanson’s leadership and service. She has served her college in many roles including President of the Harvard Club of Georgia (1994-1995), Harvard Alumni Association Board (Elected Director, Regional Director, Nominating Committee), Radcliffe College Alumnae Association (Board of Management, First Vice President), Harvard Black Alumni Association Board, Kuumba Singers tour host, and Class Reunion Committees. She is a Past President of Outstanding Atlanta that recognizes emerging leaders, legal advisor to the Marian Woods Homeowners Association, alumna of Leadership Atlanta, Leadership Georgia, and Leadership America and a Past President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Links, Inc. Hanson has also served on the boards of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, Rosalie Bishop Foundation, Boys Speak Out, Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys (Historian), Georgia Legal Services Program and Atlanta Legal Aid Society.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
AVARITA L. HANSON, ESQ. (continued)
Notably, Avarita has served numerous programs and organizations that focus on uplifting youths in the community, including her two sons, as a member of the Children’s School Parents Association, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School Booster Club, Romar Academy PTA, Westlake High School PTSA and its Magnet Parents Booster Club, and Woodward Academy Parents Association. A tenured member mother with the Atlanta Chapter of Jack & Jill, Incorporated, she regularly chaired its annual Black History Month Programs.
In 1985, Hanson was a candidate for College Park City Council for Ward 5 and forced a 12-year incumbent into a runoff, ending in a tied vote after disqualification of a voter resulted in the incumbent’s one-vote victory. This campaign encouraged numerous minority and women lawyers to seek elective office and others to become more engaged in the political process. Active in the College Park Neighborhood Voters League, in later years she has been a regular volunteer with the Election Protection Task Force, a nonpartisan effort to enable voters to fairly participate in elections.
She has received numerous awards and accolades over the years. These include the State Bar of Georgia’s Resolution for Outstanding Service to the Legal Profession and Justice System (2017), Thomas R. Burnside, Jr. Excellence in Bar Leadership Award (GABWA), and Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award for Commitment to Equality (2011). She received GABWA’s Spirit of GABWA Award (2007) and Barbara Harris Award for Community Service (2006). In 2014, she received the Georgia Legal Services Champions of Justice Award and the Multi-Bar Leadership Council’s Seth D. Kirschenbaum Diversity Award. Avarita was inducted into the Gate City Bar Hall of Fame in 2007 and received its R. Pruden Herndon Award for Community Service in 1997. She is also a recipient of the Community Service Award for Peace and Justice from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (1993) and the Harvard Alumni Association Award (1995).
Currently a legal consultant, Hanson focuses on professional responsibility, professionalism and representation of select clients including artists and entertainers. She remains active with Cascade United Methodist Church, particularly its Legal Ministry, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, Atlanta Bar Association, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta Chapter of the Links (Services to Youth Facet, Chair of the International Trends and Services Facet and 2017 Area Conference Committee), GABWA, Gate City Bar Association and numerous State Bar of Georgia committees. Her nominator says “Avarita has been a force behind GABWA becoming one of Georgia’s finest and award- winning bar associations–always assisting its leaders and members and encouraging them to strive for excellence in all that they do. It is her nurturing and caring spirit that leads many of today’s judges and lawyers of all persuasions to respectfully refer to her as “Momma Rita,” a title she says allows her to “love, discipline and mentor.” Her endorser adds, “Avarita’s message is always the same, be excellent and give back.”
Born in New York City and raised in Mount Vernon, New York where she attended public schools, Avarita is the daughter of Earle and Gloria Hanson, Jamaican immigrants. Married to her college classmate, William Alexander, M.D. for more than 42 years, they have two sons, Justin Hanson Alexander and Colin Hanson Alexander, and one grandson, Will Alexander.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
ANN BAIRD BISHOP Partner Sponsler Bishop Koren & Hammer, PA Atlanta, Georgia
Ann Baird Bishop is currently a partner at Sponsler, Bishop, Koren & Hammer, P.A. Since 1981, Bishop has practiced almost exclusively in the area of workers’ compensation, representing employers and insurers.
For over 30 years, Bishop has volunteered with Kids’ Chance of Georgia, Inc., formerly known as Kids’ Chance, Inc., an organization that provides post-secondary scholarships to children whose parent was severely injured or killed in a workplace related accident. Bishop is currently on the Board of Directors and is a Past President of the Board of Kids’ Chance of Georgia. From its beginning in 1988, Kids’ Chance of Georgia has had an outreach program to other states. The name Kids’ Chance, Inc. (also known as Kids’ Chance of America), has now been given to the national program, which has chapters in over 40 states throughout the country. Bishop has also volunteered for over 10 years with Kids’ Chance of America and she served as the President of the national program from 2014-2016. Bishop’s nominator reports: “[Bishop] is a tireless advocate for providing educational opportunities to the children of employees who were severely injured or died as the result of a work-related injury. She represents the Kids’ Chance organizations as a volunteer and speaker at industry conferences throughout the country, and her efforts have led to significant increases in the number of scholarships that have been awarded during her tenure.” In 2008, while attending law school at the University of Georgia, Bishop’s son Miller Conn, lost his life. Bishop formed the Miller Conn Scholarship in his name for Kids’ Chance of Georgia. Bishop works tirelessly to insure there are adequate funds to provide the scholarship annually. In 2014, Bishop helped spearhead a project to have a charitable event at a national workers’ compensation conference to support the national program Kids’ Chance of America. The charitable event held at the annual conference continues to this day and has raised several thousand dollars.
Bishop also serves on the Board of Visitors for Mercer University School of Law to which she was elected Secretary in 2012 and Chair for 2017-2019. Cathy Cox, the Dean of the Law School says, “It has been wonderful having Ann at the helm of our board because she brings such great energy and leadership to this volunteer board. . . . Ann constantly asks, ‘What more can I do’?” Bishop does not stop, however, at giving visionary leadership to her alma mater. She also consistently sends the school information on scholarship and networking opportunities for its students and she constantly seeks to re-engage and encourage alumni to get involved and give back to the school.
In addition to her work with Kids’ Chance and Mercer, Bishop also teaches the Wesley Friendship Sunday School class for adults at Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta. She has been one of the church’s regular teachers for 20 years. Bishop’s nominator shares: “Ann not only embraces her community, she encourages others to work with her and to follow her example. Shortly after I met Ann she asked me join with her in teaching Sunday school classes and participating in the youth program at Glenn United Methodist Church, where our children were in attendance. It was an incredibly enriching experience for me and one that I might not have otherwise undertaken.”
