Atlanta Injury Lawyer Blog

It is with great sadness that I report that we have lost an amazing jurist on the Georgia Appellate Bench, Judge Debra Bernes. Judge Debra Bernes was truly an incredible woman and wonderful judge. Gone too soon. I will miss her and the citizens of the State of Georgia will miss her, because we have lost a compassionate heart and voice on the Georgia Court of Appeals with her passing. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and family. God Bless You.

Appeals court judge Debra Bernes dies of cancer
ShareThisPrint E-mail By Bill Rankin and Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Debra Bernes, a former Cobb County prosecutor who won one of the most unusual elections in state history, died Tuesday after a long bout with cancer.

Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Debra Bernes has died after a battle with cancer.

Related
Sign the guest book
More Atlanta area news »
Capitol police officer shot
Motorcyclist dies in accident
Glitch slows Cherokee voting, no results impacted
Cop: Guilty of drugs, corruption
Top news around the Web
Bernes, 54, was first elected to the appellate bench in 2004 and was running unopposed for re-election this fall. Her funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta, with her internment to follow at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs.

Two years ago, Bernes was diagnosed with renal cancer that metastasized throughout her body, family member Bill Hendrick said. She had been hospitalized and given only hours to live over the weekend.

Nancy Ingram Jordan, who worked with Bernes in the Cobb County District Attorney's Office and later as a law partner, called Bernes a remarkable woman.

"She loved her family, loved the rule of law and she is going to be missed terribly," Jordan said.

Bernes had a sharp legal mind and was compassionate about the less fortunate, said Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham, who first met Bernes almost three decades ago when she was a Cobb prosecutor.

"She was really the kind of citizen we all hope to be; she had strong principles and strong values," Benham said. "She was completely fair-minded."

Bernes won election to the appeals court in a race that generated startling amounts of campaign cash and looked like it would never end.

She ultimately won the crowded race after a recount and then another ordered election because a candidate's name, Howard Mead, had been incorrectly listed as "Thomas Mead" on 481 ballots in Laurens County. She won a runoff against Mead, who raised a record $3.3 million for his unsuccessful campaign, most of it through personal loans.

Bernes, a past president of Cobb's bar association, once chaired the Cobb Chamber of Commerce public safety committee and was a board member for the Jewish Educational Fund and the William Brennen Jewish Home.

Bernes served as a trial prosecutor in the Cobb County District Attorney’s office and later specialized in appeals. She left the DA's office in 2000 and became a private attorney.

Bernes, who earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida, was from Atlanta, a 1973 graduate of Grady High School.

She is survived by husband, Gary Lee Bernes, and two adult children, Lane and Matt.

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sarah I. Coole
June 21, 2010 Director of Communications
404-527-8700; 800-334-6865

Robin Frazer Clark of Atlanta Installed as State Bar of Georgia Secretary

Atlanta – Robin Frazer Clark of Atlanta was installed as secretary of the 41,000-member State Bar of Georgia on June 19 during the organization’s annual meeting at Amelia Island, Fla.
Clark is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the Emory University School of Law and was admitted to the Bar in 1988. A past president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, she moves into her new role with the State Bar having served on the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee.
###
The State Bar of Georgia, with offices in Atlanta, Savannah and Tifton, was established in 1964 by Georgia’s Supreme Court as the successor to the voluntary Georgia Bar Association, founded in 1884. All lawyers licensed to practice in Georgia belong to the State Bar. Its more than 41,000 members work together to strengthen the constitutional promise of justice for all, promote principles of duty and public service among Georgia’s lawyers, and administer a strict code of legal ethics.

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

Friday, May 14, 2010
Incumbent unseated in State Bar election
It was the first time in memory that an office holder was challenged
By Janet L. Conley, Associate Editor

In an unprecedented move for a State Bar of Georgia election, Robin Frazer Clark has unseated incumbent C. Wilson DuBose for the job of secretary.

The bar, which released election results this week, reported that Clark, a personal injury lawyer who runs her own firm, garnered 3,552 votes to DuBose's 3,015. DuBose is a litigator focusing primarily on business and construction law with DuBose, Massey, Bair & Evans in Madison, Ga.

Clifton A. Brashier Jr., the bar's executive director, said this is the first challenge to an incumbent officer he can recall in the bar's history. Incumbents are not identified as such on the ballot members use to vote.

