PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
was regal, she shattered glass ceilings, she was a trailblazer,
she was successful in business, in education, even in music.
One of her greatest passions was community service, giving
back, leaving things better than she found them, and that is
where and to whom I attribute my desire to leave things better
than I found them. She did everything with such humility and
grace and I am very grateful to her. As I thought about what I
would say today, I realized that my mother is the person who
introduced me to the Atlanta Bar, back when I was in high
school when she introduced me to Terry Walsh, past Atlanta
Bar president. So I am grateful to her and I salute her today.
This is a great bar association. The programs and services
we offer at the Atlanta Bar are second to none. We certainly
value our members and all we do in the legal community and to
advance the profession but we also do a lot in the community
and that is what makes me the most proud. Our sections do
so much for the bar and community. LRIS and our foundation,
last year alone, raised and donated over $105,000 to our
outreach programs and our public service partners.
The theme that I have chosen for this year is “Leadership
Through Service, Advancing the Legacy.” I believe the
first responsibility of any president is to take care of the
organization and I commit to you that I will do all in my power
to do that along with our board. We will do all that we can to
increase membership, bring value to our community service
partners, to be an asset in the community as we have been
for so many years. Consistent with our strategic plan, we
also intend to foster and enhance diversity and inclusion in
the bar and legal profession. We intend to advance the bar’s
mission, which is to promote professionalism and the fair
administration of justice in our community.
I believe as lawyers that we are advocates for a cause and
that we should be advocates for the cause of justice. We
serve as proponents for fairness, ethics and professionalism
and I think we must be willing to speak truth to power and to
speak for justice, inclusion and access. Much has happened
in our society that is wonderful and much remains to be done
and I believe that we should marshal our resources and our
energies to further the cause of justice. This city has a very
rich history, a tremendous history. We must also advance the
bar’s legacy of service for the cause of justice.
As many of you know, this August will mark the 50th
Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This act
transformed much of our society and made fairness and
inclusion and access to the ballot a reality. Unfortunately
I believe that we see measures to that would infringe upon
this fundamental right and, in terms of equal access to the
ballot, many ]