The Atlanta Lawyer June/July 2013 | Page 6

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Remarks of Incoming President Wade H. Watson III from the 2012-2013 Annual Meeting & Awards Reception Heirs of a Powerful Legacy By Wade H. Watson III Caldwell & Watson LLP H onorable Judges, Colleagues, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen: This year marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of The Atlanta Bar Association. I am the 106th lawyer to serve as President. My being here today is the culmination of 16 years of active service in the Atlanta Bar. I want to thank my partners at Caldwell & Watson, especially Harmon Caldwell, for supporting me in this work. I also must thank Judge Jackson Bedford for first getting me involved in the Sole Practitioner/ Small Firm Section, and Paul Cadenhead for inspiring me to serve in the bar. But I especially need to thank Judge McFadden for winning election to the Court of Appeals, which moved me up a year in the leadership ladder, and thereby thwarted my plan NOT to be the first President in 46 years to serve without the assistance of Diane O’Steen. One of the keys to the l