One of Bishop’s endorsers says: “I have known Ann for more than three decades, as a co-worker, trial opponent and colleague. She is one of the most wonderful individuals I have had the opportunity to work with in my personal and professional life.”
Bishop graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University in 1973 and from Mercer University School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1976. At Mercer, Bishop was a member of the Editorial Board of the Mercer Law Review.
Bishop is proud of her professional accomplishments and her community service work, but she considers her three children, Miller, June and Sarah, and her six grandchildren her greatest achievements.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
LA’KEITHA D. CARLOS Chief of Staff DeKalb County Law Department Decatur, Georgia
La’Keitha Daniels Carlos currently serves as the Chief of Staff for DeKalb County CEO, Michael Thurmond. Prior to assuming her current position, Carlos was an Assistant County Attorney in the DeKalb County Law Department’s Administrative Group where she provided legal counsel to the Purchasing and Contracting, Information Systems and Cable TV departments.
When she isn’t working for DeKalb County, Carlos is running the nonprofit she founded in 2016, It’s My Birthday Atlanta, a 501(c)(3) organization that throws birthday parties for sick and underprivileged children throughout Atlanta to celebrate their birthdays even though they are hospital bound or without the means to celebrate themselves. With the help of partners in DeKalb and Rockdale Counties including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Ronald McDonald Charities, and Phoenix Pass, Carlos leads a team of volunteers every month to host birthday parties for kids who would otherwise not get a chance to celebrate due to debilitating or terminal illnesses. For those kids whose immune system is too compromised to celebrate with others, Carlos helped develop a “Birthday in a Box” where everything needed to throw a party for one is included in a gift box and delivered to the child. One of Carlos’s endorsers wrote “The selflessness and stamina that it requires to make sure that children with terminal illnesses smile on the most important day of their year is nothing short of extraordinary.” Carlos’s work with It’s My Birthday Atlanta is only one of many ways in which she gives back to the community. For years Carlos has served the community by hosting annual outings with local organizations such as Project Open Hand and Hosea Feeds the Hungry.
In addition to her demanding job assisting the CEO with the day-to-day operations of DeKalb County, Carlos still makes time to spearhead several community efforts on behalf of the CEO’s office. In June 2017, Carlos helped to develop and execute the CEO’s DeKalb Summer Youth Employment program that gave 500 youths in DeKalb County the opportunity to have summer jobs that provided both income and meaningful work experience. Carlos helped coordinate employers to participate and made sure that students were given the opportunity to work directly with the CEO and the Board of Commissioners. She also created the post program evaluation to ensure that the CEO’s Office could improve upon its success in the future. Carlos also played an integral role in executing a 2017 Breast Cancer Walk held in October. Working with partners at Northlake Mall and Susan G. Komen, the walk raised $10,000 towards breast cancer initiatives in DeKalb County.
Carlos served as President of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys in 2010. Through her service to GABWA, Carlos has spent countless hours preparing and delivering meals with Project Open Hand, sorting medical supplies for Medshare, and serving the families of Carrie Steele Pitts and the Genesis Shelter. For many years, Carlos helped create and host political forums and registered thousands of voters when she served as the Chair of GABWA’s Political Action Committee and on the Delta Sigma Theta Atlanta Suburban Chapter’s Political Awareness Committee. She currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the American Constitution Society.
Carlos has been named as an Atlanta Business Chronicle “Power 50” In Law and Business; a Georgia Trend Magazine 40 Under Forty; an Atlanta Business League Top 100 Black Women of Influence; and a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Metro-Atlanta Community Champion.
Carlos is a proud alumna of Clark Atlanta University where she received her undergraduate degree in Mass Media Arts. She earned her law degree from Tulane Law School in 2003.
She is married to Joe Carlos and they have one daughter.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
The 19th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service
PROGRAMME February 27, 2018 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. State Bar of Georgia Headquarters - 104 Marietta Street N.W.- Third Floor - Atlanta, Georgia
Processional to Mariah Carey’s “Hero” Laurel R. Boatright Assistant U.S. Attorney, NDGA (vocals) Norman Lewis Barnett Assistant District Attorney, Douglas County DA’s Office (keyboard)
Call to Order Karlise Y. Grier Executive Director, Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism
Welcome The Honorable P. Harris Hines Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia Brian D. “Buck” Rogers President, State Bar of Georgia Nicole C. Leet President, Young Lawyers Division State Bar of Georgia
Introduction of Justice Robert Benham William “Bill” J. Liss Business Editor, WXIA TV News, Atlanta
Charge to Professionalism The Honorable Robert Benham Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia
PRESENTATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS Judicial District 1 Patrick T. O’Connor, Savannah Judicial District 2 Gregory W. Edwards, Albany Judicial District 3 Charles E. Jones, Fort Valley Judicial District 4 La’Keitha D. Carlos, Decatur Judicial District 5 Ann B. Bishop, Atlanta Allegra J. Lawrence Hardy, Atlanta Robert B. Remar, Atlanta Judicial District 6 Tommy T. Holland, Jonesboro Judicial District 9 Honorable Kathryn M. Schrader, Lawrenceville Judicial District 10 Honorable Thomas L. Hodges III, Hartwell
Lifetime Achievement Judicial District 8 Honorable Robert W. Chasteen, Jr., Fitzgerald Judicial District 5 Avarita L. Hanson, Atlanta
Acknowledgments Karlise Y. Grier
Reception 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Dessert and Coffee 7:15-8:00 p.m. in the Gallery with the jazzy sounds of Eric Thomas
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
GREGORY W. EDWARDS District Attorney Dougherty Judicial District Albany, Georgia
Greg Edwards is the District Attorney for the Dougherty Judicial Circuit after being elected in 2008. Edwards is the first African-American to serve in this role. Edwards served as the President of the District Attorney’s Association of Georgia for 2014-2015. In July 2006, the Georgia State Prosecuting Attorney Council’s named him “Assistant District Attorney of the Year.”
Greg’s nominator wrote: “Greg Edwards is a man of imagination, who puts ideas to work. He recently developed a community initiative to help rebuild Albany after a string of devastating and deadly tornadoes and storms tore through the City in early 2017. Growing Albany’s Next Generation ‘GANG’ was his creative initiative to have youth who are at-risk for gang involvement [to] plant seeds in storm- impacted areas to help re-beautify the City while giving the at-risk youth a way to earn a little money and a feeling of ownership in their community at the same time. Greg’s hope is that these at-risk youths will be able to look at the flourishing trees that they planted years down the road and say, ‘I planted that,’ giving those individuals pride in what they helped accomplish for the City.”
