The Atlanta Lawyer December 2011/January 2012 | Page 4

president’s message The Joy of Networking By Rita A. Sheffey Hunton & Williams LLP F or the past several weeks, I have enjoyed spending time with many of our members at various holiday events. There was our spectacular holiday gala, Up On The Rooftop, celebrating lawyer authors and artists. Thank you to all who attended and particularly to the authors and artists, whose names are listed on page 22. Included in this issue are some of the pictures on page 23. Many others are posted on www.atlantabar.org at http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Atlanta-Bar-Association Particularly because this was an inaugural event, I would appreciate hearing your feedback as we plan for next year. Please click here to comment. We also have had quite an array of Section holiday parties, including: Real Estate at the Buckhead Club, Corporate Counsel at Chops, Workers Compensation at Manuel’s Tavern, Construction Law at RiRa, Women in the Profession at Judge Susan Edlein’s house, Intellectual Property Law Section at the Four Seasons, and Family Law at Smith’s Olde Bar. And the Litigation Section Board had its annual dinner at Nan. You will see pictures of many of these events throughout this issue. I sincerely appreciate the very warm welcome I enjoyed everywhere I went. Each Section has a distinct personality and it came through in the holiday parties, as it does in their regular meetings. At each event, I met new people, connected with others I had not seen in some time, found common interests with someone new, even did some bar-related business, and generally had a fabulous time. Many of the Sections asked for charitable donations in conjunction with their holiday parties and I am so proud of their efforts to help others during this season. It was interesting to hear the many different conversations, from asking about family plans for the holiday, to sharing news about one’s law practice, to discussing recent developments in the law, to talking about sports, kids’ parties, recent books or movies, to virtually every topic imaginable. Lawyers are a smart, creative, and fun-loving group. There was joy in every event! It is difficult to believe, but 2012 is just around the corner. If you are not already a regular at one of our Section’s events, there is no better time to get involved. We have 21 Sections (listed on page five) and are considering requests to form several others. Besides the great holiday parties, these 4 THE ATLANTA LAWYER December 2011/January 2012 [email protected] Sections have some incredible programs and networking opportunities. Some have regular breakfast meetings. Others prefer lunchtime. Locations vary all around town. Some programs include CLE credit and even that hard to get Professionalism hour! There really is something for everyone. Our Section Chairs work hard to ensure that we are delivering excellent value to members. I appreciate their time and commitment, and I hope to attend more of their meetings during the next few months. I hope to see many of you there as well. As we start a new year, consider getting involved. Benefits include professional development, continuing legal education, networking, business developm