The Atlanta Lawyer June/July 2020 Vol. 19, No. 1 | Page 24

MEMBERSHIP Meet the Leadership In lieu of the Atlanta Bar Association's in-person Annual Meeting, a virtual road was taken for new leadership introduction for the 2020-2021 year. BROOKE FRENCH Kessler & Solomiany, LLC [email protected] To adapt to the changing times, the Atlanta Bar Executive Board held a virtual event via Zoom on May 28, 2020 to introduce the bar to the incoming leadership. Outgoing President Ryan Walsh (Jones Day), moderated the event and helped attendees learn about incoming President Craig Cleland (Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC), incoming President-Elect Christina Baugh (Barnes & Thornburg, LLP), incoming Secretary Chris Lightner (Alston & Bird, LLP), and incoming Treasurer Amy Cheng (Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP). Walsh began the event asking each panelist to discuss a high and low event of the bar year (2019-2020). Walsh mentioned that his high point was the Immigration event in February and the work of the Innovation Study Group while his low was cancelling the Atlanta Bar’s in person events. Cleland explained that his high had also been the Innovation Study Group. He commented on the remarkable leadership and hard work. Cleland’s low was dealing with COVID-19. He commented on how difficult it is to be an association that cannot associate in person. He expressed his excitement about becoming the President of the Association and looking forward to working with everyone, despite the circumstances. For Baugh, the high point of the year was the first litigation section breakfast of the bar year – she confessed that it is her high point of each year for the past decade. She is energized by everyone who shows up and there watching the networking. Similar to Cleland, Baugh’s low was the day the Litigation Section board voted to cancel the inperson meetings. Lightner explained that the high for his bar year was working with SideBar – the small group mentoring program. 24 June/July 2020