The Atlanta Lawyer December 2013 | Page 29

section update Workers' Compensation Section Update By Charles “Chuck” Hamilton, Chair Charles C. Hamilton, P.C. [email protected] T he Workers' Compensation Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association provides a number of opportunities for workers’ compensation practitioners to share our common knowledge and experience for both professional enrichment and better service to our clients. The section provides a number of opportunities for educational enrichment and social interaction. It has been a busy end to 2013 and our biggest event of the year is coming up in just a couple of months. On December 3, 2013 we held our annual holiday party at Manuel’s Tavern. We had a great turnout from the judges and staff attorneys at the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, not to mention the usual mix of plaintiff’s and defense attorneys. There was even an appearance by former State Board Chairman Carolyn Hall, so you never know just who you may run into. If you have not yet attended one of our social events, please try to join us at one in the future. It really is a great time to better acquaint yourself with the other professionals who comprise our very collegiate bar. goes “beyond the basics” and is geared towards attorneys who practice a lot of workers’ compensation law. The seminar is scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 27, 2014 at the Capital City Club. In addition to our regular case law and appellate division updates, we have a number of other topics on tap that are slated to include medical issues, procedural issues and evidentiary problems that we all face. Finally, keep your eyes peeled during the early part of next year for information concerning a planned section outing to an Atlanta Braves game. You may recall that we did this several years ago with great success, and we are looking forward to putting that together again for the early part of the baseball season. On behalf of our section, I want to wish all of you a healthy and happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events in 2014! Besides the holiday party, our section puts on a full slate of breakfasts and lunches throughout the year. There is always a speaker at the breakfast/lunch meetings who is an expert in their field, and we try to focus on practical issues that face us every day as dedicated workers’ compensation practitioners. With a turnout usually around 40-50 people, these opportunities provide an intimate setting to interact with the speakers during a question and answer session. It’s always a great opportunity to get to know some of the State Board judges and staff attorneys better as well. In November, our breakfast featured a panel of speakers comprised of Judge David Imahara, Judge Nicole Tifverman and Judge Viola Drew. The panel was moderated by Gary Kazin and the topic dealt with practical issues involving ICMS and communications with the Board. It was a terrific discussion and provided practical tips for all of us to consider in our practice. Our next luncheon is scheduled for Friday, January 17, 2014 at noon at the Capital City Club. Our section is also hard at work preparing for the annual Advanced Workers’ Compensation Seminar. This seminar The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association December 2013 THE ATLANTA LAWYER 29