J. Vincent Cook Sworn in as 44th Bar President
J. Vincent Cook was sworn in as president of the State Bar of Georgia by Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears June 3 during the Bar’s Annual Meeting at the Westin Resort Hilton Head Island in Hilton Head Island, S.C. He serves as the 44th president of the association, succeeding Robert D. Ingram of Marietta. With more than 40 years experience as a lawyer in Georgia, Cook is a senior partner and manager of Cook, Noell, Tolley, Bates & Michael in Athens, Ga. He is an adjunct professor teaching medical malpractice at his alma mater, the University of Georgia School of Law. He has authored or edited numerous professional publications and has conducted seminars on medical malpractice for hundreds of attorneys.

2006-07 officers include:

President J. Vincent Cook, Athens
President-elect Gerald M. Edenfield, Statesboro
Immediate Past President Robert D. Ingram, Marietta
Secretary Jeffrey O. Bramlett, Atlanta
Treasurer Bryan M. Cavan, Atlanta
YLD President Jonathan A. Pope, Canton
YLD President-elect Elena Kaplan, Atlanta
YLD Immediate Past President Damon E. Elmore, Atlanta

New Members Enrolled in Transition Into Law Practice Program
697 beginning lawyers are enrolled in the Transition Into Law Practice Program. The new mandatory program (which replaced the "Bridge the Gap" program as of Jan. 1, 2006), places a beginning lawyer with a mentor for the first 12 months of their practice. The goal of the program is to afford every beginning lawyer, those in the first 12 months of practice, newly admitted to the State Bar of Georgia, with meaningful access to a mentor equipped to teach the practical skills, seasoned judgment and sensitivity to ethical and professionalism values necessary to practice law in a highly competent manner. The Supreme Court of Georgia has appointed 792 State Bar of Georgia Members as mentors.

The Program was developed by, and is operated under the auspices of, the Standards of the Profession Committee of the Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency (CCLC). Click here to read the Program Director’s Report to the Standards of the Profession Committee.

If you have additional questions, or would like to volunteer to serve as a mentor, please contact the Transition Into Law Practice Program Director, Doug Ashworth, by phone at (404) 527-8704, or by e-mail at tilpp@gabar.org. Visit our website for more information about the Transition Into Law Practice Program.

Volunteers Needed for Law School Orientations on Professionalism
The State Bar of Georgia's Committee on Professionalism is now seeking lawyers and judges to volunteer to return to your alma mater, or to any of the schools, to help give back part of what the profession has given you by dedicating a half day of your time this August. You will be paired with a co-leader and will lead students in a discussion of hypothetical professionalism and ethics issues. Minimal preparation is necessary for the leaders -- pair up with a friend or classmate to co-lead a group. Click here for the Attorney Volunteer Form.

Bar's Mock Trial Program To Host 2009 Championship
The Georgia High School Mock Trial Program will host the 2009 National High School Mock Trial Championship in Atlanta over Mother's Day weekend in May 2009. This two-day national competition, involving high school students from more than 44 states and territories and South Korea, is scheduled to take place at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta. Georgia was selected as the 2009 Host State by the National Board at its meeting in conjunction with the 2006 Championship, which took place in Oklahoma City, May 11-14.

For more information regarding the Mock Trial Program or the 2009 National High School Mock Trial Championship, contact Stacy Rieke at the Georgia High School Mock Trial office at (404) 527-8779 or stacyr@gabar.org.

Casemaker Training Offered at Bar Center
Learn how to effectively use and navigate the Georgia Casemaker library. Two training classes are being offered at the Bar Center June 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Each session is limited to the first 10 attendees. Download the registration form and fax it to Kim Henry at 404-287-8394 by 12 p.m., June 26. If you have additional questions, please e-mail Jodi McKenzie at jodi@gabar.org or call (404) 527-8618.

Equine Law Section Passed
At the 2006 Annual Meeting in Hilton Head Island, the Board of Governors passed the creation of the Bar's 39th section, the Equine Law Section. The purpose of this section shall be "to form an association of licensed attorneys in the state of Georgia who desire to develop their knowledge and professional abilities in Equine matters of law in order to render better service to their clients and to the general public." For information on joining this section, please contact the Membership Department at membership@gabar.org or log on to www.gabar.org.

Law Practice Management Enews Tip
Tenth in a Series for Improving Your Bottom Line: If you charge expenses back to your clients, be thorough and accurate.
Attach copy monitoring cards to your copier, and use them. (Many will produce an electronic report that you can dump directly into your billing system.) Consider using a long distance service that will let you enter a client code and send you a monthly report of calls by client. Usually, asking employees to manually log calls or manually review fax printouts and telephone bills doesn't work well, since it's a substantial drain on the time of already busy people. Try to automate this process; you will get more accurate results.

If you have questions about this tip or other law practice management questions, contact LPM Director Natalie Kelly at (404) 527-8770 or natalie@gabar.org.

Upcoming ICLE Offerings
For a complete list of ICLE seminars, visit www.iclega.org.

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