SECTION UPDATES
Bankruptcy
The Bankruptcy Section concluded its social event series for 2021 with its Holiday Party which was held at the rooftop patio of Fado Irish Pub – Buckhead on November 18 , 2021 . Guests enjoyed the amazing space and tasty appetizers and treats while mingling with friends old and new . The Bankruptcy Section also used this opportunity to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank by donating to the Food Bank all registration proceeds from the event . With one in six Georgians facing the risk of hunger , assistance is crucial to meet these needs , and the Bankruptcy Section was excited to have the opportunity to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank ’ s mission this holiday season .
The Bankruptcy Section would also like to thank Gai Lynn McCarthy ( KPPB Law ) for her service to the Bankruptcy Section and welcome its new member-at-large William A . Rountree ( Rountree Leitman & Klein LLC ).
Finally , the Bankruptcy Section would like to wish its members Happy Holidays and safe and festive Holiday Season !
Please save the date for the following event :
• Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Year in Review CLE program will be held on Thursday , February 10 , 2022 .
ALEXANDRA " CC " SCHNAPP U . S . Bankruptcy Court , Law Clerk to Chief Bankruptcy Judge Wendy L . Hagenau Alexandra _ Schnapp @ ganb . uscourts . gov
DOROTEYA N . WOZNIAK James Bates Brannan Groover LLP dwozniak @ jamesbatesllp . com
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Estate Planning & Probate
The Estate Planning & Probate Section could not have had a more auspicious beginning to this Bar season when we were honored to feature Honorable Kenya M . Johnson ( Fulton County Probate Court ), at a webinar on June 8 , 2021 . Hon . Johnson gave an outstanding presentation during which she informed our members about all the great improvements and changes she implemented to make the Fulton County Probate Court more “ user friendly ” for both attorneys and the public . Hon . Johnson was joined by
staff attorneys , Myles T . Braxton and Robert M . Cunningham , who updated us on estate and guardianship / conservatorship proceedings . Barbara J . Koll , Chief Clerk / Court Administrator / Hearing Officer , also participated in answering questions . The advice and suggestions they all gave us was invaluable .
During our webinar on August 11 , 2021 , Mandy Merkel ( Senior Resource Consulting ) and Laura “ Lolly ” Ward ( LMW Personal Financial Services ) spoke on the plight of solo seniors and explained how we could help create a safety net for them . At our September 15 , 2021 webinar , David P . Adams ( Adams Capital LLC ), and John W . Hackney ( Chamberlain , Hrdlicka , White , Williams & Aughtry ) discussed how to ensure successful valuations in Tax Court from their perspectives as an appraiser and a litigator .
We were all delighted to welcome former EP & P Chair Nick R . Djuric ( Djuric Spratt ) to speak at our October 13 , 2021 , webinar where he enlightened our members on a very timely topic : “ Estate Planning for Digital Assets .” On November 10 , 2021 , Director and Philanthropic Counselor Alison O ’ Carroll ( Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta ), discussed how our members could strengthen their charitable gift planning practices and in so doing have a greater impact on their clients , the community , and themselves .
On October 27 , 2021 , our Section sponsored a special two-hour webinar , “ Supplemental Needs Trusts : An Expert Panel on Drafting and Administration .” EP & P Treasurer Hamida Jackson-Little ( Law Offices of H . J . Little , PC ), moderated the panel discussion which featured Trust Director William H . Overman ( HMS ), President Teresa C . Whitton ( Southeastern Trust ), Vice President Shelly N . Donaldson ( Cumberland Trust ), and Trust Services Manager Anita Gardner ( Bobby Dodd Institute ). The panelists gave us excellent advice , tips , and suggestions on how best to draft and administer supplemental and special needs trusts . Their war stories not only helped to educate our members but made the program interesting and entertaining as well .
Our Section is looking forward to ending 2021 on a high note when Kyle King ( Hodges , McEachern & King ) will give us a legislative update during our webinar scheduled for December 8 , 2021 .
LINDA S . PACER Pacer Law LLC lindapacer @ pacerlaw . com
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40 November / December 2021