In addition, says his nominator, “Edwards is a major supporter of the annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event, sponsored by The Lily Pad, [the] local Child Advocacy Center. The Lily Pad hosts this event to raise funds and bring awareness to help fight sexual violence. He has been recognized for his top fundraising contributions . . . and his team won the ‘Most Spirited Award’ during the last event held in April 2017.”
Edwards’ other service in the Albany community is extensive. He is the Co-chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Hines Memorial CME Church of Albany. At his church, Edwards participates in the Community Outreach Ministry, which provides meditation and serves a breakfast meal for persons who attend service on Sundays. Edwards also serves on the Board of Directors of the Albany Civil Rights Institute. He is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In his work with the Fraternity, Edwards has been an annual presenter over the last twenty-five years during the “Project Alpha” weekend retreat, which seeks to prevent or reduce instances of teen pregnancy by focusing on the instruction of young men. He has concurrently served for the previous 12 years as a community partner and presenter in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s annual community youth symposium “It’s in the Bag.” Edwards is a member of the Criterion Club of Albany and through this organization has worked as a Partner in Excellence with the Dougherty County School System. Through the auspices of the 100 Black Men of Albany and Phoebe Putney Hospital, Edwards has also served as a greeter and facilitator at both Men and Women’s Health Fairs annually held at Phoebe Putney Hospital. Edwards’ work with youth has been broad and diverse. Edwards has been a Cub-Master, a Coach and Advisor for the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition, a Quizmaster for the Georgia Quiz Bowl Competition at Albany State University, and a presenter at the yearly National Youth Sports Program at Albany State University. He is a member of the Parental Advisory Council of the Dougherty County Health Department. Within the legal community, Edwards served as President of the Dougherty Circuit Bar Association from 2007-2008. He is also a Past President of the C.B. King Bar Association. He is a former Board Member of the Georgia Legal Services Corporation.
A 1979 graduate of Albany State University, Edwards received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Political Science. He earned his law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 1983.
Edwards is married to the former Regina Boyd of Macon and they have one son.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
THE HONORABLE THOMAS L. HODGES III Chief Judge Northern Circuit Superior Court Hartwell, Georgia
The Honorable Thomas L. Hodges, III has served as a Judge of the Superior Court of the Northern Judicial Circuit since 1999. He currently serves as the Chief Judge for the Circuit and as the Presiding Judge for the Parental Accountability Court. Prior to assuming his current position, Judge Hodges served as a State Court Judge from 1993-1999, and as Solicitor of the State Court of Elbert County from 1981-1992.
Hodges is known for his service in the Elberton community. As the father of five children, Hodges coached little league teams - in all sports, and always managed to get five children to four different ball fields. Hodges also led many youth sports fundraisers, and would be seen at various events working in the concession stands, supporting the programs, and participating in the Pride in Blue Marching Band Club. Says one endorser, “He not only supported his own children, but also the children and youth of the entire community.” Hodges is also well known for his civic endeavors. He twice served as President of the Kiwanis Club of Elberton. He also served as President of the Optimist Club of Elberton, an organization that strives to bring out the best in the youth in the community. Hodges also previously served as a Director of the Elbert County Chamber of Commerce and as the Board Chairman of the Broad River District Boy Scouts of America.
Hodges is a member of the Elberton First United Methodist Church where he participates in all facets of church life. He currently serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee and as the President and Treasurer of the Chancel Choir. Hodges is also a member of the Harmonizers, a men’s singing group. He is a former chairman of the church’s Administrative Board. For many years, Hodges was also a certified lay speaker for the United Methodist Church, and he spoke and preached at other Methodist churches in the area. Hodges has also taught an adult Sunday school class of predominantly senior citizens on a rotating monthly schedule that has been broadcast on a local radio station. He is also a constant presence at community outreach and charitable projects done by the church.
Hodges plays the tuba, and he has an accomplished singing voice. He lends these talents to the community. Hodges has played the tuba in Athens, Georgia with the Classic City Band, the oldest continuous community band in Georgia, for approximately 15 years. He also serves as a section leader for the band. When Elberton revitalized its community theater in early 2008, Hodges was always playing in the orchestra or singing in the chorus. He also participates in other community bands and orchestras in Elberton, Hartwell and Athens.
Within the legal community, Hodges has served as President of the Northern Circuit Bar Association and as President of the Elberton Bar Association. He is known for quickly holding hearings affecting families and children before major holidays. Hodges is also known for mentoring young lawyers and helping young lawyers learn how to practice law. For approximately 18 years, Hodges has also provided career growth opportunities for students through the Extern Program at the University of Georgia Law School, and has mentored many law students through that program. One of Hodges endorsers says: “Judge Hodges has been a bedrock of the community of Northeast Georgia and Elbert County.” Another endorsers writes: “Our community is a better place because of the Honorable Thomas L. Hodges, III.”
Hodges received his B.A. from Emory University in 1969 and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1972. While in law school, he also served on the Editorial Board for the Georgia Law Review.
Hodges and his wife, Beth, have been married for almost 42 years. They have five children and 11 grandchildren.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
TOMMY T. HOLLAND Attorney at Law Jonesboro, Georgia
Tommy T. Holland retired in 2008, after practicing law for 40 years with Bryan, Carter, Ansley and Smith. Prior to joining the law firm, Holland was commissioned by the Navy as a Lieutenant in 1963. He worked as the Legal Officer for the Naval Security Group Activity in Bremerhaven, Germany from 1965 through 1968. After completing his active duty service with the Navy and while practicing law in Atlanta, Holland also served in the Naval Reserve JAG Corps for 16 years, and retired from the Navy as a Captain in 1986.
Holland has engaged in community service projects both in Georgia and in numerous countries throughout the world. In the late 1990’s, Holland joined the board of directors of Calvary Refuge, Inc. (“Calvary”), a small nonprofit homeless shelter in Forest Park that operated only during the winter months, and used borrowed space in several churches in northern Clayton County. From 1998 through 2014, Holland served as Calvary’s Board Chairman, helping to transform the organization from one with almost no money in the bank to an organization with an annual operating budget of over $500,000.00. Today Calvary operates the largest homeless facility in South Metro Atlanta, with the primary purpose of providing food, shelter and services to individuals who are homeless and who need a temporary, safe shelter or short-term housing for a longer term. Calvary is the only facility in the south metro Atlanta area offering full assistance to homeless men, women and children. Calvary served a total of 1,086 individuals from January through October 2017. After serving 16 years as Chairman, Holland chose to continue his service as a board member, and Holland has served in this capacity from 2015 to the present.