Brashier also said that Clark is only the second woman, not including those in the Younger Lawyers Division, to become a bar officer. The first was Linda A. Klein, now with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, who served as bar president in 1998.

A contested race for the open treasurer's post went to Charles L. "Buck" Ruffin of Baker Donelson in Macon, with 3,536 votes. His opponent, Nancy J. Whaley of Sandy Springs, a standing Chapter 13 trustee, garnered 3,120 votes.

A hotly contested Board of Governors seat for the Atlanta Circuit, Post 16—which had 13 contenders—went to Dawn M. Jones of King & Spalding.

Kenneth L. Shigley of Chambers, Aholt & Rickard was elected president-elect without opposition. The current president-elect, S. Lester Tate III of Akin & Tate in Cartersville, and the rest of the officers and Board of Governors members will move into their new posts at the bar's annual meeting June 18 and 19 at Amelia Island, Fla.

For full election results, visit http://www.gabar.org/news/election_results_2010_state_bar_of_georgia_election/.

In running against an incumbent, Clark not only made bar history, she also sped up the usual process by which lawyers rise to an officer's post. Typically, lawyers serve on the bar's Board of Governors for a number of years before moving to the Executive Committee for several years and then to an officer's post. Clark has served on the Board of Governors, but spent only a year on the Executive Committee prior to running for office. The secretary's post is viewed as being a feeder position for bar presidency.

As DuBose put it, "All these officer positions are simply training positions for people who have a desire to become state bar president. Very few people go out for these positions simply to have these positions be the final destination."

DuBose said he was disappointed at losing the secretary's post, and that he was unsure why he lost.

"Georgia Trial Lawyers Association members probably came out in big numbers," he said. "They always do a good job getting out the vote."

Clark is a past president of GTLA. Her husband, Bill Clark, is political director for the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and lobbies for the group.

Robin Clark said she believes she won because she traveled the state, campaigning for the post. "I shook literally thousands of lawyers' hands, and people appreciate that, even in a state bar race."

Clark said she took the unusual move of challenging an incumbent because "I felt like we needed to improve relations with the Georgia Legislature immediately. We couldn't wait around for that and I feel like I can deliver that for the state bar. … I have great relationships with a lot of legislators. I have their respect and the state bar needs that."

Clark said she wasn't sure what caused the bar's less-than-ideal relationship with the Legislature.

"The two things that are typically cited by legislators are the … Public Defender Standards Council and the way some folks have gone about trying to promote that or push that, and then the second thing that's typically cited … is the advisory opinion… that basically said if there's a conflict in a public defender's office—which happens all the time—then two public defenders from the same circuit cannot represent the co-defendants in the same case."

That opinion has generated controversy because of concerns over the cost of hiring outside conflict defenders. (An amendment to the Georgia code addressing this problem passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature; see At Issue, page 4, for an opinion piece on this subject.)

DuBose chaired the Public Defender Standards Council from 2007 until

2009, and had previously served as its

vice chairman and as a member of the Supreme Court Commission on Indigent Defense.

"There are many in the bar who believe that its work on indigent defense—which has actually been the work of a few dedicated people like Wilson DuBose—has hurt its relationship with the Legislature," Stephen B. Bright, president and senior counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights, said in an e-mail message. "Wilson ... learned a great deal about indigent defense and realized that Georgia was falling far short of its constitutional obligation to provide counsel to poor people accused of crimes. ... Now he has been rewarded for his selfless work for a fairer, better criminal justice system by being voted out of office so that the bar can distance itself from indigent defense. This is immensely disappointing."

Clark said she did not see her win as a signal that bar members want the bar to change its approach to indigent defense. "Many members voted for me simply because I got out there and hustled," she said, adding that others chose her because she is a woman, and many know about her relationship with state legislators, honed through her work with GTLA.

The bar needs a good relationship with the Legislature in part to encourage more lawyers to become legislators—there are only 37 now, she said. Incentives such as provisions to ensure that lawyer-legislators can't be called to trial if they're serving at committee meetings, which occur year-round, would be helpful, she said.

Associate Editor Janet L. Conley can be reached at jconley@alm.com

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

I am honored and humbled to have won the election and to be the next Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia. Thank you to all of you for your support and encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you. I am looking forward to serving you and to moving the State Bar forward.

