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STATE BAR ANNUAL MEETING
- JUNE 18-20
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Mark your calendars now
for the State Bar’s 2009 Annual Meeting, June 18-20, at Amelia Island.
The hotel cut-off date is Friday, May 15. A block of rooms has been
reserved for the meeting, with room rates starting at $151 plus
applicable resort fees and taxes. To make reservations and receive
the Bar’s special rate, call the hotel directly at 888-261-6165 and
mention that you are with the State Bar of Georgia. After May 15,
rooms will be on a space and rate availability basis.
Be on the lookout for
your meeting brochure with registration and additional meeting
information. Call or e-mail Michelle Garner (404-527-8790) with any
questions.
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2009 LEGISLATIVE ROUND-UP
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The 2009 General Assembly
concluded at midnight on Friday, April 3, with the State Bar agenda
faring quite well. Three bills passed and await Governor Perdue’s
signature. The major rewrites of the Trust Code and Evidence Code
will return next year for further debate. In a year where most
appropriations were cut by at least 9 percent, the appropriations
for domestic violence representation and the Resource Center
remained intact.
1) House Bill 126, UETA: Passed and awaits the signature of the
governor.
2) House Bill 308, LLC Revisions: Passed and awaits signature of
the governor.
3) Senate Bill 131, Major Trust Code Revision: Passed Senate and
will be considered in House next year.
4) House Bill 24, Evidence Code Revision: Evidence: Passed House
Committee and will be held for study over summer.
5) Resource Center Funding: Maintained full $580,000
appropriations.
6) Domestic Violence Funding: Maintained full $2 million
appropriation and the program remained in Judicial Council.
7) Public Defenders: The
Ga. Public Defender Standards Council was appropriated $41,489,395
in the FY ’10 budget.
8) Senate Bill 42, Public Defender Council Reorganization: Passed
the Senate. A substitute was passed out of the House committee, but
did not pass the full House.
9) HB 283, Bar Exam fees: Fees are retained by Board of Bar
Examiners. Passed and awaits the signature of the governor.
A final update and
tracking sheet should be available by the end of the week on
the State Bar's website. The full Advisory Committee on Legislation
report will be available soon.
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2009 STATE BAR OF GEORGIA
ELECTION
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We encourage you to vote in the State Bar of
Georgia Board of Governors election. Paper ballots were mailed on April
1 containing voting information. (If you did not receive your
ballot, click here for more information.) The deadline for casting
a ballot is May 1, at 11:59 p.m. Please click here to vote and for more information about
candidates in contested races.
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MILITARY AND VETERANS PRO
BONO REFERRAL PROGRAM HOSTING FREE WEBINARS
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The State Bar of Georgia Veterans &
Military Pro Bono Committee will host the third in a series of
webinars providing free CLE to support Georgia lawyers who are
providing legal services to military households and veterans. The
1.5 hour April 21 webinar will cover an introduction to the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Visit the website to register.
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CALL FOR PRO BONO AWARD
NOMINATIONS
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Each year, the State Bar
Access to Justice Committee and the State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono
Project solicit nominations for the Bar's prestigious pro bono
awards. The awards cover four areas of service to the
Bar and the legal profession: individual attorney service; an
organizational effort that extends current services or meets unmet
legal needs; an individual legal services attorney service record;
and efforts to assist nonprofits that serve low-income communities.
Nominations for the awards must be submitted by April 17.
Electronic submissions are encouraged.
Visit the website to download the awards brochure and view
the awards history.
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ELEVENTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL
CONFERENCE
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The Judicial Conference
of the Eleventh Circuit will take place April 30 - May 2, at the Ross
Bridge Golf Resort and Spa in Birmingham, Ala. The Conference is
being convened by the judges of the Eleventh Circuit (the court of
appeals, district and bankruptcy courts in Alabama, Florida and
Georgia) to consider the business of the courts and to advise means
of improving the administration of justice within the circuit.
Visit the website for more information.
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DUES NOTICES TO BE MAILED
IN MAY
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Dues notices will be mailed in May. If
your address has changed, please take a moment to update your
information on the website.
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LOCAL BAR AWARDS - CALL
FOR ENTRIES
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Each year, the State Bar
of Georgia's Local Bar Activities Committee sponsors the Local Bar
Activities Awards, recognizing excellence in voluntary bar associations.
The awards will be presented at the State Bar's Annual Members’
Meeting at Amelia Island on June 19.
The deadline for
submission is Friday, May 8. E-mail Stephanie Wilson or
call 404-527-8792 with any questions.
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STATE BAR OF GEORGIA
IMPLEMENTS NEW DATABASE
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The State Bar is in the process of
implementing its new database. This implementation will affect how
a few things work on the Bar’s website. To be ready for this change,
we ask that you please make sure we have up-to-date information in
your membership record. Please go to the website and check your information. Also note which
e-mail address the Bar lists as your official e-mail address, as
you will need this to log in for the first time once the database
change takes place. We will keep you updated as we move forward
with this project.
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YLD ETHICS AND
PROFESSIONALISM AWARD NOMINATIONS
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The Ethics and Professionalism Committee of
the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia invites
nominations for a young lawyer who demonstrates/exemplifies
professional and ethical conduct in the practice of law. The
deadline for submissions is April 24. Please click here for guidelines and a nomination form.
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YLD CRIMINAL LAW
COMMITTEE COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AWARD NOMINATIONS
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The Criminal Law Committee of the Young
Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia invites nominations of
young lawyers who demonstrate/exemplify a commitment to justice in
the practice of law. One prosecution and one defense oriented
attorney will be selected to receive the award. The deadline
for submissions is April 24. Please click here for guidelines and a nomination
form.
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THE LAW STAFF SERIES -
PART I
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Back by popular demand is the Law Staff
Series, sponsored by the General Practice & Trial Section and the
Law Practice Management Program of the State Bar of Georgia. The
first in a series of five seminars will be held on April 24. This
will be a re-energizing afternoon of learning professionalism and
ethics for your office staff. A great refresher course for seasoned
staff and an extremely vital course for new law office workers! Download the registration form.
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LAWYERS FOUNDATION OF GEORGIA
2009 SILENT AUCTION
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The Lawyers Foundation of Georgia is seeking
items for its annual Silent Auction to be held June 18-20, in
conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia.
Deadline for donations is May 31. Download a silent auction form, or contact Lauren Larmer
Barrett for more information.
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FREE CASEMAKER TRAINING
RESEARCH OFFERED THROUGH THE STATE BAR
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Learn how to effectively navigate the Georgia
Casemaker library. Training classes will be offered at the Bar
Center on Thursday, April 16, from 2 to 4 p.m., and Thursday, April
30, from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. The sessions are limited
to the first 10 attendees. Complete a registration form and e-mail to Kim Henry by noon on the
day before the class is scheduled. If you have additional questions
about Casemaker, please e-mail Pam Myers or call 404-526-8621.
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BAR NEWS AND EVENTS
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Please visit the Bar News and Events section
at www.gabar.org
for information about upcoming events, projects and news items that
may be of interest or assistance to you and your practice.
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