Holland joined Jonesboro First Baptist Church in 1975. Since joining the church, Holland has taught a men’s Sunday school class for over 30 years, served three terms as Chairman of the Deacons, and provided pro bono legal help to numerous church members, including some individuals who possibly could not have been served by legal aid organizations because of their immigration status. In 1987, at the request of his pastor, Dr. Charles Q. Carter, Holland organized and led his church’s first overseas mission trip. Holland’s pastor shared: “[Holland] was the man tapped to lead one of the earliest mission ventures of the church. He led a team [of nine men] into Liberia, West Africa, to the hamlet of Battery Factory where he helped start and build Peaceful Baptist Church. Through his direct involvement that now spans three decades, Tommy helped that church start a school for its community. That school has now survived three civil wars and the Ebola crisis of 2014. It is difficult to know the number of children educated there who would have remained illiterate with limited futures if not for the investment of this great man.”
Since leading his first mission trip, Holland has helped construct churches, houses for widows, water purification projects, hospitals, schools and buildings of every description or assisted with community development projects during mission trips to more than 25 countries, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Romania, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Russia, Botswana, South Africa, Jordan, Venezuela, Panama and the island of Guadeloupe. Holland has also responded to disasters in Louisiana and to war zones in the Republic of Georgia.
Holland’s pastor writes: “Tommy Holland’s life is a life of self-sacrifice . . .[a]nd he often takes younger men and women in order to mentor them in the way of service.”
Holland received his B.A. Degree from Mercer University in 1960, and his LLB degree from Mercer’s Walter F. George School of Law in 1962.
Holland and his wife, the former Miriam (Mimi) McMahan, have been married for over 56 years and have two sons and four grandchildren.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
CHARLES E. JONES Attorney Jones & Oliver, PC Fort Valley, Georgia
Charles E. Jones is Legal Officer and Director of Government and Corporate Relations at Fort Valley State University. For many years, Charles has been deeply committed to and involved in local initiatives in the Middle Georgia area. Charles is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and is active in the Fort Valley/Warner Robins Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. For the past twenty years, Charles has helped to organize a Dr. Martin Luther King holiday scholarship luncheon in Fort Valley and Warner Robins, Georgia. That luncheon event has raised over $40,000 in scholarship funds that were provided to low-income college students. In addition to his work with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Charles is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
Charles is also very committed to his work with Leadership Education for Adults, an adult literacy program. In addition, he devotes many hours to his volunteer work in the school systems in Bibb, Crawford, Houston and Peach Counties. Charles sat on the board for Mount De Sales Academy and developed educational resources and programs to help educate students throughout the area. During his last term on the Board, Charles served as the Mount De Sales Academy Board Chair. Charles also served as a baseball and football coach in the Warner Robins Recreation League for several years. Charles has also served the community through his work on the board of the Salvation Army, KAY Community School, Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, Peach County Chamber of Commerce and Evening Optimist Club. He has served as an adviser to West Central Georgia Community Action Council, Fort Valley Downtown Development Authority, Fort Valley Housing Authority and Fort Valley Boys and Girls Club.
Charles is a strong supporter of and participates in local bar activities. He has served as a mentor to young lawyers, and has been an active member of the Peach-Crawford Bar Association and the Houston County Bar Association. Charles also organized and coached the Macon County High School Mock Trial Team. He served as coach and advisor for the mock trial team for four years.
Charles and his wife, Mary Jo Oliver-Jones, founded Jones and Oliver, P.C. in Fort Valley in 1994, and the practice continues today. Charles primarily practices in criminal, personal injury and municipal matters. Charles has also served as a state certified mediator and arbitrator for many years and has served as City Attorney and County Attorney for multiple city and county governments.
One endorser wrote: “Charles gives freely of his talent and time by providing legal representation to citizens in the area on a pro bono basis. Charles further serves as a mentor to young lawyers in the area and volunteers his time to teach mentees the basic fundamentals of the legal system.” Another endorser says, “[Charles] has won the respect and gratitude of those for whom and with whom he serves, his church family, neighborhood residents, and his peers.”
Charles graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He earned a Juris Doctorate at Georgia State University College of Law.
Charles and his wife, Mary Jo, have three sons and three lovely grandchildren.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
ALLEGRA J. LAWRENCE HARDY Founding Partner Lawrence & Bundy LLC Atlanta, Georgia
Allegra Lawrence Hardy is a founding partner of Lawrence & Bundy LLC. Hardy focuses her practice on Business and Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment, and Crisis Management. She has successfully defended Fortune 100 companies, public entities, and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States and abroad in numerous trials, arbitrations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Hardy is compelled to share her knowledge and experience with younger people. Hardy saw a need to reach students before law school and was the architect of Sutherland Scholars, a summer pre-law school “boot camp” offered at no cost to students from historically black colleges and universities. She was also instrumental in creating the AT&T Legal Scholars pipeline program. Hardy has also personally mentored countless attorneys, and she has been a speaker for the Professional Development Academy sponsored by the Georgia Association of Black Women’s Attorneys twice a year for almost ten years
One of Hardy’s endorsers wrote: “Allegra has transitioned into one of my most consistent mentors. At least two times a year we meet for lunch, I give her an update on how my career is progressing as well as probe her with questions about her life and career and ask for advice. Each time we meet I learn a little more about the woman I admire so much.” When Hardy is not serving clients, mentoring other lawyers, and helping students prepare for law school, she is serving the community. Most recently, Hardy was selected to serve on the transition team for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Her other civic involvement includes Chair, Board of Trustees, Atlanta Girls’ School; Director, Executive Committee of the independent School Chairpersons Association; Executive Committee Member and Board of Directors, Children’s Museum of Atlanta; Board of Directors, Zoo Atlanta; Board of Directors, Leadership Institute for Women of Color in Law and Business; and Past Executive Committee Member and Board of Directors, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.