Thanks for your votes, thanks for your asking your colleagues for their votes, thanks for your continued encouragement and and thanks for your moral support throughout what was a time and energy intensive statewide campaign. As Secretary I will work to protect the interests of the Everyday Georgian, keep the judiciary independent and preserve the Georgia Civil Justice System. I look forward to serving you this upcoming Bar year and please do not hestitate to call me or email me to share any ideas, suggestions or concerns you have about the Bar.

Thanks again. And take it from a trial lawyer: A rising tide lifts all boats!

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

April 30, 2010

Dear Friends:

First, let me thank you for the hundreds of telephone calls, emails, texts and well wishes you have sent my way to let me know you have already voted for me and that you support me in the race for Secretary of the State Bar. Remember, voting continues through May 3, so if you haven’t voted already there is still time. Campaigning throughout the State of Georgia and shaking literally thousands of hands and meeting thousands of my fellow Bar members has been an extremely rewarding experience for me and I’ll never forget it. Many of you who know me know my motto is “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats.” This journey has certainly been one of “rising tides” and has made me even prouder to be a Georgia lawyer.

Sharing ideas and the vision with you of building a better Bar has been motivational. I am deeply honored that 32 of the 37 Lawyer-Legislators of the Georgia General Assembly, including the Speaker of the House, the Chairman of the House Civil Judiciary Committee, the Chairman of the House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee, the House Majority Whip and the House Minority Leader, endorsed my candidacy. These are Legislators from both sides of the aisle, who deal with both civil and non-civil issues, who, in their words, know me as an “effective advocate who brings much-needed credibility to discussions under the Gold Dome.” I have their respect, which is absolutely necessary if the State Bar is going to have a seat at the table when the Georgia Legislature is considering legislation that affects our clients and our profession. I will use that respect and standing on behalf of the State Bar if elected Secretary.

The State Bar is bigger than just a single issue. This race is about true leadership. We need our officers of the State Bar to have that skill and diplomacy necessary, with friends and detractors alike, so that we can have an effective voice. We need a leader who is a new face of the State Bar, who inspires and encourages, who motivates and excites, energizes and galvanizes our membership to build the Bar we all want. I respectfully submit I am that leader and humbly ask for your vote for Secretary.

Blessings,

Robin Frazer Clark

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

Dear Friends:

First, let me thank you for the hundreds of telephone calls, emails, texts and well wishes you have sent my way to let me know you have already voted for me and that you support me in the race for Secretary of the State Bar. Remember, voting continues through May 3, so if you haven’t voted already there is still time. Campaigning throughout the State of Georgia and shaking literally thousands of hands and meeting thousands of my fellow Bar members has been an extremely rewarding experience for me and I’ll never forget it. Many of you who know me know my motto is “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats.” This journey has certainly been one of “rising tides” and has made me even prouder to be a Georgia lawyer.

Sharing ideas and the vision with you of building a better Bar has been motivational. I am deeply honored that 32 of the 37 Lawyer-Legislators of the Georgia General Assembly, including the Speaker of the House, the Chairman of the House Civil Judiciary Committee, the Chairman of the House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee, the House Majority Whip and the House Minority Leader, endorsed my candidacy. These are Legislators from both sides of the aisle, who deal with both civil and non-civil issues, who, in their words, know me as an “effective advocate who brings much-needed credibility to discussions under the Gold Dome.” I have their respect, which is absolutely necessary if the State Bar is going to have a seat at the table when the Georgia Legislature is considering legislation that affects our clients and our profession. I will use that respect and standing on behalf of the State Bar if elected Secretary.

The State Bar is bigger than just a single issue. This race is about true leadership. We need our officers of the State Bar to have that skill and diplomacy necessary, with friends and detractors alike, so that we can have an effective voice. We need a leader who is a new face of the State Bar, who inspires and encourages, who motivates and excites, energizes and galvanizes our membership to build the Bar we all want. I respectfully submit I am that leader and humbly ask for your vote for Secretary.

