Making It Work Family, Your Career, Parenthood in These Times
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THE ATLANTA LAWYERWWW.ATLANTABAR.ORG | THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIATION | AUG/SEPT 2020 MAKING IT WORK FAMILY, YOUR CAREER, PARENTHOOD IN THESE TIMES AN UNDENIABLE INSPIRATION: JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG REMEMBERING AN ICON: CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS SHINING A LIGHT ON LRIS Chairs Editorial Board Hon. Diane Bessen Hannah Apicelli Lisa Liang Trevor Brice Daniela Britton Advisor Jordan Coleman The Atlanta Lawyer (ISSN-04038428/UPS-018068) Craig Cleland Dione Duckett is published by the Atlanta Bar Association, 400 Debby Ebel International Tower, 229 Peachtree Street NE, Jena Emory Atlanta GA 30303-1601. The Editorial Board of Brooke French The Atlanta Lawyer will consider all articles and letters submitted for publication, however it Stephanie Graham reserves the right to reject articles and letters Megan Hodgkiss submitted. Articles are judged on importance Beau Howard of topic, clarity and timeliness. The Editorial Michael Jablonski Board gives priority to articles promoting the Michael Jones activities of the Association and its members. David Phillips The Board reserves the right to edit or rewrite an Erik Provitt article as a condition of publication. Jackie Saylor Ian Smith Articles may be submitted by email to Melody Swilling Publications and Communications to Meghan Thomas Jordan Coleman at [email protected]. Harry Winograd The Atlanta Lawyer reserves the right to edit for style, length, and continuity. The Atlanta Lawyer is published electronically. Atlanta Bar Association ACYL President Abbey Morrow ABA Delegate President Lauren Brenner Legility, LLC Michael Terry Craig Cleland Kilpatrick Townsend Bondurant Mixson Ogletree, Deakins, Kevin Patrick & Elmore, LLP Members-At-Large Kevin Patrick Law Nash, Smoak & Cinque Axam Stewart, PC Axam Roberts Legal Erik Provitt Atlanta Bar Group, LLC PwC Foundation President Vice President/ Robert Wellon President-Elect Mary Katherine "Katie" Emily Ward Attorney & Counselor Christina Baugh Bates Smith, Gambrell & at Law 06 Barnes & Thornburg, LLP Meunier Carlin & Russell Curfman, LLC Gate City Bar Secretary Robert Watts Association President Chris Lightner Lillian Caudle Jones Day Caren Cloud Fulton County Juvenile Alston & Bird, LLP Mercedes Benz USA Jessica Wood Court Kimberly Charles Treasurer Bodker, Ramsey, Atlanta Legal Aid Andrews, Winograd & Amy Cheng Society, Inc. Wildstein, PC Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP Stephen Cummings King & Spadling, LLP Immediate Past President Brooke French Kessler & Ryan Walsh Solomiany, LLC Jones Day 10 VOL. 19, NO. 2 AUG/SEPT2020 CONTENTS FEATURES COLUMNS President's Message 05 Cousin Ruthie: A Personal 04 By Craig Cleland Reflection 06 An Undeniable Inspiration Ask the Board 26 Georgia's Advanced Directive 09 Name Your Stay-cations and How You're for Healthcare Making Life Work. 28 From Social Distancing to Social Doing John Lewis: An Icon 10 30 Shining a Light on LRIS A Collection of Memories from Atlanta 32 Suffering from Zoom Fatigue? Bar Members. 34 Restaurant Review: 06 Taqueria del Sol Finding Good Trouble this 14 November By Melody Swilling SECTIONS Access Atlanta Bar 18 Recaps of the Final Events of Our 38 Bankruptcy Summer Series. 38 Estate Planning & Probate By Katie Ehrlich, Bruce Chatman and Chris Lightner Family Law CLE: Getting the Most 22 Bang for Your Client's Buck 10 By Ashley O'Neil PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Message From the President CRAIG CLELAND Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC [email protected] ust before the Jewish New Year, a time of healing and renewal, the law lost Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Even those who may have disagreed with her on occasion held her in the highest regard. Attorney General William Barr, for one, said that “her legal ability, personal integrity, and determination were beyond doubt” and that she “leaves a towering legacy, and all who seek justice mourn her loss.” As bitterly divided as the Country seems, at least we lawyers who value the rule of law can agree about what a great lawyer and human being she was. We usually think of Ginsberg as a D.C. Circuit Judge or a Supreme Court Justice. But she was a tireless advocate before that. In my area of practice, discrimination law, she brought a series of cases before an all-male Supreme Court in the 1970s—for example, Frontiero v. Richardson (1973), Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld (1975), and Duren v. Missouri (1979)—where she strategically chipped away at the strictures of sex discrimination wherever found. In doing so, she not only took great strides to end this discrimination, but she also showed us how the law must evolve Jin response to society and our times