Hardy is well regarded for her exceptional work on behalf of Atlanta’s charities and schools. Hardy is currently serving her tenth year on the Atlanta Girls’ School Board of Trustees. Her fourth term began in August 2017, when she assumed the position of Board Chair. In 2013-2014, Hardy chaired the AGS Head Search Committee, and her reputation and diligent work were responsible for attracting especially strong candidates during a challenging time in the school’s history. She has served on most of the AGS Board Committees over the years, demonstrating especially strong leadership in matters of governance and advancement during the critical early years of the school. She has also performed many hours of pro bono legal work for AGS.
Hardy has also been an active and engaged member of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Since 2014, Hardy has worked side-by-side with the Museum’s HR department, which was particularly important during a major transition in the Museums operations. In 2016, Hardy also co- chaired the Museum’s annual fundraising event – Amuse’um – and brought boundless energy, creativity, and organizational skills to ensure that the event exceeded goals on every level. As one endorser observed, “Allegra is a force for good[.]”
Hardy has served the legal community as a President of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. She currently serves on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia and on the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education of Georgia.
Hardy has been recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers, repeatedly named to the Best Lawyers ® in America, repeatedly included in the Georgia Trend “Legal Elite,” and repeatedly listed as an Atlanta Magazine “Super Lawyer,” “Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyer.”
Hardy received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Spelman College in 1994 and her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1998.
Hardy has been married to her husband, Timothy, for over 10 years and they have two sons and one daughter.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
PATRICK T. O’CONNOR Managing Partner Oliver Maner, LLP Savannah, Georgia
Patrick T. O’Connor is the managing partner at Oliver Maner, one of Georgia’s oldest and most successful law firms. O’Connor joined Oliver Maner as a partner on January 1, 1990, and has since concentrated his practice on business litigation, the defense of civil rights claims, the defense of legal malpractice and other professional negligence claims, as well as select personal injury and wrongful death cases.
O’Connor has served many civic organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America. During his long tenure with the Coastal Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts, O’Connor served on the Executive Board, including a three-year term as President. During that term, he oversaw the merger of two Boy Scout councils and provided leadership to the formation of the current 22 county Coastal Georgia Council. According to one of his endorsers: “Mr. O’Connor, a Life Scout, is a member of an exclusive group of men who daily exemplify the tenets of Boy Scouting and its Mission through ethical decisions, character and citizenship. Mr. O’Connor recognizes there is great honor and obligation in helping young people understand the value of ‘the journey’ and therefore he generously shares his knowledge, talents and resources. Furthermore, he lives the Scout Oath and Law . . . through his commitment to ‘helping other people at all times’ and maintaining a duty to God and country.” As a result of his service, O’Connor received the Boy Scouts’ Silver Beaver Award.
In addition to his work with the Boy Scouts, O’Connor served as Chair of the Savannah Country Day School Board of Trustees from 2014-2016, and as a member of the Georgia Southern University Foundation Board of Trustees from 2006-2016. He also served as a member of the Auburn University Dean’s Advisory Council for the School of Liberal Arts. He has served as President of the Savannah Civitan Club, as Captain of the Savannah Quarterback Club and as Chairman of Deacons for the Ardsley Park Baptist Church. He is a graduate of the Leadership Savannah Program and is a member of Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. O’Connor is a past National President of Theta Chi Fraternity, which has more than 150 chapters nationwide. He now serves as litigation counsel for the Fraternity.
As a result of his dedicated work ethic and service-oriented spirit, O’Connor was elected to serve as the 54th President of the State Bar of Georgia from 2016-2017 and was first State Bar President from Savannah since 1973. Prior to serving as President, he previously served as President-Elect and Treasurer of the State Bar of Georgia from 2015-2016. O’Connor also served as the President of the Savannah Bar Association from 1995-1996. He received the Savannah Bar Association’s Judge Frank Cheatham Professionalism Award in 2009. He has also served as a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia and as a member of the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism.
O’Connor is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for more than 10 years. He has also been named one of the “Top 10 Georgia Super Lawyers" by Atlanta Magazine and received an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell many times over. He has also been recognized as a member of the “Georgia Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend Magazine.
An accomplished mediator and arbitrator, O’Connor has served as a mediator or arbitrator in more than 1,000 cases primarily involving personal injury, professional malpractice claims and commercial disputes. He is a founding member of the Georgia Academy of Mediators and Arbitrators.
O’Connor received a B.A. degree from Auburn University in 1978. He attended the University of Georgia Law School where he participated on the Georgia Intrastate Moot Court Team, served as vice- chairman of the Georgia Moot Court Board and coached Georgia’s National Moot Court Team to the quarter- final round of the national competition. O’Connor received his J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1981.
O’Connor is married to the former Carol Darby of Statesboro, and they have three children and four grandchildren.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
ROBERT B. REMAR Partner Rogers & Hardin, LLP Atlanta, Georgia
Robert B. “Rob” Remar is a partner with Rogers & Hardin LLP. His practice focuses on complex commercial and business disputes, employment, administrative law, health care, class actions and civil rights/constitutional law. He also acts as an arbitrator and mediator. He spent the first eight years of his practice with the Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.
As Remar’s nominator states: “While Rob is a uniquely accomplished and singularly recognized private practitioner, it is not for these gifts that I nominate him. Rather, it is for his consistent and faithful efforts to make the law fair and impartial and to see that the poor and powerless are represented.” Remar has been a member of the National Board of the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) for over 31 years and currently serves as its Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. He has also served as the President of the Georgia Chapter of the ACLU. Remar currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Appellate Practice and Educational Resource Center and he is also a former Chair of that Board. He has also previously given his time generously serving as the President and a member of the Board of the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest (now known as Greenlaw), as the President of the Georgia Consumer Center, Inc., and as a Member of the City of Atlanta Board of Ethics. Remar was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Georgia Consumer Advisory Board (1982- 1983) and on the Georgia Energy Regulatory Reform Commission (1980-1982).
Remar has used his advocacy skills generously in public interest (but not always popular) litigation, including successfully defending the Attorney General of Georgia in litigation brought by the Governor seeking to compel the Attorney General to dismiss an appeal. He was co-lead counsel in a nationwide class action that succeeded in securing a mandatory injunction against the Reagan administration, compelling the release of impounded funds for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (WIC). He tried one of the first anti-SLAPP cases ever tried. He represented the plaintiff class in a constitutional challenge to the fee system for compensating Georgia's small claims court judges. Remar has also spent countless hours advocating for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, those with mental health issues who are caught up in the justice system, wrote one of his endorsers, given that he also represented a plaintiff class in a constitutional challenge to the Georgia civil commitment procedures for persons found not-guilty by reason of insanity.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge John Goger observed: “The causes that he has undertaken in defense of the constitutional rights of marginalized groups as well as the poor and underprivileged have had a compelling impact on the community at large.”