Blessings,

Robin Frazer Clark

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

Dear Friends:

I have traveled the four corners of the State of Georgia during this campaign for Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia, from Bartow County to Dougherty County, from the Blue Ridge Circuit to the Stone Mountain Circuit, and from Macon to Savannah, I have grown ever more proud of our honorable profession and what you do to help the citizens of Georgia every day. I have attended over 30 bar association meetings and events and have shaken the hands
of literally thousands of you in an effort to get to know you, to learn more about your practices and to understand your concerns about the State Bar of Georgia. In fact, you may view many photographs from those campaign stops at my Facebook Group “Lawyers for Robin Frazer Clark for Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia” at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=238106519911. At all of these events I have welcomed your thoughts and suggestions for building a better Bar. You may always contact me at robinclark@gatriallawyers.net.

As I have come to your communities to meet with you, we have talked candidly about how the State Bar is
perceived by both the public and the Georgia Legislature and the various challenges facing the Bar. I bring to the table for your benefit strong, trusted relationships with many Georgia Legislators-relationships that I have developed while advocating for - and against - numerous pieces of legislation affecting the lives of Georgia citizens. 32 of the 37
Lawyer-Legislators in our General Assembly have endorsed my candidacy for State Bar Secretary because they know how important it is for the State Bar to work with the Legislature from a position of trust and respect; otherwise, our goals of maintaining an independent judiciary, a unified Bar and respect for our profession will be fruitless. The State
Bar of Georgia needs a seat at the table when the Georgia General Assembly undertakes actions that affect our beloved profession. While I certainly have not always agreed with the actions of our Legislature - far from it - I have earned their respect and, if elected to be your State Bar Secretary, I will have a seat at the table on your behalf.
This race is about leadership. If you want to see honors and awards I have received in my 22 years of practicing law in Georgia, I urge you to visit my website: http://www.gatriallawyers.net or my State Bar Webpage
http://gabar.org/news/2010_state_bar_of_georgia_election_information/clark/.

It is time for the next generation of leadership to step up to the plate and take our turn at bat. We have the talent. We have the commitment. We just need to exercise the judgment to know when to take a pitch in the dirt and when to swing with all our might - - always keeping our eye on the ball for the benefit of our clients and for the benefit of you, my fellow members of the Bar. I will strengthen the important relationships between the Bar and Bench and between the Bar and the Legislature. I will not let you down. I respectfully and earnestly ask for your vote to be your next Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia.

With the greatest respect,

Robin Frazer Clark

Robin Frazer Clark
LAW OFFICES OF ROBIN FRAZER CLARK, P.C.
PROMENADE II, SUITE 2323
1230 PEACHTREE STREET, NE
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30309
PHONE 404.873.3700 FAX 404.876.2555 TOLL FREE 1.877.689.1893
robinclark@gatriallawyers.net www.gatriallawyers.net

ROBIN FRAZER CLARK
for
SECRETARY, STATE BAR OF GEORGIA

Vote April 2 - May 3

Join me on Facebook/Lawyers for Robin Frazer Clark for Secretary of Georgia State Bar
and Follow Me on Twitter/@robinfclark

Follow my blog at: http://www.atlantainjurylawyerblog.com/
and check my website: http://www.gatriallawyers.net/

email me at: robinclark@gatriallawyers.net

• Member, Executive Committee of State Bar of Georgia
• Member, Board of Governors, State Bar of Georgia
• Past Chairperson, Atlanta Bar Association Litigation Section
• Past President, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
(only second woman president in GTLA’s history)
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
• Member, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL)
• Member, Board of Editors, The Verdict
• Sole Practitioner and Owner, Robin Frazer Clark, P.C.
• Member, American Association for Justice (AAJ)

Elect Robin Frazer Clark
Secretary, State Bar of Georgia
Promenade II, Suite 2323
1230 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Effective, Proven Leader
Respected Voice at The Capitol
Innovative, Energetic
Dedicated Lawyer for 22 years

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

Many of you know I am currently in a contested race for Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia. Thus far, I have attended 24 events to campaign for the race. It has been my pleasure touring the State of Georgia and meeting lawyers from the four corners of the state who have every variety of law practice imaginable. Today, I took out a day from campaigning and attended the State of the Judiciary Address delivered today by the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, Carol Hunstein, who did an outstanding job. The Chief delivered the address before a Joint Session of the Georgia Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives. The remaining members of the Georgia Supreme Court were present as was the entire Georgia Court of Appeals. Very impressive pomp and circumstance, with the utmost of formalities. But most impressive was Chief Justice Hunstein's poise and substance of her speech. We all should be proud that Carol Hunstein is our Chief Justice.

