Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism

The Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism, the first body of its kind in the nation, was created in 1989 by the Georgia Supreme Court with the primary charge to enhance professionalism among Georgia's lawyers. In carrying out its charge, the Commission provides ongoing attention and assistance to the task of assuring that the practice of law remains a high calling, enlisted in the service of client and public good. Composed of representatives of the organized bar, practicing bar, judiciary, law schools and the public, the Commission serves as the institutional framework for sustaining an environment that fosters professionalism in the legal community. The Commission's work centers around (1) educational programming; (2) periodic recommendations to the State Bar, the judiciary, and the law schools in Georgia; and (3) coordination of professionalism activities of the organized bar, courts, law schools, and law firms.

To further its charge, the Commission:

A. Develops educational materials, law school curricula, and continuing legal and judicial education programs on the values of professionalism: competence, civility, legal ethics, integrity, commitment to the rule of law, to justice, and to the public good;

B. Administers the Professional Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirement, effective January 1, 1990, by which the Georgia Supreme Court mandated that each active member of the State Bar complete one hour of CLE annually on the topic of professionalism;

C. Serves as a resource, archive and clearinghouse for exchange of information regarding professionalism initiatives past and present, local, national, and international;

D. Provides guidance to professionalism movements in other jurisdictions, nationally and internationally.

The Commission's major activities are:

1. Approval and oversight of more than 500 Professionalism Continuing Legal Education sessions annually
2. Production of Professionalism CLE curricula and materials
3. Continuing Judicial Education sessions on Professionalism
4. Law School Orientations on Professionalism and Upper Level Law School Professionalism Programs
5. Transition into Law Practice Program (statewide mandatory mentoring)
6. Mentoring Programs: lawyer-to-lawyer and lawyer-to-law student
7. Judicial District Professionalism Program
8. Statewide Convocations on Professionalism
9. Statewide Town Hall Meetings for lawyers and judges to address ethics and professionalism concerns
10. Annual Statewide Community Service Awards
11. Annual Law School Symposia on Ethics and Professionalism in the Practice of Law
12. Resource for professionalism initiatives of lawyers, judges, law firms, and bar associations in Georgia and other jurisdictions

Committee/Department/Office Interaction

• Bench and Bar Committee, State Bar of Georgia
• Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency
• Committee on Professionalism, State Bar of Georgia
• Committee on the Standards of the Profession, State Bar of Georgia
• Communications/Publications Department, State Bar of Georgia
• Consumer Assistance Program, State Bar of Georgia
• Equal Justice Commission, Supreme Court of Georgia
• Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution and Office of Dispute Resolution, Supreme Court of Georgia
• Justice Robert Benham Community Service Awards Selection Committee, State Bar of Georgia
• Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia (ICLE) and Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia (ICJE)
• Law Practice Management Program, State Bar of Georgia
• Lawyer Assistance Program, State Bar of Georgia
• Local Bar Activities Committee, State Bar of Georgia
• Office of Bar Admissions
• Pro Bono Project, State Bar of Georgia
• Young Lawyers Division, State Bar of Georgia

Avarita L. Hanson, Executive Director
(404) 225-5042
Terie Latala, Assistant Director
(404) 225-5043
Nneka Daniel, Office Administrator
(404) 225-5040
Fax (404) 225-5041
E-mail: Professionalism@cjcpga.org
Suite 620
104 Marietta Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30303

1989-2006
Now that the Commission has completed 17 years of operation, it has sustained a number of its initiatives and continues to expand its agenda.

I.  Guiding Principles
II.  Lawyer's Creed and Aspirational Statement on Professionalism
III.  Mission Statement
IV.  Awareness
V.  Response to Georgia Professionalism Effort
VI.  Continuing Legal Education
VII.  Professionalism CLE Guidelines
VIII.  Description of Video/DVD-Based Programs Produced by the Commission
IX.  Continuing Judicial Education
X.  Convocations on Professionalism
XI.  Town Hall Meetings I
XII.  Town Hall Meeting II
XIII.  Mentoring
XIV.  Law schools
XV.  Annual Law School Symposia on Ethics and Professionalism in the Practice of Law
XVI.  Publications and Electronic Communication
XVII.  150th Anniversary of the Supreme Court of Georgia
XVIII.  Community and Public Service
XIX.  Judicial District Professionalism Program
XX.  National Professionalism Movement
XXI.  Measuring Professionalism