Remar is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was selected by Best Lawyers in America as the 2018 Atlanta "Lawyer of the Year" in Administrative/Regulatory law. He was also selected as the 2015 Atlanta "Lawyer of the Year" in Administrative/Regulatory law and, in 2014, as Atlanta "Lawyer of the Year" in First Amendment law.
Remar received his B.A. degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1970 and his J.D. degree from Boston College in 1974.
Remar has been married for 38 years to Victoria Greenhood. They have two adult sons and two wonderful grandchildren.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
THE HONORABLE KATHRYN M. SCHRADER Judge Gwinnett County Superior Court Lawrenceville, Georgia
The Honorable Kathryn M. Schrader has served as a Judge of the Superior Court of Gwinnett County since 2012, after successfully winning election to an open seat. Prior to joining the Gwinnett County Superior Court bench, Judge Schrader served as a municipal court judge and worked as a solo practitioner in her own law firm, Kathryn M. Schrader, P.C, concentrating in complex family law issues, personal injury and general civil litigation, including corporate and contractual disputes.
Upon her election to the bench, Judge Schrader established the second Drug Court within the Gwinnett County Superior Court. As a Drug Court judge for the past four years, Judge Schrader has provided accountability to individuals suffering from addiction and facing charges for a criminal offense. As one of her nominators wrote: “Having attended Drug Court graduation ceremonies in the past, I have observed the individuals whose lives are forever changed by the rigorous but compassionate accountability provided.” Nevertheless, Judge Schrader’s devotion to helping individuals with addiction extends beyond her work in the courtroom.
In May of 2017, Judge Schrader co-sponsored and organized the first ever Mental Health and Substance Abuse Summit in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The event helped to raise awareness within the community and drew leaders from the judiciary, law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, the provider community and the non-profit community, and even former addicts. The goal of the summit was to educate and connect people with local resources. In addition to providing leadership on the issues of substance abuse and mental health, Judge Schrader also serves as a trusted volunteer. One of her endorsers says, “Our organization . . . has benefitted tremendously from her support as a trusted volunteer. She shows up! She is a servant-leader who will pitch in on the smallest mundane task or speak before a large group and hold them spell-bound with her knowledge and passion . . . . She is literally saving lives, encouraging wellness, advocating for resources and having a positive impact . . . on our county, state and nation.”
Throughout her career, Judge Schrader has distinguished herself with a record of outstanding community service, volunteerism, and leadership in a wide variety of organizations. She currently serves as an advisor to the Central Gwinnett High School Legal Academy, as the Coach for the Greater Atlanta Christian School Mock Trial team, and as the Parliamentarian of the Woodward Academy Executive Committee. Judge Schrader is also a member of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and of Leadership Gwinnett. She is active in her church, Cross Point, The Church at Gwinnett, where she serves as a Marriage Enrichment Small Group Leader and on one of the church’s advisory Boards. Judge Schrader’s previous service includes Tiger Club Leader and Wolf Assistant Leader with the Boy Scouts of America; Daisy Troop Leader, Brownie Troop Leader, and Junior Girl Scout Leader with the Girl Scouts of America; Sunday School Teacher at Johns Creek United Methodist Church and Prospect United Methodist Church; and Coach for Recreation Cheerleading and Recreation Softball at Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation.
Within the legal field, Judge Schrader has served as President of the Gwinnett County Bar Association, served as a delegate to the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice, and served on the Governor’s Office for Children and Families Georgia Children and Youth Coordinating Council. Senator Renee Unterman observed that Judge Schrader’s work has been tireless and motived only by her love of Gwinnett County citizens. Another of Judge Schrader’s endorsers states, “Judge Schrader has earned the respect and gratitude of those for whom and with whom she serves, her church family, her community residents, and her peers.”
Judge Schrader earned her J.D. degree from the Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University in 1987 and her A.B. degree in Global Political Science from the University of Georgia in 1980. She is married to Richard Lawrence Schrader and they have three children.
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Janet G. Watts, Chair W. Seaborn Jones Watts & Watts, Jonesboro Owen, Gleaton, Egan, Jones & Sweeney LLP, Mawuli M. Malcolm Davis Atlanta The Davis Bozeman Law Firm PC, Decatur Joy Lampley-Fortson Elizabeth L. Fite Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity, DeKalb County Law Department, Decatur Atlanta Laverne Lewis Gaskins Hon. Chung H. Lee Augusta University, Augusta The Law Office of Lee & Associates PC, Duluth Michael D. Hobbs, Jr. William J. Liss, Troutman Sanders, Atlanta WXIA Television News, Atlanta Brenda Carol Youmas Edwards & Youmas, Macon