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

I am proud to announce my candidacy for the office of Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia. This is an important election because it will determine the direction the State Bar takes in the next few years. I believe my experience working with the Georgia General Assembly as President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, and in the years since then, will greatly help the State Bar's effectiveness with the Legislature, which I believe will be crucial in the coming years.

Below is my letter announcing that I am running for Secretary that I sent to the Executive Committee of the State Bar and to the Board of Governors:

Dear Friends:

After considerable thought and prayer, I have decided to run for Secretary of this great State Bar in 2010. I am running because I believe at this critical time when the State's budget is being drastically cut and threats are constantly being made against the Judicial Branch and our profession, the State Bar needs known and respected leadership representing it at the General Assembly. The gravity of the situation confronting us has caused me to cast comfort and comity aside and answer the call to service that many of our fellow Board of Governors members have asked me to answer.

Among the most essential attributes of a leader of the State Bar is the ability to put forward a “face of the Bar” that is both respected and trusted by the leadership of the Judiciary and the Legislature. This is especially true when some among the Legislature are anything but interested in meeting the needs of the Judiciary, of the legal profession or of those Georgians who are so dependent upon the ability of the judicial system to meet their needs. Simply put, as officers of the court, we owe it to our fellow members of the Bar, and to our respective clients, to elect in each of our leadership positions only those persons who have spent years building bridges with the Legislature and developing productive relationships with those among that branch of government who hold in their hands the fate of our profession and that of our fellow Georgians whom we are privileged to represent. I believe the State Bar needs and deserves a leader who is respected by members of the Legislature, who has a proven track record of working successfully with members from both sides of the aisle to find win-win solutions to very difficult problems. I believe the State Bar of Georgia deserves a leader who knows and understands when it is time to negotiate and when it is time to stand your ground. I believe the State Bar deserves a leader who knows the problems Everyday Georgians are facing daily. I am that person.

I humbly submit that I have the attributes and skills necessary to lead this Bar during this difficult time. I have developed over the years strong relationships with numerous State Senators and State Representatives that help me work from a position of trust and respect with them. This trust and respect will be crucial for the State Bar in the coming years as it must necessarily work with the Georgia General Assembly to protect funding for the Judicial Branch and for all of the programs promoted by the State Bar.

I ask for your support. I ask for your thoughts and suggestions. Also, I ask for your prayers as we go forward together through this election process. I expect this to be a contested race and I welcome a robust and frank discussion of the issues that our State Bar faces and of who should lead our State Bar. Finally, in May I will proudly ask for your vote and the vote of your colleagues for Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia.

Blessings,
Robin Frazer Clark

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

As a member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Georgia, I am proud that our Executive Committee makes a concerted effort to get outside of Atlanta and meet our fellow Georgia Bar members in the four corners of the state. Last week's meeting in Thomasville, Thomas County, Georgia is a prime example of this. We enjoyed lunch first with many members of the local Thomas County Bar , which is part of the Southern Judicial Circuit. We met at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, which is a lovely location. The President of the Thomas County Bar Association, Christopher Rodd, was our host for the evening and for the tour of the new Thomas County Courthouse, which is not yet open for business but will be a spectacular venue. It is always a treat for me to meet members of the State Bar from across the state, who, but for my involvement in the State Bar of Georgia, I would likely never have the opportunity to meet. The theme that keeps coming through in these meetings in varied locales is this: the lawyers who comprise the State Bar of Georgia are honorable, dedicated leaders of their communities, who care about justice being served, who care about the less fortunate and who care about the criminal and civil judicial systems in Georgia and the stewardship of those two sacred systems. It is my honor to meet and come to know these lawyers and to discuss the issues they face in their communities that are worlds apart from Atlanta.

Below is a letter from Bryan Cavan, President of the State Bar of Georgia, another honorable lawyer, regarding our wonderful meeting in Thomasville.

Letter to the Editor – November 19, 2009
Thomasville Times-Enterprise

State Bar commends Thomasville hospitality

To the Editor:

On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I wish to express sincere thanks to President Christopher Rodd and the members of the Thomas County Bar Association for serving as outstanding hosts for the State Bar’s Executive Committee meeting Nov. 12 at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville.