and how we as lawyers must effect that evolution. This evolution is often a messy business. So we would do well to keep uppermost in our hearts and minds the Hebrew scripture hanging in her chambers that still calls us to our feet: “Justice, justice you shall pursue.” (Dt. 16:20). Notorious, indeed. Craig Cleland Atlanta Bar Association President 4 August/September 2020 Cousin Ruthie: A Personal Reflection HON. DIANE BESSEN State Court of Fulton County [email protected] In my house, Justice Ginsburg was member. It was as if my presence broke My children were very young at the time affectionately called “Cousin Ruthie.” She through all the formalities, she endured at and to this day, are angry that their memory was my father’s second cousin. I didn’t all these events . It was a surreal moment of that wonderful day is so faded. know her well, but did have the opportunity particularly because the constantly moving to meet her on a few occasions, but I will get receiving line had come to an abrupt halt I join with the rest of our country in to that shortly. and people were staring, wondering who mourning Justice Ginsburg’s passing and we were, and why Justice Ginsburg was the tremendous loss to our country of her Back in the earlier part of the 20th Century, speaking to us for so long. insight, legal acumen, and tireless efforts immigrant families were particularly close. on behalf of women’s equality. I fear for the So even though by today’s standards, She spoke of my father and his siblings, the turmoil that awaits us and wonder how we a second cousin is a somewhat distant summers they spent together at the beach, will move forward. And I am also grateful relative, back in the 1930’s, extended and how even though her own family had – grateful that I live in a country where a families lived close to one another and spent been in the furrier business, none compared child of immigrants, from modest means, an enormous amount of time together. In with those made by my grandfather, Bessen could rise to such great heights. Of that my my father’s case, that meant summers at Brothers. I didn’t think it was appropriate to father was deeply proud. I am grateful I had the beach in Far Rockaway, NY. My father tell her that my father died, still begrudging the opportunity to meet my Cousin Ruthie would talk about how smart & petite the day she “stole” his beach chair – that and reminisce about our family ties. I will “Kiki” was; her childhood nickname which should have been a sign to everyone not to cherish those memories forever. wasn’t more publicly know until the recent be fooled by her petite stature. __________________________________ documentaries & biographies. 1 A few months later we were able to visit Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S. 343 (2003) 2State Farm Mut. Automobile Ins. Co. v. Shortly after my father passed away, I wrote with Justice Ginsburg in Washington. Campbell, 538 U.S. 408 (2003) the Justice asking if my family could visit She arranged for us to sit in the front row her during our trip to Washington D.C. She to listen to the reading of two important wrote back with a letter that hangs framed in decisions: Virginia v. Black1 which struck my chambers. It was a warm response and down a Virginia law related to cross burning she indicated she was going to be speaking and State Farm Mut. Automobile Ins. Co. at an event in Atlanta in a few months and v. Campbell,2 which set limits on punitive arranged for me and my husband to attend. damages. That experience for those who We arrived at the event and waited in the have not yet witnessed our highest court in very long receiving line, for an opportunity action, is not to be missed. to meet the Justice. When we finally got to speak to her and shake her black-laced Afterwards we were fortunate to visit with gloved hands, she welcomed me with an the Justice in her chambers for quite some excitement that took me by surprise. It was time and even met her good friend who soon obvious how meaningful it was for her sauntered by, Justice Scalia. We discussed to make a connection with a distant family the recent opinions and family connections. www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 5 A Profound Loss and Undeniable Inspiration - Ruth Bader Ginsburg 6 August/September 2020 LORI COHEN Greenberg Traurig, LLP [email protected] There are no words that can properly describe There are so many memorable and profound collaboration between so-called enemies. the loss that so many of us felt upon learning RBG quotes. A few of my favorites highlight about the passing of Supreme Court Justice her passion and commitment to help create As a native New Yorker she possessed that Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The news brought a a more just world. true grit that molds champions. And she palpable sadness to our nation and to people didn’t wait to be invited to the party.