CHIEF JUSTICE’S COMMISSION ON PROFESSIONALISM
The Honorable P. Harris Hines, Chair Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia
Members Prof. Nathan S. Chapman, Prof. Clark D. Cunningham, J. Antonio DelCampo, Gerald M. Edenfield, Hon. Susan E. Edlein, Elizabeth L. Fite, Rebecca H. L. Grist, Assoc. Dean Sheryl Harrison-Mercer, Hon. Horace J. Johnson, Jr., Hon. Steve C. Jones, Nicole C. Leet, Prof. Patrick E. Longan, Maria F. Mackay, Hon. Carla W. McMillian, Brian D. “Buck” Rogers, Claudia S. Saari, Adwoa Ghartey-Tagoe Seymour, Dean Rita A. Sheffey, Nicki Noel Vaughan, R. Kyle Williams, Dr. Monica Willis-Parker
Advisors Hon. Robert Benham Hon. Brenda S. Hill Cole Jennifer M. Davis Hon. Britt C. Grant Hon. Harold D. Melton Prof. Roy M. Sobelson
Staff Karlise Y. Grier, Executive Director Terie Latala, Assistant Director Nneka Harris-Daniel, Administrative Assistant Italics denotes non-attorney
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
PAST RECIPIENTS
Leadership Award Hon. Robert Benham, Atlanta - 2001
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients District 3 Award Recipients Henry Troutman, Atlanta - 1998 George M. Peagler, Jr., Americus - 1998 James C. Brim, Jr., Camilla - 2000 William C. Rumer, Columbus - 1998 Hon. Arthur M. Kaplan, Dunwoody - 2001 Ira L. Foster, Macon - 1999 Hon. Robert Benham, Atlanta - 2001 Rebecca C. Moody, Warner Robins - 1999 John B. Miller, Savannah - 2004 Hon. William P. Adams, Macon - 2004 Upshaw C. Bentley, Jr., Athens - 2006 Hon. Maureen C. Gottfried, Columbus - 2005 Miles J. Alexander, Atlanta - 2007 Charles P. Taylor, Warner Robins - 2006 Willis A. DuVall, Edison - 2007 William Lee Robinson, Macon - 2007 C. Thompson Harley, Augusta - 2008 Michael L. Chidester, Byron - 2008 Frank B. Strickland, Atlanta - 2008 Tomieka R. Daniel, Byron - 2009 Hon. Griffin B. Bell, Atlanta - 2009 Jonathan A. Alderman, Macon - 2010 George T. Brown, Jonesboro - 2011 Sarah L. Gerwig-Moore, Macon - 2011 John F. Sweet, Atlanta - 2012 Clarence Williams, III, Warner Robins - 2011 David H. Gambrell, Atlanta - 2013 Ruth A. Knox, Macon - 2012 Joseph R. Bankoff, Atlanta - 2014 J. Michael Cranford, Macon - 2013 John S. Lewis, Cartersville - 2015 Nancy Terrill, Macon - 2015 Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, Decatur - 2015 Camille Hope, Macon - 2016 Allan J. Tanenbaum, Atlanta - 2015 Erikka B. Williams, Bonaire - 2017 Juanita Powell Baranco, Lithonia -2016 Edward J. Hardin, Atlanta - 2016 District 4 Award Recipients Neal W. Dickert, Augusta - 2017 Hon. Alvin T. Wong, Decatur - 1999 Hon. Horace J. Johnson, Covington - 2017 Gloria L. Johnson, Decatur - 2000 Senator Leroy R. Johnson, Atlanta - 2017 Gwendolyn R. Keyes, Decatur - 2001 Hon. Robin S. Nash, Decatur - 2004 Hon. Gregory A. Adams, Decatur - 2006 District 1 Award Recipients Nisha K. Karnani, Dunwoody - 2007 Frederick D. Lee, Ellabell - 1998 Hon. Mark A. Scott, Decatur - 2008 Albert Mazo, Savannah - 1999 Hon. Johnny N. Panos, Decatur - 2009 Lisa L. White, Savannah - 2000 Hon. Nancy Nash Bills, Conyers - 2010 Elsie R. Chisholm, Savannah - 2001 Vivica M. Brown, Stone Mountain - 2011 Hon. Louisa Abbot, Savannah - 2005 Hon. Asha F. Jackson, Decatur - 2013 Carlton A. DeVooght, Brunswick - 2006 C. Talley Wells, Decatur - 2014 Michael L. Edwards, Savannah - 2007 Nora L. Polk, Decatur - 2015 Hon. James F. Bass, Jr., Savannah - 2008 Thua G. Barlay, Conyers - 2016 Rebecca Crowley, Waycross - 2009 Hon. Dax E. Lopez, Decatur - 2016 Howard E. Spiva, Savannah - 2011 Michael L. Thurmond, Stone Mountain - 2016 Wanda Andrews, Savannah - 2012 Lovett Bennett, Jr., Statesboro - 2014 District 5 Award Recipients Christopher K. Middleton, Savannah - 2015 Hon. Marvin S. Arrington, Sr., Atlanta - 1998 T. Mills Fleming, Savannah - 2016 W. Terence Walsh, Atlanta - 1998 Denise M. Cooper, Savannah - 2017 Peter K. Daniel, Atlanta - 1999 Don C. Keenan, Atlanta - 1999 District 2 Award Recipients Donald P. Edwards, Atlanta - 2000 Robert M. Clyatt, Valdosta - 1998 Jesus A. Nerio, Atlanta - 2000 Cheryle Thompson Bryan, Ashburn - 1999 Jeff D. Woodward, Atlanta - 2000 Suzanne P. Mathis, Lakeland - 2001 Gregory N. Studdard, Atlanta - 2000 Kenneth B. Hodges, III, Albany - 2004 Hon. T. Jackson Bedford, Atlanta - 2001 Roy W. Copeland, Valdosta - 2006 Hon. Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore, Atlanta - 2001 Michael S. Bennett, Sr., Valdosta - 2007 Albert J. Bolet, III, Atlanta - 2001 Joseph K. Mulholland, Bainbridge - 2008 John A. Pickens, Atlanta - 2001 Laverne L. Gaskins, Valdosta - 2009 F. Sheffield Hale, Atlanta - 2001 Hon. James E. Hardy, Thomasville - 2009 Cynthia Hinrichs Clanton, Atlanta - 2004 Charles W. Lamb, Jr. Albany - 2010 Jacquelyn H. Saylor, Atlanta - 2004 D. Bradley Folsom, Valdosta - 2011 David M. Zacks, Atlanta - 2004 Michael S. Meyer von Bremen, Albany - 2012 Christian F. Torgrimson, Atlanta - 2005 Hon. Joe C. Bishop, Dawson - 2013 Antavius M. Weems, Atlanta - 2005 John Randall Hicks, Valdosta - 2015 Hon. Herbert E. Phipps, Atlanta - 2006 Karen B. Baynes-Dunning, Albany - 2017 Luis A. Aguilar, Atlanta - 2007 Douglas M. Towns, Atlanta - 2007 Linda T. Muir, Atlanta - 2008
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