Our Executive Committee meetings throughout the year are held in various locations around Georgia so that State Bar leaders have the opportunity to meet with and hear from local attorneys, judges, legislators and other community leaders. Thanks to the warm hospitality of the local bar association and the people of Thomas County, we enjoyed an exceptional meeting in your community.

All Georgia lawyers can be proud of our colleagues in the Thomas County Bar Association for their tireless dedication toward upholding the constitutional promise of justice for all.

Sincerely,

Bryan M. Cavan
President

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sarah I. Coole
June 20, 2009 Director of Communications
404-527-8700; 800-334-6865

Robin Frazer Clark Elected to Executive Committee of State Bar of Georgia

Atlanta – Robin Frazer Clark of Atlanta was elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the 40,000-member State Bar of Georgia on June 20 during the organization’s annual meeting at Amelia Island, Fla.
Clark is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the Emory University School of Law. She is represents the Atlanta Judicial Circuit on the State Bar’s Board of Governors and is also past president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.
The Board of Governors of the State Bar elects six of its members to serve on the Executive Committee with the organization’s officers. The Executive Committee meets monthly and exercises the power of the Board of Governors when the board is not in session.
###
The State Bar of Georgia, with offices in Atlanta, Savannah and Tifton, was established in 1964 by Georgia’s Supreme Court as the successor to the voluntary Georgia Bar Association, founded in 1884. All lawyers licensed to practice in Georgia belong to the State Bar. Its more than 40,000 members work together to strengthen the constitutional promise of justice for all, promote principles of duty and public service among Georgia’s lawyers, and administer a strict code of legal ethics.

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

I am extremely happy to announce I was elected to the Georgia State Bar Executive Committee on Saturday, June 19 during the Annual Meeting of the State Bar at Amelia Island Plantation, Florida. The State Bar of Georgia is comprised of approximately 40,000 lawyers. The Board of Governors, on which I have served since 2002, consists of 150 of those lawyers who have been elected by their respective constituents to represent them on bar matters. The Executive Committee of the Georgia State Bar is comprised of 14 State Bar members also elected by the lawyers of the State of Georgia. So it is an absolute honor to have been chosen by my peers and colleagues to represent them on the Georgia State Bar Executive Committee. I look forward to serving and to continung to protect the rights of Georgia citizens by keeping our precious Georgia Civil Justice System's promise of Justice For All.

Below is a short press release issued by the President of Georgia Trial Lawyers Association about my election to the Executive Committee:

Friends:

Former GTLA president Robin Clark was elected to the State Bar Executive Committee on Saturday. Congratulations to Robin. Already on the Executive Committee are GTLA members Lester Tate, serving as President Elect and Ken Shigley, serving as Treasurer. All three individuals are great voices at the State Bar for issues of concern to GTLA members.

We all owe them a great thanks for their willingness to serve on the State Bar Executive Committee and for their great support of issues important to GTLA.

GTLA remains ever vigilant that broad coalitions are needed to protect access to a proper Civil Justice System for the citizens of this State.

Chris Clark, President
Georgia Trial Lawyers Association

O'Neal, Brown & Clark, P.C.
1001 American Federal Building
544 Mulberry Street
Macon, Georgia 31201-2774
Phone: 478-742-8981
Fax: 478-743-5035
E-mail: clark@obclawfirm.com
website: www.obclawfirm.com

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

As you may know, I am a member of the State Bar of Georgia's Board of Governors, the governing body over Georgia's 38,000 lawyers. We, the Board of Governors, recently held our Mid-Year meeting here in Atlanta, and one item on our agenda was the GREAT Plan, HR 900, the new tax plan being proposed by the Speaker of the House, Glenn Richardson, a Republican State Representative from Paulding County. The Georgia Board of Governors voted to express our concern with and opposition to the GREAT plan, as it applies to the taxation of legal services. Because the Speaker has now exempted business-to-business transactions from the
plan's tax scheme, that means only individual Georgia citizens, not corporations, would have to pay the tax on legal services. Corporations get a free pass, while Georgia would be trying to raise revenue on the backs of individual Georgia citizens, those who can least afford it. How could this possibly comport with the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the laws? It can't, but that has often before never been much of an impediment to the Georgia General Assembly's passage of laws, as evidenced by 2005's SB3, the so-called "tort reform" bill. Much of SB3 has now been held to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Georgia, and it is only a matter of time before the remaining provisions are also ruled unconstitutional. In the meantime, though, many deserving Georgia citizens have been robbed of justice because of SB3.
I am proud of the action taken by the Georgia Board of Governors expressing opposition to the proposed tax scheme. If there is anyone who will stand up for the individual Georgia citizen, it is the honorable lawyers of the State Bar of Georgia.

