The Atlanta Lawyer March 2016 | Page 16

FROM THE BENCH ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES Lower rates on life insurance, thanks to you. All of you. By Ronit Walker Administrative Law Judge, Office of State Administrative Hearings D You can get $500,000 of coverage for less than $2.50 a day. How do you figure out how much life insurance you need? A good rule of thumb is to multiply 60% of your income times the number of years until retirement. So look at your age on the chart below to see some of the different types of coverage available to you. Getting life insurance is easier than you think. Just call right now and we’ll get you started in a few minutes. Benefit Amounts and Quarterly Premiums Age $250,000 $500,000 $1,000,000 Male Female Male Female Male Female 30-34 $28.13 $22.50 $54.00 $43.20 $108.00 $86.40 35-39 $43.13 $34.38 $82.80 $66.00 $165.60 $132.00 40-44 $72.50 $57.50 $139.20 $110.40 $278.40 $220.80 45-49 $111.25 $89.38 $21 3.60 $171.60 $427.20 $343.20 50-54 $171.25 $148.75 $328.80 $285.75 $657.60 $571.20 Rates shown are the quarterly term life premiums for non-smokers. Other payment modes are available. Please call ISI at 1-888-ISI-1959 with any questions. Go to: www.startprotecting.com/C4564 Explore Plan Options • Calculate rates • Apply online with the lowest cost per case in the nation. 3 For most cases, OSAH’s average turnaround time is 34 days. We invite you to get to know us. Check out our w e b s i t e a t w w w. o s a h . g a . g o v t o s e e o u r c o u r t calendar and follow the link to the Administrative Law Report (“ALR”).The ALR provides an easy-to-read synopsis of cases, copies of full decisions and news about court happenings. In Georgia, Administrative Law Judges subscribe to the Administrative Procedure Act, OSAH’s uniform rules of practice and procedure, and are subject to the Code of Judicial Conduct. Forty nine courthouses across the state provide courtroom space to OSAH’s judges so that we can serve all of Georgia’s 159 counties without any additional cost to taxpayers. Attorneys might be most familiar with OSAH’s larger calendar calls, including driver’s license suspensions and child support establishment cases. These mass calendar calls occur on a recurring schedule and permit judges to address a large number of pending appeals in one sitting. When sitting in Atlanta, OSAH’s judges are generalists presiding over a wide range of complex cases, including those involving outdoor advertising, elections, environmental permitting, and the Fair Business Practices Act. Our Atlanta headquarters also houses the Georgia Tax Tribunal.1 OSAH has become the most efficient and cost-effective central panel in the country. Today, OSAH is on track to adjudicate over 62,000 cases per year. Each judge adjudicates an average of 5,428 cases per year—by far the highest adjudication rate in the country2— 2 In 1994, the Georgia General Assembly created OSAH in order to provide Georgia citizens with confidence in the integrity of state government. Each of OSAH’s Administrative Law Judges strives to preserve its position as one of the leading central panels in the nation in terms of quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. ■ Nationwide Comparison of Adjudication Rates 2014 comparison of states with centralized administrative hearing courts by the stat of Louisiana. 6000 5428 5000 # of cases per judge in the U.S. Now, Atlanta Bar Association members have access to life insurance at a group rate. Did you know that 67% of Americans say they need life insurance but think it’s too expensive? Well, thanks to our strong membership, we were able to use our purchasing power to get all our members a discounted rate on life insurance. o you have a client facing a potential suspension of his or her professional license or who is otherwise aggrieved by an agency’s action? Administrative Law Judges at the Office of State Administrative Hearings (“OSAH”) are charged with adjudicating such disputes between the public and state agencies in a timely, impartial, courteous and professional manner. Historically, agency employees had conducted these hearings in house. Recognizing that hearing officers employed by the government agency taking adverse action against a party could not serve as neutral adjudicators, many states, including Georgia, created “central panels” employing Administrative Law Judges housed in an independent executive branch agency to resolve these disputes. 5428 4000 3000 2000 1427 1000 0 1427 610 548 467 441 415 401 380 376 373 317 283 275 194 187 177 65 64 60 37 30 19 610 548 467 441 415 401 380 376 373 317 283 275 GA SC TX OR MI LA NJ IA WA AZ MD WI KS TN 194 CO 187 AK 177 FL NC CA ND 65 WY 64 60 37 MN 30 MA 19 Series 1 meta-chart.com 3 At $86.00 per case, Georgia has the lowest cost per case in the nation. Cost Per Case Comparison 2014 comparison of states with centralized administrative hearing courts by the state of Louisiana. 8000 6405 6000 6405 4880 1 The Atlanta Bar is proud of its sponsorship with ISI, but it does not endorse or in any way guarantee any of their products or services. Insurance underwritten by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY L0116451652[exp0118][All States][DC] O.C.G.A. § 50-13A-2 (2015). 4880 4000 2 OSAH’s judges adjudicated the highest number of cases per judge in the United States, as compared among states with central panels. 5093 5093 3651 3651 2562 2562 2000 1420 1162 74 0 248 600 612 632 649 665 683 438 438 455 529 539 600 612 632 649 665 683 438 438 455 529 539 248 GA NJ WA MI LA KS WI AZ MD 74 TX OR SC IA 882 1420 1162 882 TN CO AK FL WY NC ND CA Series 1 meta-chart.com The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER 17