District 5 Award Recipients (cont.) District 8 Award Recipients Christopher Glenn Sawyer, Atlanta - 2008 E. Roy Lambert, Madison - 1999 Julie M. T. Walker, Atlanta - 2008 Samantha F. Jacobs, Metter - 2006 Denise Cleveland - Leggett, Atlanta - 2009 Jehan Y. El-Jourbagy, Monticello - 2008 Judith A. O’Brien, Atlanta - 2009 Dexter M. Wimbish, Madison - 2013 William Barwick, Atlanta - 2010 Hon. John J. Ellington, Soperton - 2016 Michael Hobbs, Jr., Atlanta - 2010 Amy J. Kolczak, Atlanta - 2010 District 9 Award Recipients Nancy J. Whaley, Atlanta - 2010 Leon Boling, Cumming - 1998 Anne W. Lewis, Atlanta - 2011 Hon. Frank C. Mills, Canton - 1999 William B. Hill, Jr., Atlanta - 2012 Wendy J. Glasbrenner, Gainesville - 2001 Noni Ellison Southall, Atlanta - 2012 Hon. James E. Drane, Canton - 2004 Michael W. Tyler, Atlanta - 2012 Hon. Kathlene F. Gosselin, Gainesville - 2005 Hon. Kimberly M. Esmond Adams, Atlanta - 2013 Hon. Cliff L. Jolliff, Gainesville - 2006 Peter J. Anderson, Atlanta - 2013 Therese G. Franzén, Norcross - 2007 Audra Ann Dial, Atlanta - 2013 John A. Gram, Gainesville - 2008 Marquetta J. Bryan, Atlanta - 2014 David L. Cannon, Jr., Canton - 2009 Charles T. Huddleston, Atlanta - 2014 Mark O. Shriver, IV, Woodstock - 2010 Hon. Patricia M. Killingsworth, Atlanta - 2014 Hon. M. Anthony Baker, Canton - 2011 Ernest LaMont Greer Atlanta - 2015 Eric A. Ballinger, Canton - 2011 Vannessa I. Hickey-Gales, Atlanta - 2015 Hon. Chung Hun Lee, Duluth - 2012 Philip E. Holladay, Jr., Atlanta - 2015 Peter A. Gleichman, Woodstock - 2013 Harold E. Franklin, Jr., Atlanta - 2016 Nicki Noel Vaughan, Gainesville - 2015 Dawn M. Jones, Atlanta - 2017 Jeffrey Y. Lewis, Atlanta - 2017 District 10 Award Recipients W. Scott Sorrels, Atlanta - 2017 Hon. Steve C. Jones, Athens - 1998 John M. Clark, Elberton - 1999 District 6 Award Recipients Edward D. Tolley, Athens - 2000 Denise F. Hemmann, Jackson - 1998 Dennis C. Sanders, Thomson - 2005 Hon. Eugene E. Lawson, Jonesboro - 1999 Hon. Duncan D. Wheale, Augusta - 2006 Hon. William H. Ison, Jonesboro - 2000 David B. Bell, Augusta - 2007 J. Byrd Garland, Jackson, - 2001 Walter James Gordon, Sr., Hartwell - 2008 Hon. Stephen E. Boswell, Jonesboro - 2004 David E. Hudson, Augusta - 2009 James J. Dalton, II - Jonesboro - 2004 Hon. Samuel D. Ozburn, Covington - 2011 Avery T. Salter, Jonesboro - 2005 Victor Y. Johnson, Danielsville - 2012 Hon. William Hal Craig, McDonough - 2006 Laura C. Nehf, Athens - 2013 Hon. Christopher C. Edwards, Fayetteville - 2007 J. Edward Allen, Jr., Athens - 2014 Rudjard M. Hayes, Tyrone - 2008 Hon. Lawton E. Stephens, Athens - 2015 Angela M. Hinton, Fayetteville - 2010 Hon. J. Virgil Costley, Jr., Covington - 2017 Hon. Robert M. Crawford, Thomaston - 2013 Cindy S. Manning, Peachtree City - 2014 Hon. A. J. Welch, Jr., McDonough - 2016
District 7 Award Recipients J. Anderson Davis, Rome - 1998 Richard J. Lundy, Cedartown - 1999 Constance McManus, Marietta - 2004 Hon. Adele L. Grubbs, Marietta - 2005 W. Allen Separk, Marietta - 2005 Robert A. Cowan, Dalton - 2006 Cindi L. Yeager, Marietta - 2007 Nathan J. Wade, Marietta - 2008 J. Kevin Moore, Marietta - 2009 Justin B. O’Dell, Marietta - 2010 William L. Lundy, Jr., Cedartown - 2012 Maziar Mazloom, Marietta - 2013 Hon. J. Lane Bearden, Calhoun - 2014 John T. Longino, Canton - 2014 Rep. Christian A. Coomer, Cartersville - 2015 Damon E. Elmore, Lithia Springs - 2016 Thomas David Lyles, Dallas - 2016
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
18th Annual Awards Presentation February 28, 2017
Front Row: Hon. Horace J. Johnson, Jr., Avarita L. Hanson, Hon. Robert Benham, Patrick T. O’Connor, Senator Leroy R. Johnson
Back Row: Denise M. Cooper, Erikka B. Williams, W. Scott Sorrels, Hon. Harold D. Melton, Hon. Neal W. Dickert, Jeffrey Y. Lewis, Dawn M. Jones, Hon. J. Virgil Costley, Jr., Karen B. Baynes-Dunning
17th Annual Awards Presentation February 23, 2016
Front Row: Avarita L. Hanson, Justice Robert Benham, Patrise Perkins-Hooker, Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson, Bill Liss, Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver.
Back Row: Nancy Terrill, Nicki Noel Vaughan, Allan J. Tanenbaum, Christopher K. Middleton, Ernest LaMont Greer, Rep. Christian A. Coomer, Hon. Lawton E. Stephens, John Randall Hicks, Philip E. Holladay, Jr., John S. Lewis, Vannessa I. Hickey-Gales, Nora Polk
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism gratefully acknowledges the support of the State Bar of Georgia, sponsors, vendors, volunteers and participants in the presentation program for the Benham Awards. We would like to thank all of you and acknowledge the following individ- uals and businesses.
RECEPTION LIBATION SPONSORS
J. Antonio DelCampo DelCampo & Grayson LLC
Gerald M. Edenfield Edenfield, Cox, Bruce & Edenfield
VOLUNTEERS VENDORS (Known at time of printing)
Judge Carla Wong McMillian Awards (Guest Tweeter) Lillie Glassblowers 770.436.8959 Angie Wright-Rheaves (Commentator) Entertainment
Patricia Buonodono Eric Thomas Carrie C. Foster 404.840.6283 Josephine Frazier Ashuana Gbye Photographer Vicki Hall Don Morgan Bernadette Hartfield Elissa Haynes Don Morgan Photography Aisha Hill 770.819.0881 Tony Latala Joyce Marsh Printing Roberta Rhodes West End Print Shop Phyllis B. Wyatt 404.752.7625
Performers Production Services Laurel R. Boatright AIB TV Network vocals 404.892.0454
Norman Lewis Barnett keyboards Reception Serendipity State Bar Staff 770.455.4545 Faye, Joyce, Kyle & Mark Videographer
Thank you to all of our volun- Vince Bailey teers. We couldn’t do it Vince The Voice LLC without you! 770.864.7135
Justice Robert Benham Awards For Community Service