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

Thanks go out to Jay Cook, Immediate Past President of the State Bar of Georgia, for calling a spade a spade when it comes to the complete abdication of responsibility by Corporate America. President Cook's op-ed piece in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution today tells the truth:American Corporations routinely put profits over people, including Georgia citizens, every day. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mattel, which has recalled more than 20 million dangerous toys this summer alone, has delayed reporting product defects because it finds the reporting rules "unreasonable." According to The New York Times, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has fined Mattel twice for such delays since 2001. I would venture a guess that many American parents find it "unreasonable" for a company to sell toys containing lead in them, too.

And that's just one example out of thousands. Corporate America wants to make millions of dollars on the backs of hard-working Everyday Americans and Everyday Georgians, but also wants a "get out of jail free" card when caught red-handed endangering the public. It has been shown time after the time the only institution that can possibly hold Corporate America responsible is the American Civil Justice System. The Seventh Amendment guarantee to a trial by jury in the United States Constitution is the mechanism by which Everyday Americans can still obtain just a little bit of justice for the abuse heaped on them by Corporate America. Justice for All: It's a Beautiful Thing.

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark:

I attended the 2007 State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting in Ponte Vedra, Florida last week as a Member of the Board of Governors, Post 36 Atlanta, Georgia. I am happy to report good news for the elections to the Executive Committee of the Georgia State Bar, as the Board of Governors duly elected fellow blogger Ken Shigley from Atlanta, Georgia and fellow Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (GTLA) member Thomas Stubbs from Decatur, Georgia as Members at Large to the Executive Committee. Both of these outstanding lawyers will serve the Georgia Bar well. They, like I, represent plaintiffs in a vast array of personal injury cases and are always fighting for justice for the underdog in the system. Ken, Thomas and I all share the same beliefs in the inherent value of the Georgia Civil Justice System and we will continue to support it and fight to maintain an independent judiciary, something all Americans agree sets our Nation apart from others. There has been an assault on the independence of the judiciary in last year's Georgia Supreme Court election and I am proud to say that the Georgia lawyers who believe in the integrity of our Civil Justice System fought it off and helped preserve an independent judiciary in Georgia that is not controlled by special political interests. We should all be proud of that. Justice Carol Hunstein, whose seat on the Supreme Court of Georgia was the target of this politicized assault, was awarded the Tradition of Excellence Award in the Judicial Category by the General Practice and Trial Section. Fellow GTLA member Paul Kilpatrick from Columbus, Georgia, was awarded the Tradition of Excellence Award in the Plaintiffs' Counsel Category and they both gave inspirational acceptance speeches that emphasized the importance of an independent, non-politicized judiciary.

Much of the credit goes to Immediate Past President Jay Cook, as he led the charge to preserve Georgia's tradition of an independent judiciary. We can expect our new Georgia Bar President, Gerald Edenfield, from Statesboro, Georgia, to follow in Jay Cook's footsteps on this very important issue.

Additionally, GTLA members Jeff Bramlett and Lester Tate were elected President Elect and Treasurer respectfully, so I can honestly and happily say the State Bar of Georgia is in good hands for years to come. These gentlemen champion the rights of the everyday Georgia citizens, not mammouth corporations or insurance companies.

The Annual Georgia State Bar Meeting is important to attend for many reasons, including legal education, fellowship and doing the Bar's work, but attending also reinvigorates us for the heavy fight to preserve the Civil Justice System of Georgia at all costs, because there are those out there, who I would refer to as "The Dismantlers" who would "dismantle" or undo the Civil Justice System and eliminate corporate responsibility for wrongdoing altogether. I pledge to every Georgia citizen I will do my utmost never to allow that to happen.

Continue reading "Successful 2007 State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting" »

Posted by Robin Frazer Clark | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: State Bar of Georgia

Bookmark: