October/November 2023 TAL Spotlight On the 23 Sections | Page 18

SECTIONS SPOTLIGHT

Criminal Law Section

KEVIN ARMSTRONG Office of the Fulton County District Attorney kevin . armstrong @ fultoncountyga . gov

T he Criminal Law Section ’ s membership includes both defense attorneys and prosecutors , both federal practitioners and state practitioners , and both generalists and those who specialize in areas like white collar defense , drug prosecutions , and criminal appeals . The Section seeks to bring together lawyers with each of these disparate backgrounds to encourage positive relationships among adversaries and to foster a more collegial local bar .

Each month the Section meets for a luncheon at an area restaurant which offers both an informal opportunity to meet or fellowship with other local practitioners and a program that addresses some aspect of criminal law . The programs have included presentations of new federal laws and how they are being enacted here in Georgia , state legislative updates , trends in cyber security , and , most recently , a conversation with Clemency Director Crystal Moon and other staff members from Georgia ’ s Board of Pardons and Parole on the state parole process and what criminal defendants and victims can expect at various stages of that process . The presentations have also included discussions about individual high-profile cases from both the prosecutors and defense attorneys who actually tried the case , sitting together in a less adversarial setting .
Because its luncheons are typically smaller than some of the larger Sections ' s gatherings , the Criminal Law Section ' s programs permit a high degree of interaction both between its generally and between its membership and the monthly presenters .
www . atlantabar . org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 18